Electric pump with sheath

Abstract

The present application relates to an electric pump with a sheath. An electric pump (10, 110) for moving a liquid comprises a sealed sheath (11, 111) enclosing: a mechanical section (12) comprising an assembly (22) for moving a liquid, the assembly comprising one or more impellers (23) alternately arranged with a diffuser (24) keyed on a drive shaft (25); an electromechanical section (15) comprising an electric motor (16) housed in a casing (17) and in turn comprising a rotor (18) and a stator (19) surrounding the rotor (18), the rotor (18) being keyed on the drive shaft (25); the electric pump (10, 110) comprising, at an end of the sheath (11, 111), a first cover (20, 120) and a second cover (21, 121), the second cover (21, 121) having a suction port (13) and a delivery port (14) fluidically connected to the mechanical section (12). The sheath (11, 111) is provided integrally.

Description

[0001] This invention relates to an electric pump with a jacket.

[0002] Currently, vertical surface electric pumps are known and widely used. These pumps include an external sealing sleeve that encapsulates:

[0003] - A mechanical section comprising a suction port and a delivery port, wherein suction conduits and delivery conduits are connected to the suction port and the delivery port, and wherein the mechanical section contains one or more impellers arranged alternately with diffusers keyed to a drive shaft adapted to rotate the impellers for moving liquid.

[0004] - An electromechanical section, which includes an electronic board for controlling an electric pump and an electric motor, the electric motor being housed in a housing and including a rotor keyed to a drive shaft and a stator surrounding the rotor.

[0005] In this specification, the term "vertical electric pump" means an electric pump having a vertical operating configuration and a vertically extending axis, wherein the mechanical section is in the lower part of the electric pump and the electromechanical section is in the upper part of the electric pump, above the mechanical section.

[0006] Typically, the outer sheath is made of metal and / or plastic materials and has a generally tubular shape with cylindrical extensions.

[0007] This background technology has some drawbacks.

[0008] The outer sheath is typically provided via at least two complementary components, which are connected during the assembly of the electric pump:

[0009] - A first component, adapted to generally include a mechanical section,

[0010] - A second component, which is positioned above the first component in the configuration of the electric pump and is adapted to generally include the electromechanical section.

[0011] The presence of these two components leads to a lengthy and cumbersome assembly process, and these two components need to be fixed to each other and to the top cover and pump body, usually at the interface between the mechanical and electromechanical sections.

[0012] Furthermore, the two-part sheath design results in a lengthy, cumbersome production process consisting of multiple consecutive steps.

[0013] Furthermore, in known types of vertical electric pumps, the electronic board can be connected to the electric motor:

[0014] - Directly connected via connectors, and therefore arranged adjacent to the motor.

[0015] - Indirectly, via cable connection.

[0016] In both cases, the plate is contained within an assembly that must be close to the electromechanical section and in contact with a surface in which a pumped liquid flows to cool the surface.

[0017] This results in electric pumps occupying a considerable and complex space.

[0018] Finally, in known types of vertical electric pumps, the outer casing:

[0019] - No liquid that may have leaked through the mechanical seal located at the junction between the mechanical and electromechanical sections shall be discharged;

[0020] - Or allow such liquids to drain, but the installation technician / user cannot detect any sealing problems with the electric pump unless through direct visual contact with the area where the liquid has seeped out.

[0021] The object of the present invention is to provide an electric pump that improves upon the prior art in one or more of the aforementioned aspects.

[0022] Within this scope, the objective of the present invention is to provide an electric pump with an external sealing sleeve that makes the production process of the sleeve and the entire electric pump easier and faster than that of similar electric pumps of known types.

[0023] Another objective of the present invention is to provide an electric pump with a sheath that allows for mounting of electronic boards, thereby reducing the overall space footprint of the electric pump relative to similar electric pumps of known types.

[0024] Another objective of the present invention is to provide an electric pump that allows the discharge of any liquid that has leaked through the mechanical seal at the junction between the mechanical and electromechanical sections, and allows installation technicians / users to detect sealing problems without direct visual contact with the affected section.

[0025] Another objective of this invention is to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art in a manner that can replace any existing solution.

[0026] Another objective of the present invention is to provide an electric pump that is highly reliable, relatively easy to provide, and cost-competitive.

[0027] This objective, as will become more apparent below, and these and other objectives, are achieved by a vertical, ground-mounted electric pump for moving liquids, the pump comprising a sealing sleeve that encapsulates:

[0028] - A mechanical section comprising an assembly for moving the liquid, the assembly including one or more impellers arranged alternately with a diffuser keyed to a drive shaft.

[0029] - An electromechanical section, comprising an electric motor housed within a housing, and further comprising a rotor and a stator surrounding the rotor, the rotor being keyed to the drive shaft.

[0030] The electric pump includes a first cover and a second cover at the end of the sheath, the second cover having a suction port and a delivery port fluidly connected to the mechanical section, and the electric pump is characterized in that the sheath is provided integrally.

[0031] Further features and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the description of preferred, but not exclusive, embodiments of the electric pump according to the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings by way of non-limiting example, in which:

[0032] Figure 1a and Figure 1b These are different overall perspective views of the electric pump according to the present invention;

[0033] Figure 2 yes Figure 1a and Figure 1b A general perspective view of the details of the electric pump;

[0034] Figure 3 yes Figure 1a and Figure 1b A first cross-sectional view of the electric pump;

[0035] Figure 4 yes Figure 1a and Figure 1b A second cross-sectional view of the electric pump;

[0036] Figure 5a and Figure 5b These are perspective views of the electric pump according to the second embodiment of the present invention;

[0037] Figure 6 yes Figure 5a and Figure 5b A partial cross-sectional perspective view of an electric pump.

[0038] Referring to the accompanying drawings, the electric pump according to the invention is generally indicated by reference numeral 10 in a first embodiment of the electric pump.

[0039] The electric pump 10 shown in Figure 1 is a vertical ground electric pump.

[0040] The electric pump 10 includes an outer sealing sleeve 11 that encloses the electric pump 10 along its extended axis X.

[0041] - Mechanical section 12, which includes an assembly 22 for moving liquid, the assembly 22 including one or more impellers 23, the one or more impellers 23 being arranged alternately with a diffuser 24 keyed to a drive shaft 25.

[0042] - Electromechanical section 15, which includes an electric motor 16, which is housed in a housing 17 and includes a rotor 18 keyed to a drive shaft 25 and a stator 19 surrounding the rotor 18.

[0043] The sheath 11 is closed at its end by the following components:

[0044] -First top cover 20,

[0045] - Second lower cover 21, the second lower cover 21 has a suction port 13 and a delivery port 14 for the electric pump 10, the suction port 13 and the delivery port 14 being fluidly connected to the mechanical section 12.

[0046] In the case of an electric pump that includes a single impeller (not shown in the figure), the presence of a diffuser is not necessary.

[0047] The sheath 11 has a generally tubular shape with a generally cylindrical extension, and the extension axis of the sheath 11 coincides with the extension axis X of the electric pump 10.

[0048] A feature of the present invention is that the sheath 11 is integrally provided using a metallic material by rolling and welding.

[0049] Sheath 11 is made of stainless steel.

[0050] Monolithic jacket 11 is permitted:

[0051] - First, it is easier and faster to produce the one-piece sheath 11.

[0052] - Secondly, the electric pump 10 is easier and faster to assemble.

[0053] The sheath 11 has multiple slots 26a and 26b for securing the sheath 11 to the elements 27a and 27b of the cover (which are respectively secured to the first cover 20 and the second cover 21) inserted into the slots 26a and 26b.

[0054] Specifically, slots 26a and 26b:

[0055] - A hole is provided, the extension axis of which is generally parallel to the extension axis of the sheath 11.

[0056] - Arranged on the outer surface of the sheath 11 and fixed to the outer surface of the sheath 11 by welding, close to the corresponding cover (first cover 20 or second cover 21).

[0057] These fastening elements 27a, 27b are, for example, bolts.

[0058] Reference Figure 2 and Figure 4 The sheath 11 has two through holes 28, and the through holes 28 have an extension axis that is perpendicular to the extension axis of the sheath 11.

[0059] The through hole 28 is located in the electromechanical section 15, in a portion 30 of the electromechanical section 15, which is close to the mechanical section 12 and is generally included between the housing 17 for sealing the motor 16 and the junction between the mechanical section 12 and the electromechanical section 15.

[0060] The connector 29 is inserted into each through hole 28.

[0061] At least one of the connectors 29 is fluidly connected to part 30 of the electromechanical section 15.

[0062] These connectors 29 facilitate the assembly of the electric pump 10, the alignment of the sheath 11 with the mechanical section 12 and the electromechanical section 15, and guide the sheath to be secured to the sections.

[0063] Furthermore, during the assembly line processing of the unit, the connector 29 holds the electromechanical section 15 in the proper position inside the sheath 11.

[0064] Furthermore, the connector 29, which allows fluid connection to the portion 30 of the electromechanical section 15, allows for... Figure 4 Any liquid that may have leaked through the mechanical seal 31 is discharged in the direction of arrow A, which is located at the junction between the mechanical section 12 and the electromechanical section 15.

[0065] The electric pump 10 may include a drainage tray 32 connected to the connector 29 (which is fluidly connected to the portion 30 of the electromechanical section 15) to collect liquid flowing out of the electric pump 10 through the connector 29.

[0066] A sensor (not shown in the figure) is located inside the drain pan 32. This sensor detects the presence of liquid inside the drain pan 32 and sends an alarm signal to the electronic board 34 to control the electric pump 10.

[0067] This signal can be visualized on the pump's display 53, allowing installation technicians / users to detect sealing problems without needing direct visual contact with the affected area.

[0068] The display 53 is included in the user interface unit 60, which may also have an integrated Wi-Fi module.

[0069] In this scenario, the alarm signal can be sent to the installation technician / user's mobile phone via a dedicated application.

[0070] This allows for immediate identification of mechanical seal problems and, if necessary, replacement of the mechanical seal before it ruptures and thus leaks a large amount of fluid into the motor.

[0071] This allows for an extension of the lifespan of the electric pump 10.

[0072] Another feature of the invention is that the electric pump 10 includes an electronic component 33, which includes an electronic board 34 for controlling the electric pump 10, the electronic board 34 being fixed to the outer surface of the sheath 11.

[0073] In this way, the electronic board 34 is fixed parallel to the extension axis X of the electric pump 10, thereby reducing the overall space occupied by the electric pump 10 compared to similar electric pumps of known types, while also ensuring the cooling of the board.

[0074] Specifically, the outer surface of the sheath 11 has:

[0075] - Multiple elements 35 for securing the outer surface of the sheath 11 to the electronic assembly 33.

[0076] - Multiple elements 35a are used to fix a collar 50 for anchoring the tank 51 of the electric pump 10.

[0077] The fixing elements 35, 35a are, for example, threaded rods having an extension axis perpendicular to the extension axis of the sheath 11, and are welded and extend from the plate 52, which is in turn welded to the outer surface of the sheath 11.

[0078] Component 35 is inserted into the corresponding hole (not shown in the figure) of electronic component 33 and fastened to electronic component 33 by nut 36.

[0079] Such a collar 50 is a snap-acting type, and once the collar is closed, it holds the can 51 in the proper position close to the sheath 11.

[0080] The electric pump 10 has a wet section 37 in the electromechanical section 15, which is separate from the section 30 and surrounds the housing 17.

[0081] The wet section 37 is shaped to allow pumpable liquid to pass between the suction port 13 and the delivery port 14, skimming over the following surfaces:

[0082] -The outer surface of the housing 17 of the motor 16, on Figure 3 and Figure 4 In the direction of arrow B, it moves from the suction port 13 toward the first cover 20.

[0083] -The inner surface of the sheath 11, in Figure 3 and Figure 4 In the direction of the middle arrow C, it moves from the first cover 20 toward the delivery port 14.

[0084] The electronic components 33 of the electric pump 10 include a heat sink 38, which faces the electronic board 34 on one side and the sheath 11 on the other side.

[0085] In this way, the pumped liquid, through Figure 3 and Figure 4 Moving from the first cover 20 toward the delivery port 14 in the direction of the middle arrow C, the heat sink 38 facing the outer surface of the sheath 11 is cooled.

[0086] The sheath 11 has one or more elements 39 for securing / supporting / thermally contacting the electronic component 33 to the sheath 11.

[0087] The element 39 used to secure / support / thermally contact the electronic component 33 to the sheath 11 is, for example, a pin with an internal blind hole 40 whose extension axis coincides with the extension axis of the pin, and the pin is welded to the sheath 11, wherein the extension axis of the pin is perpendicular to the extension axis of the sheath 11.

[0088] Pin 39 is inserted into the corresponding through hole of radiator 38 and fastened to radiator by its respective screw 41, which is then inserted into hole 40 of pin 39.

[0089] In the example shown in the figure, there are two such pins 39.

[0090] Another feature of the invention is that the sheath 11 has a shape that facilitates the provision of a mechanical seal by means of a plurality of corresponding sealing elements 42a, 42b, 42c, 42d, which are arranged inside the sheath 11 at different cross sections along the extension axis X of the electric pump 10.

[0091] The sealing elements are the following O-rings:

[0092] - A first sealing element 42a is generally arranged in the interface region between the second cover 21 and the sheath 11.

[0093] - The second sealing element 42b and the third sealing element 42c are arranged at / near the junction between the mechanical section 12 and the electromechanical section 15.

[0094] - The fourth sealing element 42d is generally arranged at the junction between the first cover 20 and the sheath 11.

[0095] In another embodiment, such as Figure 5a , Figure 5b and Figure 6 As shown, the electric pump according to the invention is generally indicated by reference numeral 110.

[0096] The electric pump 110 is similar to the electric pump described above, but unlike the electric pump described above, the sheath 111 is simultaneously fixed to the first cover 120 and the second cover 121 by a plurality of tensile members 127.

[0097] In particular, each of these tensile members 127 has a rod 129, the length of which is approximately equal to the distance between the two covers (first cover 120 and second cover 121), taking into account the direction parallel to the extension axis of the electric pump.

[0098] The first cover 120 is provided with a plurality of first holes 126a, which correspond to a plurality of second holes 126b provided in the second cover 121, so as to form a pair of corresponding first holes 126a and second holes 126b.

[0099] Each tensile member 127 and its rod 129 pass through a pair of corresponding holes 126a-126b, and in order to fasten the two caps 120 and 121 to the sheath 111:

[0100] - It has a wider head 128 at the first end, located near / at the second hole 126b.

[0101] - A nut 130 is provided at a second threaded end 131 opposite to the first end, which is screwed onto the second threaded end 131 near / at the first hole 126a.

[0102] Due to the interference between the wider head 128 or nut 130 and the edge of the corresponding hole 126b or 126a, a connection is created between the two covers 120 and 121, and the two covers 120 and 121 are secured to the sheath 111.

[0103] In practice, it has been found that the present invention achieves the intended purpose and objective, thereby providing an electric pump with an external sealing sleeve, which, compared with similar electric pumps of known types, has an easier and faster production process with an external sealing sleeve and the entire electric pump.

[0104] The present invention provides an electric pump that allows for the securing of an electronic board assembly and a collar for directly anchoring a canister to a sheath without the use of additional components.

[0105] The present invention provides an electric pump with a sheath, which allows for a reduction in the total space occupied by the electric pump compared to similar electric pumps of known types.

[0106] Furthermore, the present invention provides an electric pump that allows the drainage of any liquid that may have leaked through the mechanical seal at the junction between the mechanical and electromechanical sections, while allowing installation technicians / users to detect sealing problems without direct visual contact with the affected sections.

[0107] The invention conceived thus allows for numerous modifications and variations, all of which are within the scope of the appended claims; furthermore, all details may be replaced by other technically equivalent elements.

[0108] In practice, the materials used (as long as they are compatible with the specific application) and the possible shapes and sizes can be arbitrary, depending on requirements and existing technology.

Claims

1. An electric pump (10, 110) for moving liquids, comprising a sealing sleeve (11, 111) encapsulating: - Mechanical section (12), the mechanical section (12) including an assembly (22) for moving the liquid, the assembly (22) including one or more impellers (23), the one or more impellers (23) being arranged alternately with a diffuser (24) keyed to a drive shaft (25), - Electromechanical section (15), which includes an electric motor (16) housed in a housing (17) and further includes a rotor (18) and a stator (19) surrounding the rotor (18), the rotor (18) being keyed to the drive shaft (25). The electric pumps (10, 110) include a first cover (20, 120) and a second cover (21, 121) at the ends of the sheaths (11, 111), the second cover (21, 121) having a suction port (13) and a delivery port (14) fluidly connected to the mechanical section (12), the sheaths (11, 111) being provided integrally, wherein: - The sheath (11) is provided with one or more through holes (28), the extension axis of which is perpendicular to the extension axis of the sheath (11), and the one or more through holes (28) are located in a portion (30) of the electromechanical section (15), the portion (30) being close to the mechanical section (12) and generally included between the housing (17) for sealing the motor (16) and the junction between the mechanical section (12) and the electromechanical section (15); and - The electric pump (10, 110) has a wet section (37) inside the electromechanical section (15), the wet section (37) being separate from the portion (30) of the electromechanical section (15) and surrounding the housing (17), the wet section (37) being shaped to include partitions to create a path for the liquid to pass between the suction port (13) and the delivery port (14), the liquid passing over: -- The outer surface of the housing (17) moves from the suction port (13) toward the first cover (20). -- The inner surface of the sheath (11) moves from the first cover (20) toward the delivery port (14).

2. The electric pump (10, 110) according to claim 1, characterized in that The sheath (11, 111) has a generally tubular shape with a generally cylindrical extension, and the extension axis of the sheath (11, 111) generally coincides with the extension axis (X) of the electric pump (10, 110).

3. The electric pump (10, 110) according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that The sheaths (11, 111) are made of metal material by rolling and welding.

4. The electric pump (10) according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that, The sheath (11) has a plurality of slots (26a, 26b) for securing the sheath (11) to the elements (27a, 27b) of the first cover (20) and the second cover (21) into the plurality of slots (26a, 26b), the plurality of slots (26a, 26b): - A hole is provided, the extension axis of which is generally parallel to the extension axis of the sheath (11). - The corresponding caps (20, 21) are arranged on the outer surface of the sheath (11).

5. The electric pump (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that, The connector (29) is inserted into each of the one or more through holes (28).

6. The electric pump (10) according to any one of claims 1, 2 and 5, characterized in that, The electric pump (10) includes at least one connector (29) which is fluidly connected to the portion (30) of the electromechanical section (15).

7. The electric pump (10) according to claim 6, characterized in that, The electric pump (10) includes a drain pan (32) connected to the at least one connector (29), which is fluidly connected to the portion (30) of the electromechanical section (15).

8. The electric pump (10) according to any one of claims 1-2, 5 and 7, characterized in that, The electric pump (10) includes an electronic component (33) containing an electronic board (34) for controlling the motor (16), the electronic board (34) being fixed to the outer surface of the sheath (11).

9. The electric pump (10) according to claim 8, characterized in that, The outer surface of the sheath (11) has: - A plurality of first fixing elements (35) for securing the outer surface of the sheath (11) to the electronic assembly (33), and / or - A plurality of second fixing elements (35a) for fixing a collar (50) for anchoring the tank (51) of the electric pump (10).

10. The electric pump (10) according to claim 9, characterized in that, The plurality of first fixing elements (35) and the plurality of second fixing elements (35a) are threaded rods fixed to the sheath (11), the extension axis of the threaded rods being perpendicular to the extension axis of the sheath (11).

11. The electric pump (10) according to claim 8, characterized in that, The electronic component (33) includes a heat sink (38) facing the electronic board (34) on one side and the sheath (11) on the other side.

12. The electric pump (10) according to claim 8, characterized in that, The sheath (11) is provided with one or more elements (39) for fixing / supporting / thermally contacting the electronic component (33) relative to the sheath (11).

13. The electric pump (10) according to claim 11, characterized in that, The sheath (11) is provided with one or more elements (39) for fixing / supporting / thermally contacting the electronic component (33) relative to the sheath (11). The one or more elements (39) are pins having internal blind holes (40) whose extension axis coincides with the extension axis of a corresponding pin. The pins are welded to the sheath (11), wherein the extension axis of the pins is perpendicular to the extension axis of the sheath (11). The pins are inserted into corresponding through holes of the heat sink (38) and fastened to the heat sink (38) by respective screws (41), each of which is inserted into the internal blind hole (40) of the pin.

14. The electric pump (10) according to any one of claims 1-2, 5, 7 and 9-13, characterized in that, The sheath (11) has a shape that facilitates the provision of a mechanical seal by means of a plurality of corresponding sealing elements (42a, 42b, 42c, 42d), which are arranged inside the sheath (11) at different cross sections along the extension axis (X) of the electric pump (10).

15. The electric pump (110) according to any one of claims 1-2, 5, 7 and 9-13, characterized in that, The sheath (111) is simultaneously fixed to the first cover (120) and the second cover (121) by a plurality of tensile members (127).

16. The electric pump (110) according to claim 15, characterized in that, Each of the tensile members (127) has a rod (129) with a length equal to the distance between the first cover (120) and the second cover (121).

17. The electric pump (110) according to claim 16, characterized in that, The first cover (120) is provided with a plurality of first holes (126a), which correspond to a plurality of second holes (126b) provided in the second cover (121) to form a pair of matching first holes (126a) and second holes (126b). Each of the tensile members (127) having the rod (129) passes through a corresponding pair of holes (126a, 126b), and: - It has a wider head (128) at the first end. - A nut (130) is provided at a second threaded end (131) opposite to the first end, the nut (130) being screwed onto the second threaded end.

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