Submerged motor and pump assembly

• US 7,513,755 B2
• Filed: 07/01/2004
• Issued: 04/07/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vaporless Manufacturing, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Vaporless Manufacturing, Inc.
• Inventors: Johnson, Mark C., Young, Gregory E., Klopfenstein, Scott D., Geisinger, Penrod, Addink, Jason L.
• Primary Examiner(s): FREAY, CHARLES GRANT
• Application Number:
  US10/883,229
• Publication Number:
  US 20050019184A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,741 Days
• Field of Search: 417/423.3, 417/423.9, 417/423.12, 417/423.13, 417/424.1, 417/366, 415/143, 415/222, 415/221, 415/121.2
• US Class Current: 417/366
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 13/086 the pump and drive motor are both submerged
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 29/183 Semi axial flow rotors
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 29/605 specially adapted for liquid pumps

Abstract

An in-line motor and pump assembly is supported at the bottom of a fuel storage tank by a pipe and an internal concentric conduit for housing electrical conductors extending therewithin to the motor. An impeller, coaxial with the rotor of the motor, draws the fuel into an annular passageway surrounding the stator of the motor. Further passageways convey the fuel to an annular passageway defined between the pipe and the conduit for discharge external of the storage tank. A low pressure environment attendant the inflow of the fuel is used to channel fuel for lubrication and cooling purposes to a lower journal bearing and thrust bearing supporting a common shaft for the impeller and the motor. A high pressure environment attendant outflow of fuel is used to channel fuel for lubrication and cooling purposes to a journal bearing supporting the upper end of the shaft.

Claims

1. In a fuel delivery assembly having a storage tank for the fuel, a superstructure mounted upon the storage tank, a leak detector for receiving fuel to be dispensed from a chamber in the superstructure, the improvement comprising:

a) an in-line motor and pump assembly for pumping fuel from the storage tank to the chamber, said in-line motor and pump assembly including a brushless direct current motor;

b) a pipe and an internal conduit defining a first annular passageway for conveying the fuel from said in-line motor and pump assembly to the chamber;

c) a motor mount assembly for mounting the stator of said motor, said motor mount assembly including three converging arcuate passageways for conveying fuel from a second annular passageway to a tube holder;

d) said in-line motor and pump assembly including a common shaft, a lower journal bearing, a thrust bearing and an upper bearing for supporting the rotor of said motor and an impeller of said pump wherein said upper bearing supports an upper end of said shaft and at least one radial passageway in fluid communication with at least one of said arcuate passageways for conveying fuel to said upper bearing to lubricate and cool said upper bearing;

e) a throat unit defining a throat adapted in configuration to said impeller for conveying the fuel in response to rotation of said impeller;

f) a housing in combination with said motor mount assembly defining said second annular passageway and for immersing said lower journal bearing, said thrust bearing and said upper bearing in the fuel for purposes of lubrication and cooling; and

g) said tube holder attached to said motor mount assembly for channeling flow of fuel from said second annular passageway to said first annular passageway.

2. A motor and pump assembly for conveying fuel from a storage tank to a chamber external to the storage tank, said motor and pump assembly comprising in combination;

a) a common shaft journaled in bearings for supporting a rotor of said motor and an impeller of said pump, said motor being a brushless direct current motor;

b) a throat unit defining a throat adapted in configuration to said impeller for conveying fuel in response to rotation of said impeller;

an inlet section upstream of said impeller, said bearings including a journal bearing and a thrust bearing for supporting the lower end of said shaft and an aperture for conveying fuel to lubricate and cool said journal bearing and said thrust bearing;

d) a motor mount assembly for mounting the stator of said motor, said motor mount assembly including at least one passageway for conveying fuel from an annular passageway to a tube holder;

e) a housing in combination with said motor mount assembly defining said annular passageway for conveying fuel from said throat and directing the fuel about said motor and said bearings wherein said bearings include an upper bearing for supporting the upper end of said shaft and at least one further passageway in fluid communication with said annular passageway for conveying fuel to lubricate and cool said upper bearing; and

f) said tube holder for channeling flow of fuel from said annular passageway to a pipe in fluid communication with the chamber.

3. A method for drawing fluid from a tank with a submerged direct current motor and pump assembly, said method comprising the steps of:

a) drawing a fluid from the tank with an impeller of the pump rotationally mounted within a throat unit;

b) directing the fluid to a journal bearing, a thrust bearing and an upper bearing supporting a shaft common to the impeller and the motor to lubricate and cool the bearings including a low pressure inlet section for introducing fluid to the impeller and the step of drawing fluid includes drawing fluid into the inlet section adjacent the journal bearing and the thrust bearing which supports the lower end of the shaft to lubricate and cool the journal bearing and the thrust bearing;

c) further directing the fluid about the motor to cool the motor;

d) channeling the fluid to an outlet subsequent to exercise of said steps of further directing; and

e) further conveying the fluid from the outlet into a pipe for discharge external of the tank.