Double-Flow Pump

Abstract

A double-flow pump with a housing which has at least one inlet, at least one outlet and a conveyor housing with two single-part or multi-part conveyor units which convey a conveying medium from the inlet in opposite directions to the outlet, the conveyor units have shaft ends which are mounted in bearings, the bearings are each arranged in a bearing housing, wherein the shaft ends are detachably connected to the conveying units.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

Any and all applications for which a foreign or domestic priority claim is identified in the Application Data Sheet of the present application are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties under 37 CFR 1.57. This application claims the priority benefit of German Application No. 10 2023 111 244.9 filed May 2, 2023, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

Technical Field

The present application relates to a double-flow pump, and more particularly, a double-flow pump with a housing which has at least one inlet, at least one outlet and a conveyor housing with two single-part or multi-part conveyor units.

Brief Description of Related Art

Pumps are used across various industries to transport mediums with differing viscosities and compositions. However, pumps often face issues with wear, efficiency under varying pressure conditions, and/or leakage.

SUMMARY

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a double-flow pump including: a housing including: one or more inlets; one or more outlets; and, a conveyor housing including two or more conveyor units which convey a medium from the one or more inlets to the one or more outlets, wherein at least one of the conveyor units have one or more shaft ends, wherein the one or more shaft ends are detachably connected to the corresponding conveyor unit of the two or more conveyor units, and wherein the one or more shaft ends are mounted in bearings, wherein the bearings are positioned in one or more bearing housings.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a double-flow pump, wherein the one or more shaft ends are detachably connected to the corresponding conveyor unit via a tapered conical connection or positive locking connection.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a double-flow pump, wherein the one or more shaft ends are screwed to the corresponding conveyor unit.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a double-flow pump, wherein the conveyor housing further includes of one or more sealed shaft passage openings.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a double-flow pump, wherein one or more seals are positioned inside the one or more sealed shaft passage openings.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a double-flow pump, wherein the conveyor housing is positioned at a distance from the one or more bearing housings and is connected to the one or more bearing housings via the one or more shaft ends.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a double-flow pump, wherein the one or more bearing housings include one or more through-openings for the one or more shaft ends.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a double-flow pump, wherein one or more through-openings are sealed.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a double-flow pump, wherein one or more bearing housings includes a lubricant reservoir.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a double-flow pump, wherein the two or more conveyor units further include two or more spindles that are rotatably mounted in the conveyor housing, wherein at least one of the spindles of the two or more spindles have two screw threads on its outer circumference that have oppositely oriented pitches and are in engagement with opposing screw threads of a different spindle of the two or more spindles and convey the medium from the one or more inlets to the one or more outlets.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a double-flow pump, wherein the double-flow pump is a centrifugal pump, wherein at least two conveyor units of the two or more conveyor units are oriented in opposite directions of each other, and wherein at least one of the conveyor units in the two or more conveyor units include an impeller.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a double-flow pump, wherein the conveyor housing is sealed from an outside environment.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a double-flow pump, wherein the one or more bearing housings are sealed from an outside environment.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a double-flow pump, wherein the two or more conveyor units are mounted between a first set of one or more bearings and a second set of one or more bearings, wherein the first set and second set of one or more bearings are in bearing housings.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a double-flow pump, wherein tapered bores are formed in the two or more conveyor units for receiving truncated cones of the one or more shaft ends.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a double-flow screw pump including: a housing including: two inlets; an outlet; and a conveyor housing including two conveyor units which convey a medium from the two inlets in opposite directions to the outlet, wherein the conveyor units include: one or more shaft ends, wherein the one or more shaft ends are detachably connected to the corresponding conveyor unit and wherein the one or more shaft ends are mounted in bearings, wherein the bearings are positioned in a bearing housing; and a spindle that is rotatably mounted in the conveyor housing, wherein the spindle has two screw threads on its outer circumference that have oppositely oriented pitches and are in engagement with opposing screw threads of the other spindle and convey the medium from the two inlets to the outlet.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a double-flow screw pump, wherein the one or more shaft ends are detachably connected to the corresponding conveyor units via a tapered conical connection or positive locking connection.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a double-flow screw pump, wherein tapered bores are formed in the conveyor units for receiving truncated cones of the one or more shaft ends.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a double-flow centrifugal pump including: a housing including: two inlets; an outlet; and, a conveyor housing including two conveyor units which convey a medium from the two inlets in opposite direction to the outlet, wherein the conveyor units include: one or more shaft ends, wherein the one or more shaft ends are detachably connected to the corresponding conveyor unit and wherein the one or more shaft ends are mounted in bearings, wherein the bearings are in a bearing housing; and an impeller.

In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a double-flow centrifugal pump, wherein the conveyor housing is sealed from an outside environment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The drawing includes the following Figures, which are not necessarily drawn to scale:

FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic sectional view of a double-flow screw pump, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 2 illustrates a detailed representation or view of the double-flow screw pump of FIG. 1, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 3 illustrates a shaft connection, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 4 illustrates a double-flow centrifugal pump, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 5 illustrates a side view of a pump, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 6 illustrates a perspective overall view of the pump of FIG. 5, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 7 illustrates a perspective view of a vertical section of the pump of FIG. 5, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 8 illustrates a side view of a vertical section of the pump of FIG. 5, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 9 illustrates a perspective exploded view of the internal components of the pump of FIG. 5, according to some embodiments.

The drawing includes examples of possible implementations; and the scope of the invention is not intended to be limited to the implementations shown therein. For example, the scope of the invention is intended to include, and embodiments are envisioned using, other implementations besides, or in addition to, that shown in the drawing, which may be configured within the spirit of the underlying invention disclosed in the present application as a whole.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present application relates to a double-flow pump with a housing which has at least one inlet, at least one outlet and a conveyor housing with two single-part or multi-part conveyor units which conveys a conveying medium from the inlet in opposite directions to the outlet, wherein the conveyor units have shaft ends which are mounted in bearings, wherein the bearings are arranged in a respective bearing housing. The double-flow pump can build up high differential pressures through the one or more conveyor units. In some embodiments, the double-flow pump is improved in terms of maintenance and/or repair compared to conventional pumps. Thus, various problems may solved by the embodiments of the double-flow pump described below. Advantageous embodiments and further developments of the invention are disclosed in the claims, the description and the figures.

EP3,913,187 A1, which is incorporated by reference herein, describes a screw spindle pump with a housing and an inner housing designed as an insert in which two spindles are arranged. The spindles are used to draw in, convey and discharge a fluid or a liquid/gas mixture. The two spindles each have two screw profiles, wherein the respective pairs of screw profiles have opposing slopes.

US 2013/0156545 A1, which is incorporated by reference herein, discloses a double-flow centrifugal pump with a pump housing and a driven shaft on which a double-flow impeller is arranged in a rotationally fixed manner.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,862,315 B2, which is incorporated by reference herein, describes a single-entry screw pump with a conveyor housing, a bearing housing, and screw shafts.

DE 20 2004 018 377 U1, which is incorporated by reference herein, discloses a multi-section shaft for underwater working machines.

In some embodiments, the double-flow pump has a housing, at least one inlet, at least one outlet, and/or a conveyor housing with two conveyor units that may convey a conveying medium from the inlet in opposite directions to the outlet, wherein the conveyor units have shaft ends which are mounted in bearings which are each arranged in a bearing housing. In some embodiments, the shaft ends are detachably connected to the conveyor units. The shaft ends are mounted in a bearing housing, wherein the bearing housings may be sealed against the outside environment. The conveyor housing is also sealed from the environment in some embodiment so that the medium only enters the conveyor housing via the inlet and leaves the conveyor housing via the outlet. The conveyor housing with the conveyor units positioned or arranged in it forms an assembly to which the bearing housings with the shaft ends mounted in bearings are attached. The conveyor housing and bearing housings are connected via the shaft ends, which are fixed to the conveyor units, wherein the fixing is detachable so that the shaft ends can be separated from the conveyor units and the bearing housings can be removed from the conveyor housing by loosening the fastening means. The bearing housings are separated from the conveyor housing together with the shaft ends by detaching the shaft ends from the conveyor units, wherein the conveyor units remain in the conveyor housing.

In some embodiments, the shaft ends are connected to the conveyor units via a tensionable tapered and/or conical connection. The tapered connection creates a self-centring, effective and detachable connection between the shaft ends and the conveyor units. In some embodiments, tapered bores are formed in the conveyor units into which the shaft ends, which are formed as truncated cones and designed to correspond to the tapered bores, are inserted and braced therein. Alternatively or additionally, the shaft ends can be detachably attached to the conveyor units via a positive connection, for example via a polygonal connection, toothing, driver elements, and/or similar.

In some embodiments, the shaft ends are bolted to the conveyor units. For example, a screw thread or a screw bolt is arranged or formed in the conveyor units to allow the shaft ends to be bolted to the conveyor units. The shaft end, which may be provided with a central bore, may be pushed over the screw thread and tensioned by screwing it to the conveyor units. A stable, detachable, and precise connection of the shaft ends to the conveyor units is possible, particularly in conjunction with a tapered connection.

In some embodiments, sealed shaft passage openings are formed in the conveyor housing, wherein the seal ensures that no medium can escape from the conveyor housing. At least one seal may be arranged in each of the shaft passage openings, which ensures that the respective shaft end of the conveyor units may be sealed against the housing. The seals may be mechanical seals or radial shaft seals. Other seal types may be used to ensure permanent sealing of the conveyor units and shaft ends.

In some embodiments, the conveyor housing may be arranged or positioned at a distance from the bearing housings, wherein the shaft ends connect the bearing housings to the conveyor housing. Individual shaft ends or two or more shaft ends arranged in parallel can be arranged and mounted in a bearing housing, that may result in an overall three-part structure of the double-flow pump with two bearing housings and a conveyor housing with the components mounted in it. The split shaft or the split shafts of the conveyor units, depending on the embodiment of the conveyor units, ensure good accessibility in the area of or to the seals, in particular the seals of the conveyor units within the conveyor housing.

In some embodiments, at least one bearing housing is provided with at least one through-opening for a shaft end, wherein the through-opening is preferably sealed. The shaft end protruding from the bearing housing may be used for fixing the shaft end to the conveyor units and/or to removable fastened the shaft ends to the conveyor units. In some embodiments, the shaft end may protrude from the bearing housing on the side opposite the conveyor housing. In the latter case, the shaft end may be used to couple a drive to the pump, for example via a multi-tooth profile, a gear wheel or similar.

In some embodiments, a lubricant reservoir is arranged or formed in the bearing housing so that the bearing of the shaft ends is permanently provided with lubricant.

In some embodiments, the pump may be a screw pump with at least two spindles that are rotatably mounted in the conveyor housing. The spindles may each have two screw threads on their outer circumference, which have oppositely orientated pitches and engage with opposing screw threads of the other spindle and may convey the medium from the inlet to the outlet when they are rotated. In some embodiments, the medium is conveyed from the outside of the conveyor housing, e.g. away from the bearing housings, towards the centre of the conveyor housing in order to guide the overpressured area away from the shaft passage openings and the seals arranged on them into the centre of the conveyor housing. The conveyor units may include several parts; in the case of a double-flow screw pump, there may be two conveyor units which are made up of several parts, in some embodiments each conveyor unit has a pair of screw spindles in a housing, wherein the screw threads on the outside of the spindles mesh with each other. Alternatively, the pump may be a centrifugal pump with two counter-rotating impellers as conveyor units.

The conveyor housing may be sealed against the bearing housings, and the conveyor units may be mounted in bearings in the bearing housings, for example, on both sides, in order to achieve a stable bearing with high differential pressures while eliminating or minimizing axial forces.

In the following, exemplary embodiments of the invention are explained in more detail with reference to the figures.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic sectional view in horizontal section of a double-flow screw pump with a modular housing 10, which has an inlet 20 and a centrally arranged outlet 30 in a conveyor housing 40. The conveyor housing 40 can be made up of several parts and may have two bores or sleeves that are designed and arranged parallel or essentially parallel to each other and whose circumferences intersect in the centre. Two conveyor units 42, 44 may be arranged within the bores or sleeves. As shown in FIG. 1, the conveyor units 42, 44 may consist of two or more spindles that engage with each other. For example, a pair of spindles 3 may be arranged to the right and left of the outlet 30 each of which has two screw threads 34 on its outer circumference. The two screw threads 34, which are arranged on the sides opposite the outlet 30, have oppositely orientated pitches, so that the two pairs of screw threads of the two spindles 3 convey the medium from the inlet 20 to the outlet 30 in opposite directions. The medium is drawn in from the inlet 20 and channeled outwards in the conveyor housing 40, where it is transported by the conveyor units 42, 44 in the direction of the outlet 30. The conveying units 42, 44 form conveyor chambers with the sleeves or bores, in which the medium to be conveyed is guided to the centre in each case.

In some embodiments, the conveyor units 42, 44 are rotatably mounted within the conveyor housing 40 and have shaft ends 52, 54 which are connected to the conveyor units 42, 44. The shaft ends 52, 54 are mounted in bearings 62, 64, wherein a bearing 62, 64 may comprise several components or bearing groups, for example a roller bearing in conjunction with a deep groove ball bearing or a thrust bearing. In some embodiments, the bearings 62, 64 are each arranged in bearing housings 16, which may be arranged on both sides of the conveyor housing 40. The shaft ends 52, 54 may project through the conveyor housing 40 at or near the shaft passage openings 45 on the end faces of the conveyor housing 40, in which seals 70 may be arranged in order to seal the conveyor housing 40 from the environment. The seal 70 can be made up of several parts, and several sealing components can also be used together to seal the passage of the shaft ends 52, 54 out of the conveyor housing 40.

The bearing housings 16 with the bearings 62, 64 may be arranged on both sides of the conveyor housing 40, so that the conveyor units 42, 44 with the shaft ends 52, 54 are each mounted on both sides. In some embodiments, the bearings 62, 64 within the bearing housing 16 are advantageously sealed from the outside environment. To be able to insert the shaft ends 52, 54 emerging from the conveyor housing 40 into the respective bearing housing 16, the bearing housing 16 may have through-openings 165 for the respective shaft ends 52, 54. In addition, at least one bearing housing 16 may have an outwardly directed through-opening 165, e.g. orientated away from the conveyor housing 40, through which a shaft end 54 protrudes, so that a drive can be connected to this shaft end 54 protruding from the bearing housing 16. In some embodiments, the protruding shaft end 54 may have positive locking devices, for example, to transmit forces. The shaft end can be designed or provided with polygonal toothing (e.g., polygon coupling or polygon shaft connection), a feather key or other positive locking elements so that corresponding forces and torques can be transmitted to the respective shaft end by a drive, for example an electric motor. All shaft ends 52, 54 may be detachably connected to the spindles 3 of the conveyor units 42, 44 in a torque-transmitting, force-fit, and/or form-fit manner. In FIG. 1, the shaft ends 52, 54 are connected to the conveyor units 42, 44 by means of a tensionable tapered and/or conical connection, which will be explained in more detail with reference to FIG. 2.

In some embodiments, a gap is formed between the bearing housings 16 and the conveyor housing 40, which may be bridged by the shaft ends 52, 54. The gap can be sealed against the environment. Advantageously, the bearing housings 16 and the conveyor housing 40 may be constructed as modules which can be connected to one another and may be sealed to the outside, so that after separation of a bearing housing 16 or both bearing housings 16 from the conveyor housing 40, easy access is provided to the seals 70 in the passage openings 45 for the shaft ends 52, 54 of the conveyor units 42, 44 and to the seals of the through-openings 165 of the bearing housings 16. Due to the sealed structure of the bearing housing 16, it can contain a lubricant reservoir to ensure that the bearings are permanently lubricated within the bearing housing 16.

In some embodiments, a torque transmission from one drive end of a shaft end 54 to the other shaft ends or the coupling of the spindles 3, which are in engagement with each other around parallel axes of rotation, can take place either by transmission through the screw threads 34 or via synchronising gear wheels 90 arranged at the shaft ends 52, 54. Other torque transmission is also possible, for example via chains, gear wheels or similar.

FIG. 2 shows a detailed view of the double-flow pump in the form of a screw pump. In some embodiments, two spindles 3 are mounted inside the conveyor housing 40, which have screw threads 34 on their outer circumference 33. In FIG. 2, only one conveyor unit 44 is shown, which conveys the medium to the left towards the outlet 30 in the drawing view. In some embodiments, the two screw threads 34 on the outer sides of the spindles 3 come together and form conveyor chambers with the sleeves or bores inside the conveyor housing 40, so that the medium to be conveyed is conveyed to the left by displacement. A left-hand conveyor unit 42, as shown in FIG. 1, also conveys the medium inwards in the opposite direction with the same direction of rotation of the spindles 3, so that two oppositely directed flows of the two conveyor units 42, 44 merge to form the outlet 30. FIG. 2 shows that the spindles 3 have a tapered bore 440 at their end faces, which may serve to accommodate the shaft ends 54. In some embodiments, at the end of the shaft end 54 facing the spindle 3, a truncated cone 54 may be formed which corresponds to the tapered bore 440, so that a torque-transmitting clamping connection can be achieved when the truncated cone 54 is pushed in and clamped relative to the spindle 3.

As an alternative or in addition to the purely friction-locked fastening, the shaft ends can be positively connected to the spindle. FIG. 3 shows a sectional view of such a form-fit connection. The shaft end 54 has a polygonal profile on the outside, which is inserted into a corresponding inner profile of the spindle 3. Torques can be transmitted via the polygonal profile. In order to achieve axial securing of the shaft end 54 in the spindle 3, the tensioning shown in FIG. 2 can be achieved via a screw thread.

In some embodiments, to fix the truncated cone 54 to the spindles 3, a threaded bolt 35 with an external thread is arranged or formed on both sides of each spindle 3 and extends along the respective axis of rotation. The shaft ends 54 each have a central bore, which is formed in such a way that the shaft end 54 can be pushed onto the threaded bolt 35. The shaft end 54 may be pressed against the spindle 3 by a lock nut 350 so that the shaft ends 54 are detachably connected to the spindle 3 and the respective conveyor unit 44 via the tapered bore 440 and the truncated cone 540. The threaded bolt 35 can also be replaced by a screw bolt with a screw head, so that the shaft end 54 can be screwed directly to the spindle 3 via an internal thread formed in the spindle 3. The tension between the shaft end 54 and the mounting in the spindle 3 of the conveyor unit 44 can also be achieved by expanding the taper or shaft end via a cone.

FIG. 2 shows and embodiment where the cylindrical shoulders are formed on the outside of the shaft ends 54, along which the seals 70 run and the bearings 64 are arranged. In the illustrated embodiment example, the bearings 64 are designed as a roller bearing and a deep groove ball bearing, which bear against a shaft shoulder and are secured to the shaft end 54 via a shaft nut. A lubricant reservoir 160 may be formed within the bearing housing 16 so that the bearing means within the bearings 64 are permanently lubricated.

FIG. 4 illustrates an embodiment in which a double-flow centrifugal pump is used instead of a positive displacement pump in the form of a double-flow screw pump. The conveyor units 42, 44 may each be made up of one part as impellers, which may be orientated in opposite directions and may be fixed in rotation on a common shaft 5. In some embodiments, the shaft ends 52, 54 are detachably connected to the shaft 5, for example as explained in FIG. 3, via a force-fit and/or form-fit coupling of shaft ends 52, 54 and shaft 5. The shaft ends 52, 54 may be in turn mounted in separate bearing housings 16 in the respective bearings 64. In some embodiments, the conveyor housing 40 has an inlet 20 for the medium to be conveyed, from which the medium is conveyed axially inwards into the outlet 30 via the conveyor units 42, 44 in the form of the impellers and there radially outwards, so that a counter-rotating flow is produced from the inlet 20 to the outlet 30 along the conveyor units 42, 44.

FIGS. 5 and 6 show general views of a double-flow pump in the form of a screw pump. The conveyor housing 40 is made up of three parts and has a central conveyor area 47 and two inlet regions 41 attached to the sides of the end faces of the conveyor area 47. In some embodiments, two inlets 20 are arranged or formed in the inlet regions 41, through which the medium to be pumped in the pump is introduced into the conveyor housing 40. From the inlet regions 41, the medium is conveyed in the conveyor area 47 through the spindles 3 with the screw threads centrally to the outlet 30, which is designed as an upward-facing flange in the design example shown. The two inlets 20 are arranged below the conveyor area 47 of the conveyor housing 40. Two stands 43 are arranged or formed on the conveyor area 47, via which the conveyor housing 40 can be mounted on a machine bed.

The bearing housings 16, from which the ends of the shaft ends 52, 54 protrude on both sides in the illustrated embodiment example, are laterally adjacent to the inlet regions 41. The gap between the bearing housing 16 and the conveyor housing 40 can be seen in both FIG. 5 and FIG. 6. In some embodiments, the gap is bridged by the shaft ends 52, 54. Projections may be positioned on the bearing housing 16 to ensure clearance between the opposing end faces of the respective bearing housing 16 and the inlet area 41.

FIGS. 7 and 8 show vertical sectional views of the screw pump in FIGS. 5 and 6. FIGS. 7 and 8 show that the two inlets 20 direct the medium to the outer sections of the spindles 3, from which the conveying medium is directed via the conveyor chambers formed by the screw threads to a central annular space, which is formed in the conveyor area 47 of the conveyor housing 40. In some embodiments, the radially outward-facing outlet 30, which may be provided with a flange so that further pipework can be attached to it, is connected to the annular space. In some embodiments, inside the bearing housing 16, steps are formed at the outer ends, in which the shaft ends 52, 54 rotate. The left-hand bearing housing 16 may also contain the synchronising gear wheels 90, which may be arranged on both shaft ends 52 to enable torque transmission from one spindle 3 to the other spindle 3. In some embodiments, the recesses within the bearing housings 16 are closed at the ends by covers 161, wherein the respective shaft ends 52, 54 project through bores or recesses within the covers 161. FIGS. 7 and 8 show that from the inlets 20 the medium is first directed upwards towards a respective suction-side annular space formed around the ends of the spindles 3, from which the two fluid flows are then conveyed towards each other in the direction of the pressure-side central annular space by the respective conveyor units 42, 44, which may be formed by the two pairs of screw threads with oppositely directed pitches.

FIG. 9 shows an exploded view of the individual components of the screw pump. In some embodiments, the screw pump has a generally mirror-symmetrical structure with deviations in the synchronising gear wheels 90 and the design of a shaft end 54 for connecting a drive. In FIG. 9, the two parallel, overlapping bores for holding the two screw spindles 3 with the counter-rotating external teeth are positioned within the conveyor area 47 of the conveyor housing 40. Within the conveyor area 47 of the conveyor housing 40, the outlet 30 may be arranged in the same way as the uprights for fastening on a machine bed. In some embodiments, the inlet regions 41 with the inlets 20 adjoin the conveyor area 47 of the conveyor housing 40 on both sides. The passage openings 45 for the shaft ends 52, 54 are arranged within the inlet regions 41 of the conveyor housing 40. In the illustrated embodiment example, the shaft ends 52, 54 are detachably fastened to the spindles 3 via a tensionable tapered connection, as described above. The seals 70 may also, or alternatively, be incorporated within the passage openings 45. In some embodiments, the bearings 64, 62 are arranged in the bearing housings 16 adjoining the inlet regions 41. At the left end, in addition to the bearings 62, the synchronising gear wheels 90 may also be attached to both shaft ends 52 in order to ensure synchronisation of the shaft ends 52, 54 and thus also of the spindles 3. In some embodiments, the pump is closed off from the outside by the covers 161 with openings for the shaft ends 52, 54. Centring or alignment elements 162 may be arranged on the side of the bearing housing 16 facing the conveyor housing 40 in order to align the housings with one another, in particular so that the bearings 62, 64 are aligned with the spindles 3 in the conveyor housing.

The bearing housings 16 can additionally be detachably fastened and secured to the conveyor housing 40, in particular the inlet regions 41, by screws or other fastening means, wherein in one embodiment one or more centring or alignment elements 162 are arranged or formed on the bearing housings 16, as shown in FIG. 9, and/or the conveyor housing 40, by means of which the components are aligned with one another.

Claims

1. A double-flow pump comprising: a housing comprising: one or more inlets;one or more outlets; and,a conveyor housing comprising two or more conveyor units which convey a medium from the one or more inlets to the one or more outlets, wherein at least one of the conveyor units have one or more shaft ends, wherein the one or more shaft ends are detachably connected to the corresponding conveyor unit of the two or more conveyor units, and wherein the one or more shaft ends are mounted in bearings, wherein the bearings are positioned in one or more bearing housings.

2. The double-flow pump of claim 1, wherein the one or more shaft ends are detachably connected to the corresponding conveyor unit via a tapered conical connection or positive locking connection.

3. The double-flow pump of claim 2, wherein the one or more shaft ends are screwed to the corresponding conveyor unit.

4. The double-flow pump of claim 1, wherein the conveyor housing further comprises of one or more sealed shaft passage openings.

5. The double-flow pump of claim 4, wherein one or more seals are positioned inside the one or more sealed shaft passage openings.

6. The double-flow pump of claim 1, wherein the conveyor housing is positioned at a distance from the one or more bearing housings and is connected to the one or more bearing housings via the one or more shaft ends.

7. The double-flow pump of claim 1, wherein the one or more bearing housings comprise one or more through-openings for the one or more shaft ends.

8. The double-flow pump of claim 7, wherein one or more through-openings are sealed.

9. The double-flow pump of claim 1, wherein one or more bearing housings comprises a lubricant reservoir.

10. The double-flow pump of claim 1, wherein the two or more conveyor units further comprise two or more spindles that are rotatably mounted in the conveyor housing, wherein at least one of the spindles of the two or more spindles have two screw threads on its outer circumference that have oppositely oriented pitches and are in engagement with opposing screw threads of a different spindle of the two or more spindles and convey the medium from the one or more inlets to the one or more outlets.

11. The double-flow pump of claim 1, wherein the double-flow pump is a centrifugal pump, wherein at least two conveyor units of the two or more conveyor units are oriented in opposite directions of each other, and wherein at least one of the conveyor units in the two or more conveyor units comprise an impeller.

12. The double-flow pump of claim 1, wherein the conveyor housing is sealed from an outside environment.

13. The double-flow pump of claim 1, wherein the one or more bearing housings are sealed from an outside environment.

14. The double-flow pump of claim 1, wherein the two or more conveyor units are mounted between a first set of one or more bearings and a second set of one or more bearings, wherein the first set and second set of one or more bearings are in bearing housings.

15. The double-flow pump of claim 2, wherein tapered bores are formed in the two or more conveyor units for receiving truncated cones of the one or more shaft ends.

16. A double-flow screw pump comprising: a housing comprising: two inlets;an outlet; anda conveyor housing comprising two conveyor units which convey a medium from the two inlets in opposite directions to the outlet, wherein the conveyor units comprise: one or more shaft ends, wherein the one or more shaft ends are detachably connected to the corresponding conveyor unit and wherein the one or more shaft ends are mounted in bearings, wherein the bearings are positioned in a bearing housing; anda spindle that is rotatably mounted in the conveyor housing, wherein the spindle has two screw threads on its outer circumference that have oppositely oriented pitches and are in engagement with opposing screw threads of the other spindle and convey the medium from the two inlets to the outlet.

17. The double-flow screw pump of claim 16, wherein the one or more shaft ends are detachably connected to the corresponding conveyor units via a tapered conical connection or positive locking connection.

18. The double-flow screw pump of claim 17, wherein tapered bores are formed in the conveyor units for receiving truncated cones of the one or more shaft ends.

19. A double-flow centrifugal pump comprising: a housing comprising: two inlets;an outlet; and,a conveyor housing comprising two conveyor units which convey a medium from the two inlets in opposite direction to the outlet, wherein the conveyor units comprise: one or more shaft ends, wherein the one or more shaft ends are detachably connected to the corresponding conveyor unit and wherein the one or more shaft ends are mounted in bearings, wherein the bearings are in a bearing housing; andan impeller.

20. The double-flow centrifugal pump of claim 19, wherein the conveyor housing is scaled from an outside environment.