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US 5,295,794 AGranted
Liquid ring pumps with rotating liners
AssigneeThe Nash Engineering Company
InventorHarold K. Haavik
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Liquid ring pumps with rotating liners supported by a bearing fluid (pressurized liquid or compressed gas) have a bearing fluid distribution system that compensates for the radially unsymmetric load on the rotating liner. If the liner bearing fluid is compressed gas, the axial ends of the liner may be either open and unsealed so that expended bearing gas escapes into the liquid ring in the pump, or the axial ends of the liner may be partly closed by radially inwardly extending end plates. Various mechanical and/or liquid seal structures may be used in conjunction with the end plates to seal the axial ends of the liner and/or to flush the clearances adjacent the axial ends of the liner.
Claims67
A liquid ring pump comprising:
- a hollow, substantially cylindrical housing member;
- a hollow, substantially cylindrical liner member disposed in said housing member substantially concentric wit said housing member, the diameter of the outer surface of said liner member being slightly smaller than the diameter of the inner surface of said housing member so that there is an annular clearance between the outer surface of said liner member and the inner surface of said housing member, the axial ends of said clearance being unsealed;
- a rotor disposed in said liner member for rotation about a rotor axis which is parallel to but laterally spaced from the central longitudinal axis of said liner member, said rotor having a plurality of radially and axially extending blades spaced from one another about said rotor axis;
- means for maintaining a quantity of pumping liquid between said liner member and said rotor;
- means for rotating said rotor about said rotor axis so that said blades engage said pumping liquid and form it into a recirculating ring inside and substantially concentric with said liner member, said ring cooperating with said rotor to provide chambers for pumping gas supplied to the pump for pumping;
- and
- means for introducing compressed gas into said annular clearance so that said compressed gas substantially fills said annular clearance and supports said liner member for rotation relative to said housing member about said central longitudinal axis, said liner member being thus rotated by contact with said recirculating annular ring of pumping liquid.
4 more elements
A liquid ring pump comprising:
- a hollow, substantially cylindrical housing member;
- a hollow, substantially cylindrical liner member disposed in said housing member substantially concentric with said housing member, the diameter of the outer surface of aid liner member being slightly smaller than the diameter of the inner surface of said housing member so that there is an annular clearance between the outer surface of said liner member and the inner surface of said housing member so that there is an annular clearance between the outer surface of said liner member and the inner surface of said housing member;
- a rotor disposed in said liner member for rotation about a rotor axis which is parallel to but laterally spaced from the central longitudinal axis of said liner member, said rotor having a plurality of radially and axially extending blades spaced from one another about said rotor axis;
- means for maintaining a quantity of pumping liquid between said liner member and said rotor;
- means for rotating said rotor about said rotor axis so that said blades engage said pumping liquid and form it into a recirculating ring inside and substantially concentric with said liner member, said ring cooperating with said rotor to provide chambers for pumping gas supplied to the pump for pumping;
- and
- means for introducing a pressurized bearing fluid into said annular clearance so that said pressurized bearing fluid substantially fills said annular clearance and supports said liner member for rotation relative to said housing member about said central longitudinal axis, said liner member being thus rotated by contact with said recirculating annular ring of pumping liquid, wherein said pump has an arcuate segment in which the average pressure of the gas in said chambers while inside said arcuate segment is substantially higher than the average pressure of the gas in said chambers while outside of said arcuate segment, and wherein said pump is oriented with said central longitudinal axis substantially horizontal and said arcuate segment at the top of said pump.
4 more elements
A liquid ring pump comprising:
- a hollow, substantially cylindrical housing member;
- a hollow, substantially cylindrical liner member disposed in said housing member substantially concentric with said housing member, the diameter of the outer surface of said liner member being slightly smaller than the diameter of the inner surface of said housing member so that there is an annular clearance between the outer surface of said liner member and the inner surface of said housing member;
- a rotor disposed in said liner member for rotation about a rotor axis which is parallel to but laterally spaced from the central longitudinal axis of said liner member, said rotor having a plurality of radially and axially extending blades spaced from one another about said rotor axis;
- means for maintaining a quantity of pumping liquid between said liner member and said rotary;
- means for rotating said rotor about said rotor axis so that said blades engage said pumping liquid and form it into a recirculating ring inside and substantially concentric with said liner member, said ring cooperating with said rotor to provide chambers for pumping gas supplied to the pump for pumping;
- and
- means for introducing a pressurized bearing fluid into said annular clearance so that said pressurized bearing fluid substantially fills said annular clearance and supports said liner member for rotation relative to said housing member about said central longitudinal axis, said liner member being thus rotated by contact with said recirculating annular ring of pumping liquid, wherein said pump has an arcuate segment in which the average pressure of the gas in said chambers while inside said arcuate segment is substantially higher than the average pressure of the gas in said chambers while outside of said arcuate segment, and wherein said means for introducing pressurized bearing fluid introduces more of said pressurized bearing fluid per unit of liner surface area in said arcuate segment than it introduces per unit of liner surface area outside of said arcuate segment.
4 more elements
A liquid ring pump comprising:
- a housing including a hollow, substantially cylindrical housing body;
- a liner disposed in said housing member and including a hollow, substantially cylindrical liner body and a substantially toroidal end plate extending radially inward from at least one axial end of said liner body, both of said liner body and said end plate being substantially concentric with said housing body, the diameter of the outer surface of said liner body being slightly smaller than the diameter of the inner surface of said housing body so that there is an annular clearance between the outer surface of said liner body and the inner surface of said housing body;
- a rotor disposed in said liner for rotation about a rotor axis which is parallel to but laterally spaced from the central longitudinal axis of said liner, said rotor having a plurality of radially and axially extending blades spaced from one another about said rotor axis;
- means for maintaining a quantity of pumping liquid between said liner and said rotor;
- means for rotating said rotor about said rotor axis so that said blades engage said pumping liquid and form it into a recirculating ring inside and substantially concentric with said liner body, said ring cooperating with said rotor to provide chambers for pumping gas supplied to the pump for pumping;
- and
- means for introducing compressed gas into said annular clearance so that said compressed gas substantially fills said annular clearance and supports said liner for rotation relative to said housing about said central longitudinal axis, said liner being thus rotated by contact with said recirculating annular ring of pumping liquid.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.