Centrifugal pump of vortex-flow type

Abstract

A centrifugal pump of the vortex-flow type includes a pump housing defining therein an arcuate pump chamber in surrounding relationship with a central sealed chamber, and a disc-like impeller rotatably and axially movably assembled within the pump housing and having opposite end faces each forming a close clearance with a corresponding internal end wall of the pump housing between the sealed and pump chambers, the impeller having on either end face of the rim portion thereof a plurality of circumferentially equally spaced vane grooves which cooperate with the pump chamber to produce a discharge pressure therein and being formed with at least one pressure balancing hole extending axially therethrough in the interior of the sealed chamber. The impeller is formed at an intermediate annular portion thereof with a plurality of circumferentially equally spaced axial holes which are opposed to the internal end walls of the pump housing, and the internal end walls of the pump housing are each formed with an arcuate groove which is arranged in surrounding relationship with the sealed chamber and corresponds with the axial holes of the impeller.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.