Drain pump and a clothes dryer having a drain pump

A drain pump, comprising:

• a pump motor;
• an impeller including:
• a hub;
• an impeller shaft that extends from a center of the hub and is connected to a rotational shaft of the pump motor;
• and
• at least one blade that extends from an outer circumferential surface of the impeller shaft;
• a housing including:
• a bottom wall having:
• a pump motor seat stepped downward to allow the pump motor to be seated;
• and
• an impeller hole, through which the impeller passes, defined inside the pump motor seat;
• a side wall that upwardly extends from an edge of the bottom wall to accommodate the pump motor;
• and
• a discharge port that upwardly extends from the bottom wall at a position which is spaced apart from the pump motor seat;
• and
• a pump case coupled to a bottom surface of the housing, the pump case including:
• a suction hole to suction in cleaning water, wherein the suction hole is defined at a position corresponding to the impeller;
• and
• a shaft shield that extends from an edge of the suction hole toward a central portion of the suction hole to cover the impeller shaft, wherein a space defined by a coupling of a flow guide;
• a rotation region defined by a portion of the flow guide rib that extends along an edge of the impeller hole;
• and
• a discharge region that communicates with the rotation region, wherein the discharge region is defined by a portion of the flow guide rib that extends from the rotation region to the discharge port, and wherein the cleaning water suctioned in through the suction hole is rotated in the rotation region by a centrifugal force to move into the discharge region and is guided to the discharge port.