Pressure and current reducing impeller

• US 7,722,311 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2006
• Issued: 05/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: BorgWarner Incorporated
• Original Assignee: BorgWarner Incorporated
• Inventors: Peterson, Todd R., Jaramillo, Ramon B., Adhvaryu, Ketan
• Primary Examiner(s): Kershteyn; Igor
• Application Number:
  US11/606,669
• Publication Number:
  US 20070160456A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,272 Days
• Field of Search: 415/55.1, 415/55.2, 415/55.4, 415/55.7, 415/119
• US Class Current: 415/55.1
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 29/188 specially for regenerative pumps

Abstract

A pump having a housing with a torus and a stripper region. The stripper region has a housing groove formed on the surface of the stripper region. The housing groove has a surface forming a length, width and depth of the groove. The pump also has a cover connectable to the housing. The cover extends over the housing groove formed on the surface of the stripper region. An impeller has a plurality of vanes that extend radially outward from an impeller frame, wherein the impeller is rotatably positioned between the housing. The cover and the plurality of vanes are positioned in operable relation to said housing groove.

Claims

1. A pump comprising:

an inlet;

an outlet;

a pumping chamber;

one or more sealing surfaces between said inlet and said outlet; and

a pressure relief feature formed by at least one groove on said sealing surface, wherein said at least one groove extends across said sealing surface between said inlet and said outlet.

2. The pump of claim 1 wherein said inlet is a low pressure inlet and said outlet is a high pressure outlet.

3. The pump of claim 1 wherein said pumping chamber further comprises an impeller, a cover and housing.

4. The pump of claim 3 wherein said impeller further comprises three or more vanes and at least one vane has a pressure relief feature formed on said vane.

5. The pump of claim 4 further comprising a divider between said at least two of said three or more vanes.

6. A pump comprising:

a housing having a torus and a stripper region;

an inlet and an outlet of said pump;

a pressure relief feature formed by a housing groove formed on a surface of said stripper region of said housing, said housing groove having a surface forming a length, width and depth of said housing groove, wherein said housing groove extends across said surface between said inlet and said outlet;

a cover connectable to said housing, said cover extending over said housing groove formed on the surface of said stripper region; and

an impeller having a plurality of vanes rotatably positioned between said housing and said cover and said plurality of vanes are positioned in operable relation to said housing groove.

7. The pump of claim 6 further comprising a pressure relief feature on said plurality of vanes.

8. The pump of claim 7 further comprising at least one divider extending between said vanes.

9. The pump of claim 7 wherein each of said plurality of vanes has a base and a point wherein said pressure relief feature extends between said base and said point.

10. The pump of claim 9 wherein at least one vane of said plurality of vanes has a tapered width such that the thickness of a portion along the length of said vane is greater than the thickness of a tip of said vane and of a base of said vane.

11. The pump of claim 10 wherein said at least one vane of said plurality of vanes does not have a tapered width.

12. The pump of claim 6 wherein said cover has a torus and a stripper region that aligns with said torus and said stripper region of said housing when said cover is connected to said housing.

13. A pump comprising:

a housing;

an inlet and an outlet of said pump;

a cover having a torus and a stripper region;

a pressure relief feature formed by a cover groove formed on a surface of said stripper region, said cover groove having a surface forming a length, width and depth of said cover groove, wherein said cover groove extends across said surface between said inlet and said outlet;

wherein said cover is connectable to said housing, wherein said housing extends over said cover groove formed on the surface of said stripper region; and

an impeller having a plurality of vanes rotatably positioned between said housing and cover and said plurality of vanes are positioned in operable relation to said cover groove.

14. The pump of claim 13 further comprising a pressure relief feature on said plurality of vanes.

15. The pump of claim 14 further comprising at least one divider extending between said vanes.

16. The pump of claim 14 wherein each of said plurality of vanes has a base and a point wherein said pressure relief feature extends between said base and said point.

17. The pump of claim 16 wherein at least one vane of said plurality of vanes has a tapered width such that the thickness of a portion along the length of said vane is greater than the thickness of a tip of said vane and of a base of said vane.

18. The pump of claim 15 wherein said at least one vane of said plurality of vanes does not have a tapered width.

19. The pump of claim 13 wherein said cover has a torus and a stripper region that aligns with said torus and said stripper region of said housing when said cover is connected to said housing.

20. A pump comprising:

a housing;

a cover connectable to said housing;

an impeller having a plurality of vanes rotatably positioned between said housing and cover and said plurality of vanes are positioned in operable relation between said housing and said cover; and

wherein at least one of said plurality of vanes has a pressure relief feature and at least one of said plurality of vanes has no pressure relief feature.

21. The pump of claim 20 further comprising at least one divider extending between said vanes.

22. The pump of claim 21 wherein said divider intersects the height of the said vanes and creates an upper flow area and a lower flow area wherein said upper flow area is formed by the operable relation between said plurality of vanes and said cover and said lower flow area is formed by the interaction of said plurality of vanes and said housing.

23. The pump of claim 20 wherein each of said plurality of vanes has a base and a point and said pressure relief feature extends between said base and said point.

24. The pump of claim 23 wherein at least one vane of said plurality of vanes has a tapered width such that the thickness of a portion along the length of said vane is greater than the thickness of a tip of said vane and of said base of said vane.

25. The pump of claim 20 further comprising:

a torus and a stripper region on said housing;

a housing groove formed on a surface of said stripper region of said housing, said housing groove having a surface forming a length, width and depth of said housing groove;

a torus and a stripper region on said cover; and

a cover groove formed on a surface of said stripper region, said cover groove having a surface forming a length, width and depth of said cover groove.

26. The pump of claim 25 wherein said torus and said stripper region of said cover aligns with said torus and said stripper region of said housing when said cover is connected to said housing, wherein said impeller is rotatably positioned between said cover and said housing.