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US 6,409,478 B1Granted
Vacuum-assisted pump
AssigneeRoper Holdings, Inc.
InventorsWilliam B. Carnes, Milton K. Leonard, Robert B. Ray
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A self-priming centrifugal pump including a supplementary vacuum pump and a float valve. The vacuum pump serves to draw liquid to the pump for priming and the float valve shut of flow to the vacuum pump when liquid reaches a predetermined level to prevent entry of liquid into the vacuum pump. In some embodiments the float valve includes an o-ring valve seal and the vacuum pump includes an oil delivery system to distribute oil from an oil reservoir to improve lubrication.
Claims23
A self-priming pump, comprising:
- a centrifugal pump section including a volute and an impeller disposed in the volute and supported on an impeller shaft, the impeller shaft being supported in a bearing housing and having a drive end opposite the impeller, the pump section further including a bracket attached to the bearing housing and surrounding the drive end of the impeller shaft;
- a motor mounted to the bracket and configured to turn the impeller shaft;
- a vacuum pump assembly mounted to the centrifugal pump section and having a vacuum pump input shaft configured to actuate a diaphragm-type vacuum pump upon rotation;
- and
- a drive linkage extending from the drive end of the impeller shaft through the bracket and to the vacuum pump input shaft, the drive linkage being configured to transfer power from the drive end of the impeller shaft to the vacuum pump assembly when the motor turns the shaft.
2 more elements
A self-priming pump, comprising:
- a centrifugal pump section including a volute and an impeller disposed in the volute and supported on an impeller shaft, the impeller shaft being supported in a bearing housing and having a drive end opposite the impeller, the pump section further including a bracket removably attached to the bearing housing and surrounding the drive end of the impeller shaft;
- a motor mounted to the bracket and configured to turn the impeller shaft;
- a vacuum pump assembly mounted to the centrifugal pump section and having a vacuum pump input shaft configured to actuate a diaphragm-type vacuum pump upon rotation;
- and
- a drive linkage coupled between the drive end of the impeller shaft and the vacuum pump input shaft and configured to transfer power to the vacuum pump assembly when the motor turns the impeller shaft.
2 more elements
A self-priming pump, comprising:
- a centrifugal pump section including an intake, a volute and an impeller disposed in the volute and supported on an impeller shaft, the impeller shaft being supported in a bearing housing and having a drive end opposite the impeller, the pump section further including a bracket attached to the bearing housing and surrounding the drive end of the impeller shaft;
- a motor mounted to the bracket and configured to turn the impeller shaft;
- and
- a vacuum pump assembly including a diaphragm-type vacuum pump mounted to the centrifugal pump section and configured to generate, upon rotation of the impeller shaft, a vacuum in order to draw fluid to the impeller via the intake and thereby prime the centrifugal pump section, where the self-priming pump is configured to fluidly de-couple the vacuum pump assembly from the intake upon priming of the centrifugal pump section to inhibit fluid from entering the vacuum pump assembly.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.