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US 8,506,236 B2Granted
Counter rotation inducer housing
AssigneeEbara International Corporation
InventorSarah D. Alison-Youel
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An inducer with an exterior housing and/or interior hub that incorporates grooves or vanes that are helical in nature and in counter rotation with respect to the rotation of the blades of the inducer, which grooves or vanes capture fluid rotating with the inducer blades and use that rotation to guide the fluid up along paths formed by the grooves or vanes and into an impeller, pump or other device.
Claims22
An inducer assembly, comprising:
- an auger mounted to a shaft and having one or more helical blades that spiral in a first direction about an axis of said shaft;
- a housing surrounding said auger, said housing including an inlet, an outlet and an exterior housing having an interior wall with one or more helical grooves formed therein that spiral in a second direction that is in counter rotation to said first direction, said one or more helical blades being positioned sufficiently close enough to said interior wall to push at least a portion of a fluid rotating in said first direction with said one or more helical blades into said one or more helical grooves and to move said portion of said fluid toward said outlet along a path formed by said one or more helical grooves;
- and
- an interior hub positioned below said shaft on said axis, said interior hub having an interior hub wall with one or more interior helical grooves formed therein that spiral in the second direction in counter rotation to the first direction, wherein at least a portion of said one or more helical blades overhang said shaft and are positioned sufficiently close enough to the interior hub wall to push at least a second portion of said fluid into said one or more interior helical grooves and toward the shaft along a second path formed by said one or more interior helical grooves.
1 more element
An inducer assembly, comprising:
- an auger mounted to a shaft by a mounting assembly and having one or more helical blades that spiral in a first direction about an axis of said shaft;
- a housing surrounding said auger, said housing including an inlet, an outlet and an exterior housing having an interior wall with one or more helical grooves formed therein that spiral in a second direction that is in counter rotation to said first direction, said one or more helical blades being positioned sufficiently close enough to said interior wall to push at least a portion of a fluid rotating in said first direction with said one or more helical blades into said one or more helical grooves and to move said portion of said fluid toward said outlet along a path formed by said one or more helical grooves;
- and
- an interior hub positioned below said shaft on said axis, said interior hub having an interior hub wall with one or more interior helical vanes formed thereon that spiral in the second direction in counter rotation to the first direction, wherein at least a portion of said one or more helical blades overhang the mounting assembly and are positioned sufficiently close enough to the interior hub wall to push at least a second portion of said fluid into one or more interior area formed between the one or more interior helical vanes and toward the shaft along a second path formed by said one or more interior helical vanes.
1 more element
An inducer assembly, comprising:
- an auger mounted to a shaft by a mounting assembly and having one or more helical blades that spiral in a first direction about an axis of said shaft;
- a housing surrounding said auger, said housing including an inlet, an outlet and an exterior housing having an interior wall with one or more helical vanes formed thereon that spiral in a second direction that is in counter rotation to said first direction, said one or more helical blades being positioned sufficiently close enough to said interior wall to push at least a portion of a fluid rotating in said first direction with said one or more helical blades into an area formed by said one or more helical vanes and to move said portion of said fluid toward said outlet along a path formed by said one or more helical vanes;
- and
- an interior hub positioned below said shaft on said axis, said interior hub having an interior hub wall with one or more interior helical grooves formed therein that spiral in the second direction in counter rotation to the first direction, wherein at least a portion of said one or more helical blades overhang the mounting assembly and are positioned sufficiently close enough to the interior hub wall to push at least a second portion of said fluid into one or more interior helical grooves and toward the shaft along a second path formed by said one or more interior helical grooves.
1 more element
An inducer assembly, comprising:
- an auger mounted to a shaft by a mounting assembly and having one or more helical blades that spiral in a first direction about an axis of said shaft, wherein said auger rotates about said axis of said shaft;
- a housing surrounding said auger, said housing including an inlet, an outlet and an exterior housing having an interior wall with one or more helical vanes formed thereon that spiral in a second direction that is in counter rotation to said first direction, said one or more helical blades being positioned sufficiently close enough to said interior wall to push at least a portion of a fluid rotating in said first direction with said one or more helical blades into an area formed by said one or more helical vanes and to move said portion of said fluid toward said outlet along a path formed by said one or more helical vanes;
- and
- wherein said housing includes an interior hub positioned below said shaft on said axis, said interior hub having an interior hub wall with one or more interior helical vanes formed thereon that spiral in the second direction in counter rotation to the first direction, wherein at least a portion of said one or more helical blades overhang the mounting assembly and are positioned sufficiently close enough to the interior hub wall to push at least a second portion of said fluid into one or more interior areas formed between the one or more interior helical vanes and toward the shaft along a second path formed by said one or more interior helical vanes.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.