Centrifugal pump
The centrifugal pump design with a radially projecting collar and central opening for assembly simplifies installation and improves efficiency by reducing lever arms, enhancing bearing lifespan.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- WO · WO
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- BRINKMANN PUMPEN K H BRINKMANN GMBH & CO KG
- Filing Date
- 2026-01-06
- Publication Date
- 2026-07-23
AI Technical Summary
Centrifugal pumps require complex and difficult-to-assemble bearing arrangements to handle axial and radial forces from the pumped fluid, leading to installation challenges.
A centrifugal pump design with a radially outwardly projecting collar on the bearing element, allowing for a simple assembly by fixing the impeller to the bearing mandrel through a central opening, and enabling flexible bearing positioning at the point of force application.
Facilitates easier installation, enhances fluid dynamics for higher efficiency, and extends bearing lifespan by minimizing lever arms.
Smart Images
Figure EP2026050116_23072026_PF_FP_ABST
Abstract
Description
[0001] TER MEER STEINMEISTER & PARTNER mbB
[0002]
[0003] CENTRIFUGAL PUMP
[0004] The invention relates to a centrifugal pump with an impeller that has a drive part projecting axially into a drive housing, which is mounted on a housing-fixed bearing mandrel by means of a bearing element.
[0005] A centrifugal pump of this type is described in DE 299 12 577 Ul.
[0006] Since the impeller of a centrifugal pump is subjected to axial forces during operation, caused by the pumped fluid (and, for example, radial forces in the case of an imbalance), a complicated and difficult-to-assemble bearing arrangement is generally required to absorb these forces.
[0007] The purpose of the invention is to create a centrifugal pump that is easier to install. TER MEER STEINMEISTER & PARTNER mbB
[0008]
[0009] This problem is solved according to the invention in that, in a centrifugal pump of the type mentioned at the outset, the bearing element has at least one radially outwardly projecting collar for receiving axial forces acting on the impeller and can be fixed to the bearing mandrel with a fastening element, and that the impeller has a central opening through which the fastening element is accessible.
[0010] The central opening of the impeller allows the bearing element to be permanently fixed to the bearing mandrel using the fastening element only after the impeller has been mounted. This enables simple bearing design and assembly. At the same time, the central opening of the impeller can help modify the pump's fluid dynamics to achieve higher efficiency. Furthermore, the pump design according to the invention allows for a high degree of flexibility in bearing positioning. This allows the bearing to be positioned, in particular, at the point of force application, resulting in short lever arms and a long bearing lifespan.
[0011] Advantageous embodiments of the invention are specified in the dependent claims.
[0012] The bearing element can be a bearing bushing that forms a radial plain bearing and, at the same time, with its collar, an axial plain bearing acting on at least one side for the drive part of the wheel.
[0013] The fastening element can simply be a bolt that is screwed into an axial threaded bore of the bearing mandrel.
[0014] In many cases, during normal pump operation, the impeller is only subjected to axial forces in one direction, for example, towards the pump's suction side. In this case, the collar must be located at the end of the bearing mandrel or bearing sleeve. TER MEER STEINMEISTER & PARTNER mbB
[0015]
[0016] facing the intake side. During assembly, the impeller with its drive part is first placed onto the bearing mandrel, and then the bearing element is fixed using the bolt.
[0017] If axial support of the impeller is required in both directions, two bearing bushes can be used, with their collars at opposite ends. During assembly, the first bearing bush is first slid onto the bearing mandrel, then the drive section of the impeller is placed onto this bearing bush, and then the second bearing bush is inserted through the opening of the impeller into the drive section and slid onto the bearing mandrel. Finally, both bearing bushes are secured with the bolt. With this assembly method, the outer diameter of the collar of the second bearing bush must, of course, be smaller than the inner diameter of the central opening of the impeller.
[0018] The drive component of the impeller can be the rotor of an electric motor to drive the pump or, alternatively, a part of a magnetic coupling.
[0019] The following are examples of implementation explained in more detail with reference to the drawings.
[0020] They show:
[0021] Fig. 1 shows an axial section through a centrifugal pump according to the invention;
[0022] and
[0023] Fig. 2 shows a section through a centrifugal pump according to another embodiment.
[0024] The centrifugal pump shown in Fig. 1 has a housing 10 that forms a drive housing 12 and a pump housing 14 formed integrally with it. TER MEER STEINMEISTER & PARTNER mbB
[0025]
[0026] The pump housing 14 is closed on the suction side by a housing cover 16, which is held fluid-tight to the pump housing 14 by screws 18. An impeller 20 is housed in the pump housing 14 and projects axially into the drive housing 12 with a drive element 22. In the example shown, the drive element 22 forms the rotor of an electric drive motor for the pump and accordingly carries a rotor magnet 24, which is arranged on the outer circumference of a hollow shaft 26 formed integrally with the impeller 20. The rotor magnet 24 is surrounded by a containment shell 28, which connects fluid-tight to the pump housing 14 at its suction-side end and seals at its opposite end against a motor cover 30, on which electrical connections 32 of the motor are also located.Inside the containment pot 28 a rotor chamber 34 is formed, which, according to the wet rotor principle, is in fluid contact with the interior of the pump housing 14, while the space outside the containment pot 28, which accommodates stator windings 36, is sealed against the pumped medium.
[0027] The drive section 22 of the impeller 20 is mounted on a bearing boss 38, which is integrally connected to the drive housing 12 and the pump housing 14. A bearing element 40, shaped like a bushing, is slid onto the free end of the bearing boss 38. At its suction-side (lower) end, the bearing element 40 forms a radially outwardly projecting collar 42, which limits the axial movement of the drive section 22, and thus of the entire impeller 20, in one direction. The bearing element 40 is secured by a bolt 44, which is screwed into an axial threaded bore in the bearing boss 38.
[0028] In a modified embodiment, the bearing bushing can also be attached to a fitted screw.
[0029] During the assembly of the centrifugal pump, for example, the bushing-shaped bearing element 40 is first inserted through a central opening 46 of the impeller into the hollow shaft 26TER MEER STEINMEISTER & PARTNER mbB
[0030]
[0031] The impeller 20, together with the bearing element 40, is then placed onto the tapered end of the bearing mandrel 38. The bolt 44 is also inserted through the central opening 46 and then tightened using a screwdriver that also extends through the central opening 46, so that the complete impeller 20 is held in the position shown. Finally, the housing cover 16 is placed on top and secured with the screws 18.
[0032] Fig. 2 shows a modified embodiment in which a further bearing element 48 in the form of a bearing bushing is arranged on the bearing mandrel 38. This bushing has a collar 50 at the end facing the motor cover 30, thus limiting the axial play of the impeller 20 in the suction direction of the pump. When assembling the pump according to this embodiment, the following procedure can be used, for example: First, the bearing element 48 is pushed onto the tapered end of the bearing mandrel 38 until it reaches its stop. Then, the impeller 20 and the bearing element 48 are mounted in the same way as in Fig. 1.
Claims
TER MEER STEINMEISTER & PARTNER mbB PATENT CLAIMS E Centrifugal pump with an impeller (20) having a drive part (22) projecting axially into a drive housing (12), which is mounted on a housing-fixed bearing mandrel (38) by means of a bearing element (40; 48), characterized in that the bearing element (40; 48) has at least one radially outwardly projecting collar (42; 50) for receiving axial forces acting on the impeller and can be fixed to the bearing mandrel (38) by means of a fastening element (44), and that the impeller (20) has a central opening (46) through which the fastening element (44) is accessible.
2. Centrifugal pump according to claim 1, wherein the bearing element (40, 48) is a bearing bushing which forms a sliding bearing for the drive part (22) of the impeller (20).
3. Centrifugal pump according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the fastening element (44) is a bolt which can be screwed into an axial threaded bore of the bearing mandrel (38).
4. Centrifugal pump according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the collar (42) is located at the end of the bearing mandrel (38) which faces the suction side of the pump.
5. Centrifugal pump according to claim 4, wherein the inner cross-section of the central opening (46) is larger than the outer cross-section of the collar (42).
6. Centrifugal pump according to one of the preceding claims, with two bearing elements (40, 48) whose collars (42, 50) limit the axial play of the impeller (20) in both directions.