Pumps
AssigneeWeir Minerals Australia Ltd.
InventorsKevin Edward Burgess, Garth Norman Cantrill
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A pump assembly and components therefor including an impeller which has flow inducer elements on an inner surface of a front shroud thereof, a flow directing device or strainer having passageways for delivering material to the impeller and at least one flow circulating passageway and a pump casing having an intake section with flow distribution vanes in the region of a feed opening adjacent the intake section.
Claims16
1-19. (canceled)
A flow directing device for directing material in relation to an adjacent moving impeller, the device including a main body having an inner side and an outer side, a plurality of passageways extending between the inner side and the outer side of the main body, at least one passageway providing for the in use delivery of material to an opening of the impeller and at least one other passageway providing for the in use circulation of a flow of material past the impeller wherein said main body includes a peripheral side wall section and a plurality of concentrically arranged ring shaped elements operatively connected together and operatively connected to the peripheral side wall section, the annular spaces between the ring shaped elements providing for said passageways.
A flow directing device which is arranged to direct two material flows of a material containing liquid and particulates in response to the relative movement of an adjacent impeller, the device being disposed upstream of the impeller, the flows being:
- a mixing flow in which material is mixed and agitated in response to the movement of the adjacent impeller in use;
- and
- a pumping flow in which material is passed through the adjacent impeller in use and pumped to another location.
A pump casing including:
- a main body section having a pumping chamber therein, and a discharge outlet extending from the pumping chamber;
- a strainer section having an intake region therein, with one or more inlets located at the intake region;
- and
- a feed opening between the intake region and the pumping chamber;
- wherein a plurality of flow distribution vanes are positioned in the region of the feed opening.
A pump impeller having a rotational axis and including:
- a hub;
- a back shroud extending from the hub;
- and
- a front shroud;
- wherein each of the shrouds has an inner surface and an outer surface, the impeller also having:
- a plurality of pumping vanes extending between the respective inner surfaces of the shrouds, and
- an impeller inlet opening in the front shroud coaxial with the rotation axis of the impeller;
- wherein the impeller includes one or more flow generating elements which extend from the outer surface of the front shroud in the region of the impeller opening.
30-31. (canceled)
A method of pumping a flow of a slurry material, the method comprising the steps of:
- operatively coupling (i) an impeller having one or more inducer elements that are positioned adjacent to the impeller inlet opening onto (ii) a flow directing device which has a passageway for providing the in use delivery of material to the opening;
- and
- actuating the rotation of the impeller relative to the flow directing device.
33-34. (canceled)
A method of replacing an impeller in a pump assembly, comprising:
- providing a pump assembly having a pump casing with a pumping chamber, a drive shaft positioned within a portion of the pump casing, an impeller coupled to the drive shaft and a flow directing device positioned adjacent the impeller;
- removing the flow directing device from adjacent the impeller to thereby provide access to the pumping chamber;
- removing the impeller from the pumping chamber;
- replacing the removed impeller with another impeller;
- and
- resecuring a flow directing device adjacent the impeller.
A method of assembling a pump assembly according to claim 31, the method including mounting the impeller within the pumping chamber and operatively securing the flow directing device to the pump casing.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.