Oscillating centrifugal pump

An oscillating centrifugal pump, comprising:

• (a) a housing with a longitudinal axis, said housing having a front end and a rear end spaced apart on the axis,
• (b) a pumping chamber at the front end of said housing, said pumping chamber being defined by a continuous, transverse front wall to close said pumping chamber at said front end of the housing, a transverse rear wall with a central opening, axially-spaced from said transverse front wall, and a longitudinal co-axial side wall, between said front and rear transverse walls,
• (c) an outlet in the longitudinal side wall of said pumping chamber,
• (d) an inlet in said housing, outside of, and axially spaced from, said pumping chamber, said housing being free of bearings, flexing seals or apertures leading to the exterior of the housing except for said inlet and outlet,
• (e) an impeller in said pumping chamber, said impeller being mounted on an elastic support, which provides limited freedom of angular rotation for said impeller in either direction about the longitudinal axis of said housing and
• (f) magnetic means external to said housing to drive said impeller in an angular oscillation about the longitudinal axis within said pumping chamber at the torsional resonant frequency of said impeller mounted on said elastic support by magnetic action through the walls of said housing.

An oscillating centrifugal pump, which consists essentially of:

• (a) a housing with a longitudinal axis, having a front end and a rear end, spaced apart on said axis, said housing including a pumping chamber within and at the front end of said housing, said pumping chamber being defined by a continuous transverse front wall to close said pumping chamber at said front end of the housing, a transverse rear wall with a central opening, axially-spaced from said transverse front wall, and a longitudinal closed side wall, between said front and rear transverse walls, said housing being closed except for an inlet in said housing, outside of, and axially spaced from said pumping chamber, and an outlet in the longitudinal side wall of said pumping chamber, said housing being free of mechanical bearings, flexing or rubbing external seals, or apertures leading to the exterior of the housing except for said inlet and outlet,
• (b) an impeller in said pumping chamber, said impeller having an axial inlet and a radial outlet and a flow passage between said impeller inlet and outlet, said impeller being mounted on an elastic support, which provides limited freedom of angular oscillation for said impeller about the longitudinal axis of said housing, said elastic support being a torsion member within said housing with a front, oscillating, end connected to said impeller, and a rear, stationary, end connected to said housing, said impeller also containing a magnetic element, and
• (c) magnetic means external to said housing including an external magnetic element to interact with said magnetic element contained in said impeller and to drive said impeller in an angular oscillation about the longitudinal axis within said pumping chamber by magnetic action through the walls of said pumping chamber.