Centrifugal Pump Impeller with Integrated Shroud Plate
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional centrifugal pumps with open impellers face issues such as pressure drop between the hub plate and housing, potential damage to bearing seals, and reduced pump performance due to Rankine vortices and backflow, while closed impellers increase complexity, cost, and weight with additional parts and precise assembly requirements.
Innovation Solution
An impeller design featuring a shaft part connected to the driving shaft, radially extending blades, and an annular shroud plate that covers the tip side of the blades, eliminating the need for a hub plate and simplifying the structure, reducing weight and cost, and allowing for integral molding.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stress or pressure
If a through hole is provided on the hub plate to suppress pressure drop, then pressure drop between hub plate and housing is reduced, but the bearing seal may still be damaged and the structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the hub plate from the impeller structure. By removing the hub plate that causes pressure drop issues, the patent avoids the need for through holes and other complex modifications, directly solving the pressure drop problem while simplifying the overall structure.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of modifying the hub plate (adding through holes) to solve the pressure drop problem, the patent inverts the approach by completely removing the hub plate and using a shaft part with blades extending directly from it, thereby solving the problem through structural reconfiguration rather than modification.
2Productivity
If a closed impeller with shroud plate is used to prevent Rankine vortices, then pump performance is improved, but the number of parts increases and assembly complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the shaft part and the shroud plate into a single integrated impeller structure. The shroud plate is formed as one piece with the shaft part and blades, eliminating the need for separate components and complex assembly operations while maintaining the closed impeller design that prevents Rankine vortices.
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated impeller structure serves multiple functions: the shaft part provides rotational support, the blades perform fluid pumping, and the shroud plate prevents Rankine vortices. All these functions are achieved through a single universal component rather than multiple separate parts.
3Productivity
If a closed impeller with shroud plate is used to prevent Rankine vortices, then pump performance is improved, but manufacturing cost increases due to complex assembly requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the shaft part and the shroud plate into a single integrated impeller structure. The shroud plate is formed as one piece with the shaft part and blades, eliminating the need for separate components and complex assembly operations, thereby reducing manufacturing cost while maintaining the closed impeller design that prevents Rankine vortices.
4Productivity
If hub plate and shroud plate are used to close the fluid passage, then pump performance is improved, but the impeller cannot be integrally molded
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges all impeller components (shaft part, blades, and shroud plate) into a single integrally molded structure. This eliminates the need for separate hub plate and shroud plate components, enabling integral molding while maintaining the closed fluid passage design for improved pump performance.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design prevents pressure drop-related sealing issues, reduces friction and weight, suppresses Rankine vortices, and simplifies assembly and manufacturing, enhancing pump efficiency and reducing manufacturing costs.
Implementation Method 1
an impeller disposed in the impeller chamber and is rotationally driven by a driving shaft
Implementation Method 2
an annular shroud plate continuous with the plurality of blades so as to cover a tip side area of the plurality of blades, to be disposed adjacent to an inner wall of the housing on the inlet side
Data Source
AI summary
Provided are an impeller and a centrifugal pump that can be simplified in structure and reduced in weight and cost, and that can be integrally molded by a mold or the like. In a centrifugal pump including a housing having an inlet, an outlet and an impeller chamber, an impeller is disposed in the impeller chamber and is rotationally driven by a driving shaft. The impeller includes: a shaft part connected to the driving shaft to rotate about an axis line extending toward the inlet; blades protruding radially outward from an outer periphery of the shaft part; and an annular shroud plate continuous with the blades so as to cover a tip side area of the blades in order to be disposed adjacent to an inner wall of the housing on the inlet side.