1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a pump or pumping assembly, arrangement or combination; and more particularly relates to a pump or pumping assembly, arrangement or combination designed for installation conversion, e.g., for a centrifugal pump, a slurry-type pump, as well as other types or kinds of rotary equipment such as fans or compressors.
2. Brief Description of Related Art
When pumps get old and/or worn out, they need to be replaced. However, when an older pump is replaced with a newer pump, issues can arise in relation to an installation conversion. For example, known pump designs have a wide variety of center heights, bolt patterns, and drive configurations, many times making it difficult to interchange the pump, e.g., without removing concrete foundations. This is typically expensive and can lead to significant delays in the pump replacement process.
By way of example,
a shows a known pedestal design generally indicated as 10 having an adjusting bolt arrangement generally indicated by an arrow 12 arranged in a base 13 under a bearing cartridge generally indicated as 14 having a power transmitting shaft 17 arranged therein, the bolt arrangement 12 configured for adjusting the relationship between the bearing cartridge 14 and a pump shell 18 having an impeller (not shown) arranged therein.
b shows another known pump design generally indicated as 20 also having its adjusting screw 22 arranged in a base 23 under a bearing cartridge generally indicated by arrow 24 having a power transmitting shaft 27 arranged therein, the adjusting screw 22 configured for adjusting, e.g., the clearance of an impeller 26 coupled to the shaft 27 arranged in a pump shell 28.
c shows still another known design generally indicated as 30 also having its adjusting screw arrangement generally indicated by arrow 32 arranged in a base 33 underneath a bearing assembly generally indicated by arrow 34 having a power transmitting shaft 37 coupled to an impeller 36 arranged therein, the adjusting screw arrangement 32 configured for adjusting the relationship between the bearing cartridge 34, impeller 36 and a pump shell 38.
One problem with these known pump designs in
In view of this, there is a long felt need in the industry for an improved pump design or technique that solves the problems related to installation conversion when pumps need to be replaced.
To overcome the aforementioned problems, a new technique has been developed that takes the form of apparatus featuring a bearing cartridge in combination with a pedestal. The bearing cartridge may be configured to be coupled to a pumping assembly combination and having a predetermined centerline. The pedestal may be configured with an axial channel to receive and support the bearing cartridge and allow the bearing cartridge to slide therein. The bearing cartridge and the pedestal are configured to couple together substantially at or above the centerline of the bearing cartridge in order to reduce center height requirements of the apparatus, where the center height is defined as the distance between the centerline of the bearing cartridge and the bottom surface of the pedestal supporting the bearing cartridge. The apparatus takes the form of a pump or pumping assembly, arrangement or combination, including a slurry-type pump or a centrifugal pump.
According to some embodiments, and provided by way of example, the apparatus may also include one or more of the following features:
1) The bearing cartridge and the pedestal are configured to couple together by an adjustable mounting assembly.
2) The adjustable mounting assembly may include, e.g., at least one mounting member coupled to the pedestal; at least one corresponding mounting member coupled to the bearing cartridge; and an arrangement of threaded bolts or rods and nuts configured to couple the at least one mounting member of the pedestal and at least one corresponding mounting member of the bearing cartridge so as to slide the bearing cartridge in relation to the pedestal when one or more of the nuts is turned.
3) The apparatus may also include a base adapter configured to be arranged between the pedestal and a pre-existing supporting foundation and to support the pedestal on the pre-existing supporting foundation.
One advantage of the new design or technique is that it offers users the ability to completely replace an existing pump without disturbing the original foundation or suction/discharge piping (depending on user preference). The user can then benefit from improvements in a bearing cartridge or assembly design as well as improvements in wet end design with very little installation effort.
An additional advantage is afforded to the manufacturer as a pump with a low center height and corresponding foundation cannot be replaced by competitors, requiring new foundations and dissuading customers from replacing the piece of equipment.
In effect, the new design or technique consists of a pump with a wet end and a powerframe (also called a bearing frame or power end). The powerframe has a center to base height very near the minimum achievable with current materials technology, significantly less than current offerings. This allows for cast, fabricated, or machined spacers to be put between the powerframe of the new pump and the existing foundation to allow the adjustment of the new pump's center height and position relative to drive elements (motor and gearbox shafts) and suction or discharge piping. Different spacers can be provided to allow a single model of pump to be adapted to multiple models of competitor equipment.
This reduction in center height is achieved by a number of new, unique design features:
According to some embodiments of the present invention, the apparatus may comprise bearing cartridge means for coupling to a shaft of a motor and having a predetermined centerline; pedestal means for receiving and supporting the bearing cartridge and allowing the bearing cartridge to slide within an axial channel; and means for coupling together the bearing cartridge means and the pedestal means substantially at or above the centerline of the bearing cartridge in order to reduce center height requirements of the apparatus, consistent with that disclosed herein.
The drawing includes the following Figures, not necessarily drawn to scale:
a shows a side view of a pump that is known in the art.
b shows a side cross-sectional view of another pump that is known in the art.
c shows a side cross-sectional view of still another pump that is known in the art.
In the following description of the exemplary embodiment, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration of an embodiment in which the invention may be practiced. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized, as structural and operational changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.
By way of example, the present invention is described in relation to the pump assembly, arrangement or combination shown in
In
The bearing cartridge 103 has a predetermined centerline that is indicated, by way of example, as reference label CL. For the purpose of describing some embodiments of the present invention, in
The pedestal 104 has a bottom surface 104a. According to some embodiments of the present invention, the bearing cartridge 103 and the pedestal 104 are configured to couple together above the centerline CL of the bearing cartridge 103 in order to reduce center height requirements of the apparatus 100, where the center height CH is defined as the distance between the centerline CL of the bearing cartridge 103 and the bottom surface 104a of the pedestal 104 supporting the bearing cartridge 103. By way of example, the centerheight CH is marked and shown in
According to the present invention, the bearing cartridge 103 and the pedestal 104 are configured to couple together substantially at or above the centerline CL of the bearing cartridge 103 in order to reduce center height requirements of the apparatus 100. According to the present invention, the phrase “substantially at” is intended to include embodiments or implementations where the bearing cartridge 103 and the pedestal 104 are coupled together at or near the centerline of the bearing cartridge 103, and the term “above” is intended to include embodiments or implementations where the bearing cartridge 103 and the pedestal 104 are coupled together over or higher than the centerline CL of the bearing cartridge 103.
The other parts of the pumping assembly combination 200 shown in
Moreover, the bearing cartridge 103 may also be configured to be coupled to a shaft or a motor (not shown). This coupling does not form part of the underlying invention, especially in relation to the features of the apparatus 100, and thus is not shown or described in detail. In view of this, the scope of the invention is not intended to be limited to the way the bearing cartridge 103 and motor are coupled together. For example, the bearing cartridge 103 may be coupled to the motor by various means or techniques within the scope and spirit of the present invention, including being directly coupled, being coupled through belt drives, as well as being coupled through some other intermediate equipment or apparatus either now known or later developed in the future.
In
It should be understood that, unless stated otherwise herein, any of the features, characteristics, alternatives or modifications described regarding a particular embodiment herein may also be applied, used, or incorporated with any other embodiment described herein. Also, the drawings herein are not drawn to scale.
Although the invention has been described and illustrated with respect to exemplary embodiments thereof, the foregoing and various other additions and omissions may be made therein and thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
This application claims benefit to patent application Ser. No. 61/366,309, filed 21 Jul. 2010, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
Number | Date | Country | |
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61366309 | Jul 2010 | US |