Pump for molten materials with suspended solids

• US 6,551,060 B2
• Filed: 02/01/2001
• Issued: 04/22/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Pyrotek Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Metaullics Systems Company LP (Pyrotek Incorporated)
• Inventors: Bright, Mark A., Mordue, George S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Look, Edward K.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kershteyn, Igor
• Application Number:
  US09/775,401
• Publication Number:
  US 20030059302A1
• Time in Patent Office: 810 Days
• Field of Search: 415/200, 415/213.1, 415/214.1, 415/230, 415/124.2, 415/216.1, 416/235, 417/359, 417/424.1, 417/423.1, 417/423.6, 417/319
• US Class Current: 415/216.1
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 7/045 with means for comminuting, mixing stirring or otherwise treating
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 7/065 for liquid metal

Abstract

A molten material pump includes an impeller housed within a base member of the pump. A plurality of grooves are defined in a peripheral sidewall of the impeller for either drawing a molten material into the base member'"'"'s chamber or pushing molten material out of the base member'"'"'s chamber. The impeller is rotated by a rotatable shaft connected to an upper surface of the impeller. The rotatable shaft includes a non-circular shaped lower end dimensioned to be received within a cooperating opening in the impeller. The molten material pump further includes a connecting assembly for interconnecting components of the molten material pump. The connecting assembly includes a first mounting member attached to a first pump component that is dimensioned to be fitted within a cooperating recess of a second mounting member attached to a second pump component. In another embodiment of the invention, a stub shaft connects an upper shaft portion of the shaft to the impeller. The stub shaft includes a universal joint that is not rigidly connected to the upper shaft portion. In addition, the universal shaft is configured to allow the stub shaft and impeller to pivot. A floating deflector block weighs on an upper sealing block of the pump for enhancing the seal at the pump'"'"'s bearing surfaces.

Claims

1. A molten material pump comprising:

a base member defining a chamber within which an impeller is disposed;

a rotatable shaft operatively connected to the impeller having a first end and a second end, said second end of said shaft having a non-circular shape dimensioned to mate with a cooperating non-circular shaped opening in the impeller;

a motor operatively connected to the rotatable shaft for driving the rotatable shaft; and

,

wherein the impeller comprises a substantially cylindrical shape and includes passages from a peripheral sidewall to an interior and said sidewall further includes a plurality of grooves extending substantially diagonally to top and bottom surfaces of the impeller.

2. The molten material pump according to claim 1, wherein the rotatable shaft is comprised of a metallic material and the impeller is comprised of a refractory material.

3. The molten material pump according to claim 1, wherein the second end of the shaft and the opening in the impeller are polygonal shaped.

4. The molten material pump according to claim 1, wherein the second end of the shaft and the cooperating non-circular shaped opening in the impeller are one of hexagonal shaped, oval shaped, elliptical shaped, and square shaped as viewed in cross-section.

5. The molten material pump according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of grooves begin at an intermediate portion of the impeller sidewall and extend forward with respect to a direction of rotation of the impeller.

6. The molten material pump according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of grooves begin at an intermediate portion of the impeller sidewall and extend backward with respect to a direction of rotation of the impeller.

7. The molten material pump according to claim 1, wherein a threaded stud connection attaches the impeller to the rotatable shaft.

8. The molten material pump according to claim 7, wherein the threaded stud connection includes a graphite cap.

9. The molten material pump according to claim 1, further comprising a support post extending upward from the base member, the support post including a first mounting member shaped to fit within a cooperating recess in a second mounting member attached to the base member to form a locking relationship between the base member and the post.

10. The molten material pump according to claim 9, wherein the support post is comprised of a metallic material and the base member is comprised of a refractory material.

11. The molten material pump according to claim 9, wherein the first mounting member includes tapered portions on opposed sidewalls configured to be received within cooperating grooves defined in the second mounting member.

12. The molten material pump according to claim 9, wherein studs extend through openings in the first mounting member and into the base member.

13. The molten material pump according to claim 1, further comprising a deflector plate operatively connected to the rotatable shaft and sufficiently weighted to compress sealing surfaces of the pump.

14. The molten material pump according to claim 1, wherein the rotatable shaft includes an upper shaft portion connected to a motor and a lower shaft portion non-rigidly connected to said upper shaft portion so that the lower shaft portion is free to move in an axial direction.

15. The molten material pump according to claim 14, wherein the lower shaft portion includes a universal joint pivotally connected to the upper shaft portion.

16. The molten material pump according to claim 15, wherein the universal joint is in the shape of a ball-hex.

17. A molten material pump comprising:

a base member defining a chamber housing an impeller; and

a rotatable shaft having an upper shaft portion connected to a motor and a lower stub shaft connected to the impeller, the lower stub shaft being non-rigidly connected to the upper shaft portion so that the stub shaft is free to move in an axial direction.

18. The molten material pump according to claim 17, wherein the stub shaft includes a universal pivotable joint dimensioned to be received within a sleeve of the upper shaft portion, the universal joint being dimensioned to pivotally connect the stub shaft and impeller to the upper shaft portion.

19. The molten material pump according to claim 18, wherein the universal joint is in the shape of a ball-hex.

20. A molten material pump comprising:

a base member defining a chamber housing an impeller;

a pump seal member disposed on a top surface of the base member;

a rotatable shaft having a first end connected to a driving means and a second end connected to the impeller; and

a deflector plate operatively connected to the rotatable shaft and disposed on top of the pump seal, the deflector plate being sufficiently weighted to compress the seal member against the base member.

21. A rotatable shaft for a molten material processing system comprising an elongated member having a first end attachable to a motor and a second end attachable to an impeller, the second end of the elongated member having an oval or an elliptical shape.

22. An impeller/rotatable shaft assembly for a molten material pump comprising:

an elongated shaft member having a first end attachable to a motor and a second end attachable to an impeller, the second end of the elongated shaft member having a circular shape;

an impeller body having an upper surface, a lower surface and a peripheral sidewall;

a circular opening extending axially into the body of the impeller for receiving the circular second end of the elongated shaft member, the circular opening and circular second end of the elongated shaft member being concentric and sharing a central axis, said central axis being offset from an axis of rotation of the elongated shaft.

23. A molten material pump comprising:

a base member defining a chamber within which an impeller is disposed,

a rotatable shaft operatively connected to the impeller having a first end and a second end, said second end of said shaft having a non-circular shape dimensioned to mate with a cooperating non-circular shaped opening in the impeller, wherein a threaded stud connection attaches the impeller to the rotatable shaft; and

a motor operatively connected to the rotatable shaft for driving the rotatable shaft.

24. The molten metal pump according to claim 23, wherein the threaded stud connection includes a graphite cap.

25. A support post for a molten metal processing system, said post comprising a first mounting member shaped to fit within a cooperating recess in a second mounting member attached to a base member of the molten metal processing system to form a locking relationship between the base member and said post.

26. A molten metal pump comprising:

a base member defining a chamber within which an impeller is disposed;

a rotatable shaft operatively connected to the impeller having a first end and a second end, said second end of said shaft dimensioned to mate with a cooperating opening in the impeller; and

a motor operatively connected to the rotatable shaft for driving the rotatable shaft; and

,

a deflector plate operatively connected to the rotatable shaft and sufficiently weighted to compress sealing surfaces of the pump.

27. A rotatable shaft for a molten material processing system comprising an upper shaft portion attachable to a motor and a lower shaft portion non-rigidly attachable to said upper shaft portion so that the lower shaft portion is free to move in an axial direction, wherein the lower shaft portion includes a universal joint in the shape of a ball-hex pivotally connected to the upper shaft portion.

28. A rotatable shaft for a molten material processing system comprising an upper shaft portion adapted to connect to an associated motor and a lower stub shaft adapted to connect to an associated impeller, the lower stub shaft being non-rigidly connected to the upper shaft portion so that the stub shaft is free to move in an axial direction.

29. A rotatable shaft for a molten material processing system comprising a first end, a second end, and a shaft opening, said second end having a non-circular shape dimensioned to mate with a cooperating non-circular shaped opening in an associated impeller and said shaft opening adapted to receive a fastener to attach the associated impeller to the rotatable shaft.