Pump impeller seals with spiral grooves

• US 4,242,039 A
• Filed: 11/15/1978
• Issued: 12/30/1980
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/1977
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: L'Air Liquide Societe Anonyme Pour L'Etude et L'Exploitation Des Procedes Georges Claude (L'Air Liquide SA)
• Original Assignee: L'Air Liquide Societe Anonyme Pour L'Etude et L'Exploitation Des Procedes Georges Claude (L'Air Liquide SA)
• Inventors: Villard, Jean-Claude, Berthereau, Gilbert
• Primary Examiner(s): Powell, Jr., Everette A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Trausch, III, A. N.
• Application Number:
  US05/962,032
• Time in Patent Office: 776 Days
• Field of Search: 415/112, 415/113, 415/169 A, 415/170 A, 415/170 B, 415/173 A, 415/106, 415/140
• US Class Current: 415/112
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 29/167 of a centrifugal flow wheel
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 29/2266 for sealing or thrust balance F04D29/04 and F04D29/16 take precedence

Abstract

The present invention relates to internal and shaft outlet seals of a pump. On both sides of a paddle-wheel are arranged a pair of coaxial discs (22-23) and (24-25), the face of one disc being smooth and the face of the other disc having spiral grooves, one of the discs of each pair being interlocked in rotation with wheel 5, whereby the liquid between two discs is subjected to a pressure increase radially outwardly compensating at least for the pressure increase due to pumping by wheel 5.

Claims

1. A pump comprising a housing having an axial inlet and a peripheral outlet, an axial drive shaft rotatable in the housing, a paddle wheel impeller on the drive shaft having a plurality of outwardly extending passageways for the receipt of liquid from said inlet and the discharge of liquid to said outlet upon rotation of the drive shaft and impeller, and a hydrodynamic seal on each axial side of the impeller, each seal comprising a pair of confronting discs disposed peripendicular to the axis of the pump, one disc of each pair being fixed against rotation relative to the housing and the other disc of each pair being mounted for rotation on the impeller, one of said discs of each pair having spiral grooves thereon, and a bellows fixed to the housing and surrounding said inlet, one of said fixed discs being carried by said bellows, said impeller being mounted on said drive shaft for limited axial sliding movement relative to the drive shaft.

2. A pump as claimed in claim 1, the last-named disc being secured to the bellows by the radially inner periphery of the last-named disc.

3. A pump as claimed in claim 1, the other disc of each said pair of discs being smooth.

4. A pump as claimed in claim 3, in which the spirally grooved disc of each said pair has a further smooth radial part adapted to come into contact with a facing part of the smooth disc.

5. A pump as claimed in claim 4, in which said smooth part of the spirally grooved disc is situated closer to the shaft than the spirally grooved part of the disc.

6. A pump as claimed in claim 4, in which the smooth part of the spiral disc is situated at a greater radial distance from the shaft than the spirally grooved part of the disc.

7. A pump as claimed in claim 3, in which the smooth disc is on the impeller and the spirally grooved disc is fixed against rotation relative to the housing.

8. A pump as claimed in claim 1, in which one disc of each pair of discs has an annular groove therein, means for connecting said annular groove to a source of gas under pressure, and labyrinthine sealing grooves in said annularly grooved disc radially inwardly of said annular groove.

9. A pump as claimed in claim 1, and a perforation extending through a radially inner portion of the impeller between at least one of said passages and the side of the impeller that is axially opposite said inlet.