Paddle pump

Abstract

To provide a paddle pump having a short liquid flow path, a small number of changes in flow direction, and a seal member for a casing division surface having a flat and simple shape.SOLUTION: A protrusion part 5 is provided on a peripheral wall of a rear casing 1 so as to straddle a paddle central axial line P and protrude forward, a protrusion part 7 is provided on a peripheral wall of a front casing 2 so as to be fitted into the protrusion part 5 of the rear casing 1, and an O-ring 10 is attached with mating surfaces of flange parts 6, 8 of both protrusion part 5, 7 as a sealing position. Two openings 31, 32, which serve as a suction port and a discharge port, are provided in positions that overlap the paddle central axial line P when viewed from a rotor rotation direction on the peripheral wall of the rear casing 1, and conduit connection parts 33, 34 are provided integrally with the rear casing.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a volume-displacement paddle pump (a rotary pump with swirl vanes) in which a pair of paddle sets, each of which consists of two connected paddles, cross (cross in a crisscross pattern) and rotate within a casing. [Background technology]

[0002] A paddle pump is a pump in which a pair of paddle sets, each of which consists of two paddles connected together, are attached to a rotor that is driven to rotate in a cross-shaped arrangement (i.e., crossed) when viewed from the direction of the rotor rotation axis, and a casing is provided with a suction port and a discharge port so as to connect to an annular passage between the inner wall of the casing and the outer circumferential surface of the rotor. The annular passage defines a feed passage portion having a cross-sectional shape corresponding to the front side shape of the paddle blade portion from the suction port to the discharge port in the rotor rotation direction, and a seal passage portion having a cross-sectional shape corresponding to the side side shape of the paddle blade portion, which has a smaller thickness dimension, from the discharge port to the suction port. A guide portion is provided in a transition area between the feed passage portion and the seal passage portion to guide the paddle blade portion to rotate the paddle and guide it to the front passage portion, and it has been conventionally known that this pump can transport liquid from the suction side to the discharge side with almost no agitation and no pulsation (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Special Publication No. 5-45798 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 10-30579 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In conventional paddle pumps (rotary pumps with swirl vanes), the casing (pump casing) is bolted together with a seal member sandwiched between them, with the mating surface along a plane that passes through the central axis of the paddle and is perpendicular to the rotor rotation axis as the seal position. In some cases, the suction port and discharge port are provided across the seal positions of the front and rear casing parts, at a position that opens the annular passage in the tangential direction, and in other cases, the suction port and discharge port are provided in one casing part, shifted in the rotor rotation axis direction from the annular passage so as not to overlap with the seal position.

[0005] Among them, in the case where the suction port and the discharge port are provided across the sealing positions of the front and rear casing parts, it is common to insert an undivided integrated suction conduit connection part and an integrated discharge conduit connection part into the suction port and the discharge port. However, in this case, since the suction conduit connection part and the discharge conduit connection part are inserted into the suction port and the discharge port of the divided surface of the casing, the seal member to be attached to the divided surface of the casing needs to have a main part corresponding to the divided surface around the annular passage, as well as an annular seal part corresponding to the suction conduit connection part and an annular seal part corresponding to the discharge conduit connection part, and these seal parts need to be integrated with the main part, so that it is inevitable that the shape will be complicated. Moreover, such a seal member with a complicated shape needs to be three-dimensionally attached to the mating surface of the casing, around the mounting part of the suction conduit connection part, and around the mounting part of the discharge conduit connection part. With commercially available seal members such as packings that are manufactured on the premise of flat use, such three-dimensional attachment is quite a difficult task. To install this, the seal member must be fitted into the groove on the mating surface of one of the casings, then the annular seal part corresponding to the suction duct connection part must be twisted 90 degrees to attach the suction duct connection part, and the annular seal part for the discharge duct connection part must be similarly twisted 90 degrees to attach it, and then the other casing part must be placed over it, taking care not to let the twisted part slip out of the groove, to accurately sandwich the seal member in place. This troublesome work must also be done each time the casing is disassembled for cleaning, etc. Also, since the seal member is twisted to attach it, there is a risk of water leakage from the twisted part, deterioration, or damage. Seal members with complex, three-dimensional shapes can be produced using a mold, but this requires the cost of the mold and the management of the mold, making them more expensive than commercially available seal members.

[0006] In addition, in an example in which the suction port and discharge port are disposed in one casing part and shifted from the annular passage in the direction of the rotor rotation axis so as not to overlap with the sealing position, the positions of the suction port and discharge port are significantly shifted from the tangential direction of the annular passage, so that the liquid flow path including the annular passage inside the pump casing and the flow path portions from the suction port and discharge port to each of the conduit connections becomes long and has many bends and changes of flow direction frequently, which can cause damage to solids in the liquid and deteriorate the quality of the high-viscosity liquid.

[0007] A paddle pump is a pump that can transport liquids with little agitation and pulsation, and is excellent as a pump for transporting liquids containing easily breakable solids such as food without damaging the solids, and as a pump for transporting high-viscosity liquids without kneading them and maintaining their original quality. However, conventional paddle pumps have the problems mentioned above, and solving these problems is a challenge.

[0008] An object of the present invention is to provide a paddle pump in which the liquid flow path inside the casing is short, the number of times the flow direction is changed is small, and the sealing members attached to the casing dividing surfaces are planar and have a simple shape. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The present invention solves the above problems by providing a paddle pump having the configurations described in the claims.

[0010] The paddle pump of the present invention has a pair of identical paddle sets in which two paddles, each with a vane portion having a pressure surface, are connected together in an orthogonal arrangement with their vanes facing outward, aligning the paddle central axes, and displaced in the rotational direction relative to each other around the paddle central axis.

[0011] A pair of paddle sets are mounted on a rotor which is connected to a drive unit and driven to rotate, with the blades of each paddle protruding from the outer periphery of the rotor in a cross-shaped arrangement when viewed from the direction of the rotor's rotational axis, and each paddle set is mounted independently rotatable with the central axis of the paddle as the rotational axis.

[0012] The casing that houses the rotor defines an annular passage between the inner wall of the casing and the outer circumferential surface of the rotor, which serves as a liquid flow path.

[0013] The casing is provided with two openings spaced apart in the circumferential direction, which connect to the annular passage and open the annular passage to the outside of the casing. The rotor can reverse its rotation direction, and of the two openings connected to the annular passage, one serves as an inlet and the other as a discharge port depending on the rotor rotation direction. The circumferential distance between the two openings is greater from one opening to the other opening than from the other opening to the one opening.

[0014] The annular passage has a feed passage portion formed between one opening and the other opening, which is spaced apart in the circumferential direction by a larger distance, and a seal passage portion formed between the other opening and the one opening, which is spaced apart in the circumferential direction by a smaller distance. The feed passage portion forms a passage having a cross-sectional shape that corresponds to the front shape of the blade portion as seen from the rotor rotation direction when the pressure surface of the blade portion of the paddle is oriented transversely to the rotor rotation direction (perpendicular to the rotor rotation axis) and moves the blade portion in a closely spaced state, and the seal passage portion forms a passage having a cross-sectional shape that corresponds to a side shape that is smaller in thickness than the front shape of the blade portion as seen from the rotor rotation direction when the pressure surface of the blade portion of the paddle is oriented vertically to the rotor rotation direction (parallel to the rotor rotation axis) and moves the blade portion in a closely spaced state. Then, transition regions are provided at two locations between the feed passage portion and the seal passage portion, where the passage cross-sectional shape changes smoothly between the two passage portions, and guide portions are provided on the inner wall of the casing in these transition regions to guide the blade portions of the paddles, rotate the paddle set 90° about the paddle central axis, and guide the blade portions to the passage portions on the forward side in the rotor rotation direction (the seal passage portion is forward of the blade portions located in the feed passage portion, and the feed passage portion is forward of the blade portions located in the seal passage portion).

[0015] The casing has a split structure in which a rear casing, located on the drive unit side in the direction of the rotor rotation axis, and a front casing, located on the opposite drive unit side, are bolted together with a sealing member in between, with the mating surfaces along a plane perpendicular to the rotor rotation axis at a position forward of the paddle central axis in the direction of the rotor rotation axis. Two openings, which serve as the suction port and discharge port, are provided in the peripheral wall of the rear casing at positions that overlap the paddle central axis when viewed in the rotor rotation direction, and two conduit connection parts, which are connected to these openings and extend outside the casing, are provided integrally with the rear casing.

[0016] This paddle pump can be operated in both forward and reverse directions, with one of the two openings as a suction port and the other as a discharge port. When the rotor is connected to a drive device and rotates, the four paddles of the pair of paddle sets revolve in the same direction in the annular passage. Each paddle rotates around the paddle central axis while being guided by a guide in the transition region so that the pressure surface of the vane moves transversely to the rotor rotation direction in the feed passage portion of the annular passage and the pressure surface of the vane moves vertically to the rotor rotation direction in the seal passage portion. At this time, two of the four paddles of the pair of paddle sets that are connected together as one paddle set rotate from vertical to horizontal while one paddle moves in the feed passage portion and comes into contact with the guide before moving to the seal passage portion and rotates from horizontal to vertical. Similarly, one paddle of the other set of paddles rotates from horizontal to vertical as it moves through the feed passage and before moving to the seal passage, while the other paddle rotates from vertical to horizontal. As the rotor rotates, the four paddles revolve within the annular passage, and as the paddles move from the seal passage to the feed passage, liquid flows into the annular passage from the suction port as they move from the seal passage to the feed passage. This liquid is then pushed by the paddles that move to the feed passage and are now horizontal, and is discharged from the discharge port. In this way, the liquid is continuously discharged at a constant volume with almost no agitation or pulsation.

[0017] Furthermore, in the paddle pump of the present invention, the suction port and discharge port are located at positions that overlap the central axis of the paddle when viewed from the rotor rotation direction of the rear casing peripheral wall, so the suction port and discharge port can be positioned so as not to deviate from the tangential direction of the annular passage, and the liquid flow path within the pump casing can be made short with few bends and with few changes of flow direction so as to avoid damage to solid objects in the liquid or deterioration of the quality of high-viscosity liquids.

[0018] Furthermore, the paddle pump of the present invention has a sealing position at the mating surface between the rear casing and the front casing along a plane perpendicular to the rotor rotation axis at a position forward of the rotor rotation axis in the rotor rotation axis direction relative to the paddle central axis (the rear casing peripheral wall protrudes forward across the paddle central axis, and the sealing position with the front casing is on this protruding part), and inexpensive sealing materials such as commercially available O-rings that are simple in shape and easy to install can be used as sealing materials, facilitating disassembly and assembly of the pump for cleaning, etc. Also, since the sealing position does not overlap with the openings that serve as the suction port and discharge port, it is possible to provide the conduit connection part integrally with the rear casing. Effect of the Invention

[0019] As is clear from the above explanation, the paddle pump of the present invention has a liquid flow path in the pump casing that is short, has few bends, and changes flow direction only a few times so as not to damage solids in the liquid or to deteriorate the quality of the high-viscosity liquid, and can transport liquids containing easily breakable solids such as food without damaging the solids, improving the performance of the pump as a suitable pump for transporting high-viscosity liquid without kneading it and maintaining its quality.In addition, the seal structure of the case dividing surface is simplified, and disassembly and assembly work involving installation and removal of seal members can be simplified. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0020] [Figure 1] 1 is a vertical sectional view of a paddle pump showing an example of an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a rotor unit in the embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the rotor unit shown in FIG. 2. [Figure 4] 13A shows a paddle in this embodiment, where (a) is a view from the side of the blade portion, (b) is a view from the front of the blade portion, and (c) is a view from the end face of the rod portion. [Diagram 5] 1 shows a tappet for connecting a paddle in the embodiment, where (a) is a front view and (b) is an end view. [Figure 6] 4 is a view of the rear casing in the embodiment as viewed from the inner surface side. FIG. [Figure 7] 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 6. [Figure 8] 7 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 6 taken along line B-B. [Figure 9] 4 is a view of the front casing in the embodiment as viewed from the inner surface side. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0021] Fig. 1 shows an example of a paddle pump according to an embodiment. In this paddle pump, a rotor unit (complete rotor product) U, which is made up of a rear rotor 3 and a front rotor 4 supporting a paddle set S, is disposed inside a casing (pump casing) made up of a rear casing 1 located on the drive unit side (right side in Fig. 1) in the rotor rotation axis direction and a front casing 2 located on the opposite drive unit side (left side in Fig. 1).

[0022] The rear casing 1 has a peripheral wall that protrudes forward in an annular shape straddling the paddle central axis P, and a flange portion 6 is provided at the tip of the protruding portion 5, while the front casing 2 has a peripheral wall that protrudes forward in an annular shape so as to fit inside the protruding portion 5 of the rear casing 1, and a flange portion 8 is provided at the tip of the protruding portion 7 that overlaps with the flange portion 6 of the protruding portion 5 on the rear casing 1 side. A seal groove 9 is provided on the inner periphery of the mating surface of the flange portion 8 on the front casing 2 side, with the mating surfaces of the flange portions 6, 8 serving as a sealing position, and an O-ring 10 is fitted into the seal groove 9.

[0023] Stud bolts 11 are attached to eight locations on the periphery of the flange portion 6 of the rear casing 1. The front casing 2 is fitted into the rear casing 1 with an O-ring 10 attached to the seal groove 9, and is connected and fixed to the rear casing 1 with a hexagonal cap nut 12 attached to the stud bolts 11.

[0024] The paddle set S is made up of two paddles 13, each with a blade portion 13a having a pressure surface, connected together by a tappet 14 in an orthogonal arrangement displaced 90° from each other around the paddle central axis P, with each blade portion 13a facing outward and aligning with the paddle central axis P. A pair of paddle sets S of the same specifications are arranged in a cross shape when viewed from the direction of the rotor rotation axis R, with the blade portions 13a of the paddle 13 protruding from the rotor outer surface that straddles the rear rotor 3 and the front rotor 4, and each paddle set S is mounted so as to be able to rotate independently with the paddle central axis P as the rotation axis.

[0025] A boss 15 is assembled into the rear rotor 3 on the drive unit side (right side in FIG. 1). Stud bolts 16 are screwed into the boss 15 at two locations on the front end face (only one stud bolt 16 is shown in FIG. 1), and parallel pins 17 are driven into the boss 15 at two locations spaced apart in the circumferential direction (only one parallel pin 17 is shown in FIG. 1). The rear rotor 3 is also provided with a through hole (reference number omitted) through which the stud bolt 16 screwed into the end face of the boss 15 passes, and a through guide hole (reference number omitted) through which the parallel pin 17 passes.

[0026] The front rotor 4 has through holes (reference numbers omitted) at positions corresponding to the bolt holes of the rear rotor 3, and parallel pins 18 are driven into positions corresponding to the guide holes of the rear rotor 3. In addition, a front bearing 19 is press-fitted into the front rotor 4 on the side opposite the drive device (the left side in FIG. 1).

[0027] Then, the stud bolts 16 of the boss 15 are passed through the bolt through holes of the rear rotor 3, the parallel pins 17 of the boss 15 are inserted into the guide holes, and the rear rotor 3 is assembled to the boss 15. Then, the paddle set S is assembled to the rear rotor 3, the stud bolts 16 are passed through the through holes of the front rotor 4, and the parallel pins 18 of the front rotor 4 are inserted into the guide holes of the rear rotor 3. In this state, the hexagonal screws 20 are fastened to the stud bolts 16, and the rear rotor 3 and the front rotor 4 constituting the rotors are fixed to the boss 15. Then, the disk rings 22 and 23 are attached to the end face of the rear rotor 3 on the driving device side and the end face of the front rotor on the opposite side to the driving device side, respectively, using the parallel pins 21 as guides. Thus, an integrated rotor unit (complete rotor product) U is constructed. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the rotor unit U as seen obliquely from the front, and FIG. 3 is an exploded view.

[0028] 4, the paddle 13 has a blade portion 13a with a flat front pressure surface and a circular flange on the opposite side that is supported rotatably on the rotor circumferential surface, and a rod portion 13b with the same center line as the blade portion 13 on the flange end surface of the blade portion 13a. Two of these paddles 13 are connected and fixed by a tappet 14. For this purpose, a groove 13c into which one end of the tappet 14 is inserted is provided in the rod portion 13b of the paddle 13, which is cut into the rod portion 13b from the end face side along the rod center line, and a pin hole 13d into which a parallel pin (not shown) for fixing the tappet 14 inserted in the groove 13c is driven is provided at a position shifted by 90° in the rod circumferential direction from the groove 13c, so as to penetrate the rod portion 13b perpendicularly to the rod center line from the circumferential surface side.

[0029] 5, the tappet 14 is plate-shaped, with both ends in the longitudinal direction forming paddle connecting portions 14a, 14b to be inserted into the groove 13c of the paddle 13, and the central portion 14c has one side in the width direction shifted inward from both ends so as to deviate from the tappet centerline. The paddle connecting portions 14a, 14b are provided with groove-shaped notches 14d, 14e on one side in the tappet width direction (the side having a step with the central portion 14c) that reach the position of the tappet centerline in the width direction and protrude outward in the tappet longitudinal direction in an L-shape at a position overlapping the tappet centerline.

[0030] The tappet 14 is inserted into the groove 13c of the paddle 13, in which a parallel pin has been driven into the pin hole 13d beforehand, by aligning the notches 14d, 14e of the paddle connecting parts 14a, 14b so as to straddle the parallel pin that intersects with the groove 13c inside the rod part 13b of the paddle 13. Then, when the end faces of the notches 14d, 14e abut against the parallel pin, the paddle 13 is pulled up so that the parallel pin fits into the protruding part of the notches 14d, 14e at the end. In this way, the paddle 13 is assembled to the tappet 14. The paddle set S is formed by attaching two paddles 13 to both sides of the tappet 14, with the phases shifted by 90 degrees.

[0031] The rear casing 1 and the front casing 2 are connected to form a pump casing, which defines an annular passage 30 serving as a liquid flow path between the inner wall of the casing and the outer circumferential surface of the rotor unit U. Figures 6, 7 and 8 show the internal wall surface configuration of the rear casing 1. Also, Figure 9 shows the internal wall surface configuration of the front casing 2.

[0032] The rear casing 1 is provided with two openings 31, 32 spaced apart in the circumferential direction, which connect to the annular passage 30 and open the annular passage 30 to the outside of the casing in mutually opposite tangential directions. The circumferential distance between the two openings 31, 32 is greater on the side where the tangents, which are the opening directions of the openings 31, 32, intersect than on the opposite side where the tangents intersect. Conduit connectors 33, 34 are provided integrally with the rear casing 1 so as to connect to the two openings 31, 32, respectively, and extend outward from the casing. Ferrules 35, 36 are attached to the conduit connectors 33, 34 by welding. The rotor rotation direction (rotation direction of the rotor unit U) is reversible, and one of the two openings 31, 32 functions as an inlet and the other as an outlet depending on the rotor rotation direction.

[0033] In the annular passage 30, the section between the opening 31, which is spaced more circumferentially, and the opening 32, which is spaced less circumferentially, is configured as a feed passage portion 30a, and the section between the opening 32, which is spaced less circumferentially, and the opening 31, which is spaced less circumferentially, is configured as a seal passage portion 30b.

[0034] 9, the wall surface portion of the front casing 2 that forms the annular passage 30 has substantially the same configuration as that of the rear casing 1. However, the front casing 2 is not provided with the openings 31, 32.

[0035] The rear casing 1 shown in Fig. 6 is seen from the front, and the front casing 2 shown in Fig. 9 is seen from the rear, and these casings 1, 2 are arranged facing each other to form the annular passage 30. Note that in Figs. 6 to 9, the parts marked with the reference numerals 30, 30a, 30b do not represent the annular passage 30, the feed passage portion 30a, and the seal passage portion 30b themselves, but represent the corresponding wall surface portions of the corresponding casing inner walls.

[0036] The feed passage portion 30a constitutes a passage having a cross-sectional shape that corresponds to the front shape of the blade portion 13a as viewed from the rotor rotation direction when the pressure surface of the blade portion 13a of the paddle 13 is oriented horizontally to the rotor rotation direction (orthogonal to the rotor rotation axis R) (the state of the paddle 13 located at the bottom in Figure 1), and allows the blade portion 13a to move in a tight contact state. The seal passage portion 30b constitutes a passage having a cross-sectional shape that corresponds to a side shape that is smaller in thickness than the front shape of the blade portion 13a as viewed from the rotor rotation direction when the pressure surface of the blade portion 13a of the paddle 13 is oriented vertically to the rotor rotation direction (parallel to the rotor rotation axis R), and allows the blade portion 13a to move in a tight contact state.

[0037] In addition, the annular passage 30 is provided with transition regions 30c, 30d in which the passage cross-sectional shape smoothly changes between the feed passage portion 30a and the seal passage portion 30b, i.e., in the portion transitioning from the feed passage portion 30a to the seal passage portion 30b and in the portion transitioning from the seal passage portion 30b to the feed passage portion 30a as viewed in the rotor rotation direction. In the transition regions 30c, 30d, rod-shaped cam members 37, 38 are arranged as guides for guiding the blade portion 13a of the paddle 13 to rotate the paddle set S by 90° about the paddle central axis P to guide the blade portion 13b to the passage portion on the front side in the rotor rotation direction (the front side of the blade portion 13b located in the feed passage portion 30a is the seal passage portion 30b, and the front side of the blade portion 13b located in the seal passage portion 30b is the feed passage portion 30a). Of these two cam members 37, 38, one cam member 37 is provided on the rear casing 1 as shown in FIG. 6, and the other cam member 38 is provided on the front casing 2 as shown in FIG. 9, with one end of each being welded to the casing wall surface of the feed passage portion 30a, curving and rising, extending flush with the casing wall surface of the seal passage portion 30b, and the other end being welded to the casing wall surface of the seal passage portion 30b.

[0038] As shown in Fig. 1, the rear end of the rear casing 1 is a cylindrical section 40 through which the boss 15 is inserted, and two oil seals 41 are attached between the cylindrical section 40 and the peripheral surface of the boss 15. An intermediate flange 43 is attached to the end face of the cylindrical section 40 by three hexagon socket head bolts 42 (only one is shown in the figure) as a connecting section for attaching the rear casing 1 to a bearing stand on a base plate (not shown). A front casing shaft 44 is attached to the center of the end of the front casing 2 located inside the overhanging section 7. The front casing shaft 44 is inserted into the front bearing 19 of the front rotor 4 to rotatably support the front rotor 4, and its front end reduced diameter portion is inserted into a shaft hole 45 provided in the center of the casing end located inside the overhanging portion 7 of the front casing 2, and an O-ring 46 is attached to the expanded diameter portion sandwiched between the inner wall of the casing and the front bearing 19 in a position surrounding the shaft hole 45. The front casing shaft 44 is fixed to the front casing 2 with four hexagon socket head bolts 47 (only two of which are shown in the figure). Two handles 48 (only one of which is shown in the figure) are attached externally to the front end surface of the front casing 2 to facilitate the installation and removal of the front casing 2. The front casing 2 is also provided with through-holes 49 for removing bolts (not shown) at two radially opposing positions on the flange portion 8 at the tip of the overhanging portion 7, for attaching removal bolts so that the front casing 2 can be easily separated from the rear casing 1 when removing the front casing 2.

[0039] This paddle pump can be operated in both forward and reverse directions with one of the two openings 31, 32 as an inlet and the other as a discharge port. For example, in forward operation, the opening 31 is used as an inlet and the opening 32 is used as a discharge port. In forward operation, the rotor rotation direction during forward rotation is clockwise in Fig. 6, and when the rotor unit U is connected to a drive device and rotates, the four paddles 13 of the pair of paddle sets S revolve clockwise in the annular passage 30. In the feed passage portion 30a of the annular passage 30, each paddle 13 moves horizontally with the pressure surface of the vane portion 13a perpendicular to the rotor rotation direction, and when it approaches the transition region 30c, it rotates around the paddle central axis P along the cam member 37, and the pressure surface of the vane portion 13a becomes vertically parallel to the rotor rotation direction and moves through the seal passage portion 30b. At that time, of the two paddles 13 connected together as a paddle set S, while one paddle 13 moves through the feed passage portion 30a, the other paddle 13 moves through the seal passage portion 30b, and when one paddle 13 comes into contact with the cam member 37 and rotates from horizontal to vertical, the other paddle 13 rotates integrally with it from vertical to horizontal and moves from the seal passage portion 30b to the feed passage portion 30a. In this way, the four paddles 13 of a pair of paddle sets S revolve around the annular passage 30 at 90° intervals in the circumferential direction.

[0040] In this way, the four paddles 13 revolve within the annular passage 30 as the rotor unit U rotates. Then, as the paddles 13 move from the seal passage portion 30b to the feed passage portion 30a, liquid flows into the annular passage 30 from the opening 31 (suction port), and the liquid that has flowed in is pushed by the paddles 13 that have moved 90° away and then moved to the feed passage portion and are now oriented sideways, and is sent out from the opening 32 (discharge port).

[0041] In the case of reverse operation, the opening 32 becomes the suction port and the opening 31 becomes the discharge port. In this case, the rotor rotation direction is counterclockwise in Fig. 6, and when the rotor unit U rotates, the four paddles 13 of the pair of paddle sets S revolve counterclockwise in the annular passage 30, pushing the liquid that has flowed in from the opening 32 (suction port) and sending it out from the opening 31 (discharge port).

[0042] This paddle pump is primarily used as a food pump to transfer a fixed amount of liquids containing soft fruits such as strawberries, or high-viscosity liquids such as jam or dumpling filling, and the rear casing 1, front casing 2, rear rotor 3, front rotor 4, and other liquid-contacting parts are made of stainless steel (SCS16, SUS316L) with excellent corrosion resistance, and the paddle 13 is made of plastic (polypropylene) that does not pose a problem in terms of food hygiene. However, the materials are not limited to these. The disc rings 22, 23 are made of nylon (nylon 6), and the O-ring 10 is made of synthetic rubber (NBR).

[0043] In addition, this paddle pump has two openings 31, 32, which are either suction or discharge ports, that are arranged at positions overlapping the paddle central axis P when viewed from the rotor rotation direction of the peripheral wall of the rear casing 1, and are arranged so as not to deviate from the tangential direction of the annular passage 30. Therefore, the liquid flow path consisting of the annular passage 30, the openings 31, 32, and the connecting pipes 33, 34 inside the pump casing consisting of the rear casing 1 and the front casing 2, is short, has few bends, and changes in flow direction few times. Therefore, even if a liquid contains relatively large solids or has high viscosity, it is possible to transport the liquid without damaging the solids in the liquid or deteriorating the quality of the high viscosity liquid. It is also possible to transport solids up to 5 cm in size. It is also possible to transport delicate granular objects with a low breakage rate, but since the transported object must be a fluid, it must have a moisture content of about 25%. In addition, it can transfer jam, honey, and other liquids with a viscosity of up to about 10,000 cP without any problems, and although a separate pushing mechanism may be required to transfer liquids with a higher viscosity than that, it is possible to transfer liquids with a viscosity of up to about 50,000 cP. Also, if operated at a very slow rotation speed, it can transfer liquids with a viscosity of 100,000 cP without kneading. The liquid flow path inside the casing has a large volume, making it possible to transfer the required amount even at a slow rotation speed.

[0044] Furthermore, this paddle pump has large diameters for openings 31, 32, which are the suction and discharge ports, and conduit connections 33, 34 (4S ferrule), so that the piping diameter can be made large to facilitate the transfer of liquids containing solids or highly viscous liquids.

[0045] The desirable pump speed of this paddle pump is 30 to 100 rpm, and the flow rate is 28 to 154 L / min (30 to 100 rpm). The pump speed is preferably 100 rpm or less. If it exceeds 100 rpm, the impact when the paddle 13 hits the cam member 37 in the casing becomes large, and there is a risk of large dents and wear.

[0046] Furthermore, in this paddle pump, the sealing surfaces between the rear casing 1 and the front casing 2 are located forwardly and away from the paddle central axis P and do not straddle the openings 31, 32 which form the suction and discharge ports. As a result, it is possible to use a commercially available sealing material (O-ring 10) which is simple in shape, inexpensive, easy to attach and remove, and easy to clean, and therefore does not require much effort when disassembling and assembling the pump for cleaning, etc.

[0047] This paddle pump has a small number of parts because the conduit connections 33, 34 are integral with the rear casing 1. Also, the number of stud bolts 11 connecting the rear casing 1 and the front casing 2 is small (8 bolts), and short, which reduces the cost and shortens the time required for disassembly and assembly.

[0048] Furthermore, since this paddle pump can be operated in reverse, it can be rotated in reverse during cleaning to efficiently recover liquid remaining in the long discharge line.

[0049] Furthermore, this paddle pump can be easily disassembled by attaching a draw bolt to the two draw bolt screw holes 49 in the front casing 2 so that the front casing 2 can be easily separated from the rear casing 1.

[0050] Although an example of the embodiment shown in the drawings has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this and can be embodied in various forms. [Explanation of symbols]

[0051] 1 Rear casing 2 Front casing 3 Rear rotor 4 Front rotor S paddle set U Rotor unit (rotor complete) P Paddle center axis 5 Overhang 6 Flange 7 Overhang 8 Flange 9 Seal groove 10 O-ring 11 Stud bolt 13 Paddle 13a Wing 14 Tappet 15 Boss 22,23 Disc Ring 30 Circular Passage 30a Feed passage part 30b Seal passage part 30c, 30d transition area 31, 32 Openings (suction and discharge ports) 33,34 Pipe connection 37,38 Cam member 44 Front casing shaft 48 Toride 49 Screw hole for removal bolt

Claims

【Request 1】 A pair of identical paddle sets, each of which is formed by connecting two paddles, each of which has a blade portion having a pressure surface, to each other in a mutually orthogonal arrangement with the blade portion facing outward and the central axis of the paddle aligned, are attached to a rotor which is connected to a drive unit and driven to rotate, in a cross arrangement as viewed from the rotor rotation axis direction, with the blade portion of each paddle protruding from the outer circumferential surface of the rotor, and each paddle set is independently rotatable about the central axis of the paddle as the rotation axis. A casing which houses the rotor is formed by a casing inner wall and the rotor. and two openings are provided at intervals in the circumferential direction, which connect to the annular passage and open the annular passage to the outside of the casing, one of which becomes an inlet and the other becomes a discharge port depending on the rotor rotation direction, and the circumferential interval between the two openings is larger from one opening to the other opening than the other opening to the one opening, and the annular passage is arranged such that the space between the one opening and the other opening, which is larger in the circumferential direction, is in contact with the rotor when the pressure surface of the vane portion of the paddle is oriented horizontally with respect to the rotor rotation direction. A feed passage portion is formed having a cross-sectional shape corresponding to the front side shape of the blade portion as viewed from the rotation direction, and for moving the blade portion in a closely spaced state, and a seal passage portion is formed between the other opening and the one opening, which has a smaller circumferential distance, and has a cross-sectional shape corresponding to a side side shape having a smaller thickness dimension than the front side shape of the blade portion as viewed from the rotor rotation direction when the pressure surface of the blade portion of the paddle is vertical to the rotor rotation direction, and for moving the blade portion in a closely spaced state, and the passage cross-sectional shapes are different between the feed passage portion and the seal passage portion at two locations. a transition region is provided which changes between the central axis of the paddle and the central axis of the rotor, and a guide section is provided on the inner wall of the casing in the transition region for guiding the blade section of the paddle to rotate the paddle set around the central axis of the paddle and guide the paddle set to the passage section on the front side in the direction of rotor rotation; the casing has a split structure in which a rear casing located on the drive unit side in the direction of the rotor rotation axis and a front casing located on the opposite side to the drive unit are bolted together with a seal member sandwiched between them at a position forward of the central axis of the paddle in the direction of the rotor rotation axis, with a mating surface along a plane perpendicular to the rotor rotation axis as a sealing position;A paddle pump characterized in that the two openings serving as the suction port and the discharge port are provided at positions overlapping the central axis of the paddle when viewed from the rotor rotation direction of the peripheral wall of the rear casing, and two conduit connection parts connected to the openings, respectively, and extending outward from the casing are provided integrally with the rear casing.

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