Impeller bearings for pumps
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsDavid Raju Yamarthi, Brian G. Brzek, Adam Joseph Wangler, David Justin Brady, Prachi Anand Tappu, Santosh Pattnaik, Mohan Kannaiah Raju
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Impeller bearings for pumps are disclosed. An example fluid pump includes a motor, a shaft coupled to a rotor of the motor, an impeller coupled to the shaft forward of the motor, the impeller including blades to pump a fluid, a first radial bearing positioned around the shaft aft of the motor, a second radial bearing positioned around the impeller, and guide vanes extending radially from the second radial bearing upstream of the blades of the impeller.
Claims20
A fluid pump comprising:
- a motor;
- a shaft coupled to the motor;
- an impeller coupled to the shaft forward of the motor, the impeller including blades to pump a fluid;
- a first radial bearing positioned around the shaft aft of the motor;
- a second radial bearing positioned around the impeller or a portion of the shaft forward of the impeller;
- and
- guide vanes extending radially from the second radial bearing upstream of the blades of the impeller.
A fluid pump comprising:
- a motor;
- a shaft coupled to the motor;
- an impeller coupled to the shaft forward of the motor, the impeller including blades to pump a fluid;
- a radial bearing positioned around the impeller or a portion of the shaft forward of the impeller, wherein the fluid pump defines a flow path for the fluid in which a first portion of the fluid flows radially inward of at least a portion of the radial bearing and a second portion of the fluid flows radially outward of the radial bearing in a same axial location defined by the fluid pump as the first portion of the fluid.
A fluid pump comprising:
- a motor;
- a shaft coupled to a rotor of the motor;
- an impeller coupled to the shaft forward of the motor, the impeller including blades to pump a fluid;
- a radial bearing positioned around the impeller or a portion of the shaft forward of the impeller;
- and
- guide vanes upstream of the blades of the impeller in a same axial location defined by the fluid pump as the radial bearing.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.