Regenerative fuel pump

Abstract

An electric-motor liquid fuel turbine pump wherein the pump impeller periphery has a circumferential array of axial counter flow blades arranged in radially spaced outer and inner concentric circular rows. An arcuate pumping channel includes first and second channel section arcuate grooves axially opposed in side-flanking relationship to the impeller and radially co-extensive with both blade rows to conjointly define a toroidal helical flow path extending circumferentially between the pumping channel inlet and outlet ports. The grooves have a constant radial cross section but the first groove cross sectional area is greater than that of the second groove. The impeller may be a one-piece molded part, or a two-part subassembly of an inner impeller disc and encircling outer impeller ring each having a row of blades formed at its periphery. A pump inlet cap has a top face defining one side plate for the impeller and the first channel groove communicating at one end with the channel inlet. A pump outlet cap has a bottom face defining the other side plate for the impeller and the second channel groove communicating at one end with the channel outlet. A guide ring is sandwiched between the caps and encircles the outer row of impeller blades.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.