MULTISTAGE PUMP ASSEMBLY HAVING REMOVABLE CARTRIDGE

• US 20090214332A1
• Filed: 05/06/2009
• Published: 08/27/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Grundfos Pumps Corporation (POUL DUE Jensen's FOND)
• Original Assignee: Grundfos Pumps Corporation (POUL DUE Jensen's FOND)
• Inventors: Haack, Ryan, Towsley, Greg, Talley, Joshua, Amdisen, Svend
• Granted Patent: US 8,172,523 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 415/199.400
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 1/063 of the vertically split casing type
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 29/426 especially adapted for liquid pumps
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 29/4293 Details of fluid inlet or outlet
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 29/628 especially adapted for liquid pumps
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49238 Repairing, converting, servicing or salvaging

Abstract

A multistage pump assembly includes a manifold having an inlet port configured to be coupled to a supply pipe and an outlet port configured to be coupled to a discharge pipe. The inlet and outlet ports define an end suction, radial outlet port configuration. The pump assembly also includes a cartridge having a sleeve and plurality of pumping stages that define a pump stack received within the sleeve. An outer chamber is defined between the pump stack and the sleeve. Each of the pumping stages includes an impeller mounted along a pump shaft that rotates about a rotation axis. The cartridge is aligned horizontally such that the rotation axis is substantially horizontal. An end plate is positioned between the manifold and the cartridge and includes at least one cartridge engagement surface supporting the cartridge. The end plate is removably coupled to the manifold.

Claims

1. A multistage pump assembly comprising:

a manifold having an inlet port configured to be coupled to a supply pipe and a outlet port configured to be coupled to a discharge pipe, the inlet and outlet ports defining an end suction, radial outlet port configuration;

a cartridge having a sleeve and having a plurality of pumping stages that define a pump stack received within the sleeve, an outer chamber being defined between the pump stack and the sleeve, each of the pumping stages include an impeller mounted along a pump shaft that rotates about a rotation axis, the cartridge being aligned horizontally such that the rotation axis is substantially horizontal; and

an end plate positioned between the manifold and the cartridge, the end plate including at least one cartridge engagement surface supporting the cartridge, the end plate being removably coupled to the manifold.

2. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the end plate is coupled to the cartridge to form a pump unit, the pump unit being removable from the manifold.

3. The assembly of claim 1, further comprising a pump head positioned at an end of the cartridge opposite to the end plate, the pump head being coupled to the end plate by fasteners with the cartridge captured therebetween.

4. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the cartridge is coupled to the manifold by the end plate.

5. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the sleeve and pump stack engage corresponding contact engaging surfaces of the end plate such that the end plate controls the relative position of the pump stack with respect to the sleeve.

6. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the end plate includes a shaft support having a bearing for supporting the pump shaft.

7. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the manifold includes a suction chamber receiving flow from the inlet port and a discharge chamber expelling flow to the outlet port, the suction chamber and discharge chamber being axially aligned with one another, and the discharge chamber being radially split around the suction chamber.

8. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the cartridge is sealed against the end plate and the end plate is sealed against the manifold.

9. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the end plate separates the cartridge from the manifold.

10. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the inlet port extends along the axis of rotation such that flow passes straight through the manifold and end plate to the pump stack.

11. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the end plate includes a flange extending radially outward around an outer portion of the end plate, the flange extending beyond the sleeve and being coupled to the manifold.

12. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the end plate is integrally formed with the cartridge.

13. A multistage pump assembly comprising:

a manifold having an inlet port configured to be coupled to a supply pipe and a outlet port configured to be coupled to a discharge pipe;

a cartridge having a sleeve and plurality of pumping stages defining a pump stack received within the sleeve, an outer chamber being defined between the pump stack and the sleeve, each pumping stage including an impeller mounted along a pump shaft rotating along a rotation axis, the pump stack extending between a first end and a second end, the first end having an end wall with an opening therethrough providing a flow path to a first pumping stage, the cartridge being aligned horizontally such that the rotation axis is substantially horizontal; and

an end plate positioned between the manifold and the cartridge, the end plate including an outer cartridge engagement surface supporting the sleeve and an inner cartridge engagement surface supporting the end wall of the first end of the pump stack.

14. The assembly of claim 13, wherein the end plate includes a first ring and a second ring concentrically surrounding the first ring, the first ring being positioned proximate the opening in the end wall of the pump stack.

15. The assembly of claim 13, wherein the end plate includes a first end and a second end, the first end being sealed against the manifold and the second end being sealed against the end plate.

16. The assembly of claim 13, wherein the end plate includes an inner annulus and an outer annulus, the inner annulus connecting the suction chamber of the manifold with the opening in the end wall of the pump stack, and the outer annulus connecting the outer chamber of the cartridge with the discharge chamber of the manifold.

17. The assembly of claim 13, wherein the end plate holds a vertical position of the pump stack substantially centered with respect to the vertical position of the sleeve.

18. The assembly of claim 13, wherein the end plate is coupled to the cartridge to form a pump unit, the pump unit being removable from the manifold.

19. The assembly of claim 13, wherein the inlet port extends along the axis of rotation such that flow passes straight through the manifold and end plate to the opening in the pump stack.

20. The assembly of claim 13, further comprising a pump head positioned at an end of the cartridge opposite to the end plate, the pump head being coupled to the end plate by fasteners with the cartridge captured therebetween.

21. A method of servicing a horizontal multistage pump assembly that includes a manifold and a pump unit at least partially received in the manifold, the method comprising:

removing the pump unit from the manifold by decoupling the pump unit from the manifold;

servicing the pump unit at a remote location from the manifold by repairing or replacing all or a subset of the components of the pump unit; and

loading the pump unit into the manifold, wherein the pump unit loaded into the manifold includes a cartridge and an end plate positioned at the end of the cartridge between the cartridge and the manifold, the cartridge having a pump stack that includes a horizontally extending pump shaft supported at a distal end by either the end plate or the manifold, wherein the pump unit is loaded into the manifold with the end plate supporting the pump stack during loading into the manifold.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein removing the pump unit includes moving the pump unit in a horizontal, axial direction away from the manifold, and wherein loading the pump unit includes aligning the pump unit with the manifold and moving the pump unit in a horizontal axial direction toward the manifold.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein servicing the pump unit includes repairing or replacing at least one pump stage of the pump stack.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein servicing the pump unit includes replacing the pump unit with a different pump unit.

25. The method of claim 21, wherein the end plate includes a flange, the method further comprising:

uncoupling the flange from the manifold prior to removing the pump unit; and

coupling the flange to the manifold after the pump unit is loaded into the manifold.

26. A pump family of multistage pump assemblies comprising:

a manifold having an inlet port configured to be coupled to a supply pipe and a outlet port configured to be coupled to a discharge pipe, the inlet and outlet ports defining an end suction, radial outlet port configuration, the manifold having a mating interface;

a first pump unit including a cartridge and an end plate positioned at a mating end of the cartridge, the cartridge having a sleeve and a pump stack received within the sleeve, the pump stack having pumping stages configured to produce a relative low pressure and the pump stack having a horizontally extending pump shaft that rotates about a rotation axis; and

a second pump unit including a cartridge and an end plate positioned at a mating end of the cartridge, the cartridge having a sleeve and a pump stack received within the sleeve, the pump stack having pumping stages configured to produce a relative high pressure and the pump stack having a horizontally extending pump shaft that rotates about a rotation axis;

wherein the first and second pump units are configured to be separately coupled to the manifold, the first pump unit coupled to the manifold to provide the relative low pressure and the second pump unit coupled to the manifold to provide the relative high pressure.

27. The pump family of claim 26, wherein the first and second end plates are identically formed.

28. The pump family of claim 26, wherein the first and second end plates have a similar shape but are dimensioned differently.

29. The pump family of claim 26, wherein the first end plate includes a manifold engagement surface and a cartridge engagement surface supporting the first cartridge, and the second end plate includes a manifold engagement surface and a cartridge engagement surface supporting the second cartridge, wherein the manifold engagement surfaces are identically formed to mate with the mating end of the manifold, the cartridge engagement surfaces of the first and second end plates being either identically formed or differently formed.

30. The pump family of claim 26, wherein the second pump unit includes a greater number of pumping stages than the first pump unit, the first pump unit being removable from the manifold and replaceable with the second pump unit when the pressure demand of the water is increased.