Pump casing made of sheet metal

Abstract: A pump casing (2) made of sheet metal has a substantially cylindrical cup-shaped sheet-metal pump casing having a bottom (2a) on one axial end thereof and an opening defined in an opposite axial end thereof. The interior of the pump casing is divided by a partition wall (3) disposed therein into a suction chamber (4) and a hydrocasing chamber (5) with an impeller (6) rotatably housed therein. A suction nozzle (10) is mounted on a cylindrical side wall of the pump casing and communicates with the suction chamber (4). The partition wall (3) is joined to the bottom of the pump casing (2). The suction nozzle is positioned over the suction (4) and hydrocasing (5) chambers.

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention: The present invention relates to a pump casing made of sheet metal, and more particularly to a pump casing made of sheet metal and having a partition wall that divides the interior space of the pump casing into a suction chamber and a hydrocasing chamber. Description of the Prior Art: There have been known line pumps having a pump casing formed by pressing sheet steel such as stainless steel according to a deep drawing process. One conventional line pump having a sheet-metal pump casing will be described below with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11 of the accompanying drawings. As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, a line pump 71 has a sheet-metal pump casing 72 formed by pressing sheet steel such as stainless steel. As shown in FIG. 10, the pump casing 72 has a partition plate 73 that divides the interior space of the pump casing 72 into a suction chamber 74 and a hydrocasing chamber 75. In this specification, a hydrocasing chamber is defined as a chamber in which an impeller is disposed and a discharge pressure is developed. The line pump 71 also has an impeller 76 rotatably disposed in the hydrocasing chamber 75. The impeller 76 is fixedly supported on the free end of a shaft 77 of a motor M with a shaft seal 79 interposed between the shaft 77 and a casing cover 78. The pump casing 72 has a suction port 80 communicating with the suction chamber 74 and a discharge port 81 communicating with the hydrocasing chamber 75. The pump casing 72 also has a suction flange 82 and a discharge flange 83 which are disposed around the suction port 80 and the discharge port 81, respectively. As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the suction port 80 and the discharge port 81 have respective axes extending perpendicularly to the shaft 77, and are positioned diametrically opposite to each other across the shaft 77. The suction chamber 74 has a suction passage extending from the suction port 80 to an inlet region of the impeller 76. As shown in FIG. 11, the hydrocasing chamber 75 which houses the impeller 76 includes a discharge passage of a complex shape, such as a volute shape or the like, which extends from an outlet region of the impeller 76 to the discharge port 81. The suction chamber 74 also has a complex configuration because of a complex relative position between the suction port 80 and the inlet region of the impeller 80 as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11. For fabricating the conventional line pump, it has been customary to separately produce the hydrocasing chamber 75 with the partition plate 73, and the substantially elliptical-shaped suction casing 72, and to weld the partition plate 73 and the suction casing 72 to each other. Alternatively, various components which form part of the suction chamber 74 and the discharge chamber 75 are welded to the partition plate 73. A pump similar to the one shown in Fig. 10 and 11 is disclosed in GB-A-1 237 961 with the partition wall having an inclined shape. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a pump casing made of sheet metal that can easily be pressed to shape, has a hydrocasing chamber and a suction chamber which are separated from each other by a partition wall of a simple shape, and is made up of a relatively small number of parts that can easily be welded together. Also, it is desirable to recover the pressure of the fluid discharged from the impeller by a guide device. According to the present invention, there is provided a pump casing as set forth in claim 1. Preferred embodiments of the invention are disclosed in the dependent claims. The suction nozzle is positioned outside of the suction and hydrocasing chambers. The pump casing further comprises a discharge nozzle mounted on the cylindrical side wall of the pump casing and positioned outside of the suction and hydrocasing chambers. The cylindrical side wall has a suction port defined therein which provides communication between the suction chamber and the suction nozzle, and a discharge port defined therein which provides communication between the hydrocasing chamber and the discharge nozzle. Each of the suction nozzle and the discharge nozzle has a smaller-diameter portion and a larger-diameter portion extending therefrom and connected to the cylindrical wall, the suction and discharge ports are positioned on opposite sides of the plane of the partition wall, and each of the suction and discharge ports has a substantially semicircular shape having a center of curvature near the partition wall. The pump casing also includes an inner casing disposed in the pump casing in spaced relationship thereto, the impeller is housed in the inner casing, and a resilient seal disposed in a gap defined between the inner casing and the partition wall. The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which illustrate preferred embodiments of the present invention by way of example. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a pump casing made of sheet metal according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the pump casing made of sheet metal shown in FIG. 1; FIG. 3(a) is a cross-sectional view of a cylindrical portion of a partition wall of the pump casing made of sheet metal shown in FIG. 1; FIG. 3(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line III(b) - III(b) of FIG. 3(a); FIG. 4(a) is a cross-sectional view of a cylindrical portion of a partition wall according to another embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 4(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV(b) - IV(b) of FIG. 4(a); FIG. 5(a) is a cross-sectional view of a cylindrical portion of a partition wall according to still another embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 5(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line V(b) - V(b) of FIG. 5(a); FIG. 6(a) is a side elevational view of a suction port as viewed in the direction indicated by the arrow VI(a) in FIG. 1; FIG. 6(b) is a side elevational view of a discharge port as viewed in the direction indicated by the arrow VI(b) in FIG. 1; FIG. 7 is a side view of a pump casing made of sheet metal according to another embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 8(a) is a perspective view of a conventional end-top type of pump casing; FIG. 8(b) is a perspective view of a side-top type of pump casing shown in FIG. 7; FIG. 9 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a pump casing made of sheet metal according to still another embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 10 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a conventional line pump having a pump casing made of sheet metal; and FIG. 11 is a bottom view of the line pump shown in FIG. 10. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A pump casing made of sheet metal according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 through 6. FIG. 1 shows a line pump having a pump casing of the present invention. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a line pump 1 has a sheet-metal pump casing 2 formed by pressing sheet steel such as stainless steel. The pump casing 2 is in the form of a substantially cylindrical cup-shaped outer casing having a bottom 2a on one axial end and an opening in the other axial end. The pump casing 2 has a partition wall 3 that divides the interior space thereof into a suction chamber 4, and a hydrocasing chamber 5. The hydrocasing chamber 5 houses a rotatable impeller 6 fixedly supported on the free end of a shaft 7 of a motor (not shown) which projects into the hydrocasing chamber 5 through the opening in the other axial end of the pump casing 2. A shaft seal 9 is interposed between the shaft 7 and a casing cover 8 that is attached to the other axis end of the pump casing 2 in covering relationship to the opening thereof. The partition wall 3 has a radial portion whose outer peripheral edge is welded to an inner surface of the cylindrical side wall of the pump casing 2. The partition wall 3 also has a central cylindrical portion 3a which axially extends from the radial portion toward the bottom 2a of the pump casing 2. The cylindrical portion 3a has a plurality of rectangular suction holes 3b defined in its cylindrical side wall at circumferentially spaced positions as also shown in FIGS. 3(a) and 3(b). The cylindrical portion 3a has its bottom connected to the bottom 2a of the pump casing 2 by spot welding or the line. Since the outer peripheral edge of the partition wall 3 is fixed to the cylindrical side wall of the pump casing 2 and the bottom of the cylindrical portion 3a is fixed to the bottom 2a of the pump casing 2, the partition wall 3 has large mechanical strength and rigidity sufficient to withstand the load applied thereto due to the difference between the pressure of a fluid drawn into the suction chamber 4 and the pressure of a fluid discharged from the hydrocasing chamber 5. The plural suction holes 3b defined in the cylindrical side wall of the cylindrical portion 3a are effective to make uniform the fluid flows that are directed toward an inlet region of the impeller 6. FIGS. 4(a) and 4(b) show a cylindrical portion 133a of a partition wall 133 according to another embodiment of the present invention. In FIGS. 4(a) and 4(b), the cylindrical portion 133 has a plurality of substantially U-shaped circumferentially spaced tongues 133c defined in its cylindrical side wall and raised radially inwardly therefrom, defining respective suction holes 133b in the cylindrical side wall. FIGS. 5(a) and 5(b) illustrates a cylindrical portion 143a of a partition wall 143 according to still another embodiment of the present invention. In FIGS. 5(a) and 5(b), the cylindrical portion 143 has a plurality of substantially U-shaped circumferentially spaced tongues 143c defined in its cylindrical side wall and raised radially outwardly therefrom, defining respective suction holes 143b in the cylindrical side wall. In the embodiments shown in FIGS. 4(a), 4(b) and 5(a), 5(b), the U-shaped tongues 133c, 143c serve as guide members for forming a whorled fluid flow and drawing a fluid more effectively from the suction chamber into the cylindrical portions 133a, 143b. As shown in FIG. 1, the pump casing 2 has a tubular suction nozzle 10 and a tubular discharge nozzle 11 mounted on its cylindrical side wall in diametrically opposite relationship to each other and projecting radially outwardly. Annular suction and discharge flanges 15, 16 are mounted on and project radially outwardly from the respective tubular suction and discharge nozzles 10, 11 with intermediate rings 14 joined therebetween. The intermediate rings 14 are made of the same material as the pump casing 2, such as stainless steel. Each of the intermediate rings 14 is of an L-shaped cross section, and has a central circular opening 14a defined therein, an annular recess 14b opening inwardly toward the impeller 6, an externally threaded outer surface 14c facing radially outwardly, and a seal surface 14s on an axial end thereof for mating engagement with a flange (not shown) of a device to be coupled to the line pump. The suction nozzle 10 has a larger-diameter portion 10a and a smaller-diameter outer end 10b extending outwardly from the larger-diameter portion 10a. The smaller-diameter portion 10b is disposed in the opening 14a and welded to a surface defining the opening 14a of one of the intermediate rings 14 in a socket-and-spigot joint. The recess 14b receives the larger-diameter portion 10a of the suction nozzle 10 which is welded at one end thereof to an axial end of the intermediate ring 14 in a socket-and-spigot joint. Similarly, the discharge nozzle 11 has a larger-diameter portion 11a and a smaller-diameter outer end 11b extending outwardly from the larger-diameter portion 11a. The smaller-diameter portion 11b is disposed in the opening 14a and welded to a surface defining the opening 14a of the other intermediate ring 14 in a socket-and-spigot joint. The recess 14b receives the larger-diameter inner portion 11a of the discharge nozzle 11 which is welded to an axial end of the intermediate ring 14 in a socket-and-spigot joint. The suction and discharge flanges 15, 16 have internally threaded inner surfaces, respectively, threaded over the externally threaded surfaces 14c of the intermediate rings 14. The suction and discharge flanges 15, 16, which are not held in contact with a fluid that is handled by the line pump, are made of a material different from the pump casing 2 itself, e.g., cast iron (FC) or the like. The suction and discharge nozzles 10, 11 are positioned axially over the suction chamber 4 and the hydrocasing chamber 5, respectively. The cylindrical side wall of the pump casing 2 has a suction port 17 defined therein which provides communication between the suction chamber 4 and the suction nozzle 10, and a discharge port 18 defined therein which provides communication between the hydrocasing chamber 5 and the discharge nozzle 11. The suction and discharge ports 17, 18 are positioned in axially staggered relationship, i.e., the suction port 17 is positioned on one side of the plane of the radial portion of the partition wall 3, remote from the motor, and the discharge port 18 is positioned on the other side of the plane of the radial portion of the partition wall 3, closer to the motor. As shown in FIGS. 6(a) and 6(b), the suction and discharge ports 17, 18 are of a substantially semicircular shape whose center of curvature is located near the welded peripheral edge of the partition wall 3. The ratio of the (identical) inside diameter D N of the larger-diameter portions 10a, lla of the suction and discharge nozzles 10, 11 to the pump inlet or outlet diameter  is selected to satisfy the range: D N / ≥ 1.4 in order to maintain desired opening areas of the suction and discharge ports 17, 18. Therefore, the opening areas of the suction and discharge ports 17, 18 are the same as or greater than the pump inlet or outlet diameter In the hydrocasing chamber 5 of the pump casing 2, there is disposed an inner casing 19 which is formed by pressing sheet steel such as stainless steel according to the deep drawing process. The inner casing 19 comprises a cylindrical cup-shaped casing body 19a and a cylindrical suction portion 19b extending axially from the casing body 19a into the suction region of the impeller 6. The impeller 6 is housed in the inner casing 19. An annular discharge passage is defined around the casing body 19a in the opening of the pump casing 2 which is closed by the casing cover 8, the annular discharge passage communicating with the discharge port 18 via openings 19c in the inner casing. The casing body 19a has an open end remote from the cylindrical suction portion 19b and fitted over an annular shoulder of the casing cover 8. The casing cover 8 is in turn supported on a motor bracket 20 which is in the form of a casting. Therefore, the inner casing 19 is supported on the casing cover 8 which is rendered highly rigid by the motor bracket 20. The cylindrical suction portion 19b of the inner casing 19 has an axial distal end extending in the vicinity of the partition wall 3. A resilient seal 21 is located in an annular gap between the distal end of the cylindrical suction portion 19b and the partition wall 3. The resilient seal 21 seals a suction side (low-pressure side), i.e., the suction chamber 4, in the line pump from a discharge side (high-pressure side), i.e., the hydrocasing chamber 5, in the line pump. Since the resilient seal 21 is wedged into the discharge side of the annular gap and is pulled farther into the gap in a direction toward the suction side under the differential pressure between the suction and discharge sides, the resilient seal 21 is reliably retained in place. A guide device 23, which defines guide vanes or a volute, is mounted on a radially inner surface of the casing body 19a of the inner casing 19. The cylindrical suction portion 19b of the inner casing 19 serves as a liner portion, and a slight clearance is defined between the liner portion and a peripheral edge of the end of the impeller 6 in its suction region. The line pump of the above structure operates as follows: A fluid drawn from the suction nozzle 10 is sucked through the suction port 17 into the suction chamber 4. The fluid is then introduced through the suction openings 3b of the partition wall 3 and the suction portion 19b of the inner casing 19 into the impeller 6, which rotates to discharge the fluid under a higher pressure. The pressure of the fluid discharged from the impeller 6 is recovered by the guide device 23. Thereafter, the fluid flows from openings 19c defined in the casing body 19a into the annular discharge passage, from which the fluid is discharged through the discharge port 18 and the discharge nozzle 11 into a discharge pipe (not shown) coupled to the discharge flange 16. The fluid that has flowed into the space between the pump casing 2 and the inner casing 19 is prevented from leaking back into the suction side by the resilient seal 21. Since the interior space of the substantially cylindrical cup-shaped pump casing 2 is divided into the suction chamber 4 and the hydrocasing chamber 5 by the partition wall 3, the pump casing 2 is of a simple configuration that does not depend on the hydrocasing chamber 5. Therefore, the pump casing 2 can easily be pressed to desired shape, and the suction chamber 4 and the hydrocasing chamber 5 can be separated from each other by the partition wall 3 that is also a simple shape. The number of parts used is relatively small, and they can easily be welded together. The suction and discharge nozzles 10, 11 are positioned one on each side of the partition wall 3. The partition wall 3 may thus be simplified in shape and easily be pressed to shape. The partition wall 3 provides a desired level of rigidity against the pressure difference between the suction and discharge sides. Inasmuch as each of the suction and discharge nozzles 10, 11 has portions of different diameters, they can provide a necessary opening area for the suction and discharge ports 17, 18, and are sufficiently rigid. The resilient seal 21 interposed between the pump casing 2 and the inner casing 19 is effective to absorb deformations of the pump casing 2 which may be caused by external forces applied thereto, and hence to prevent such deformations from deforming the inner casing 19. Next, a pump casing made of sheet metal according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8. FIG. 7 shows a ground-installed side-top type of centrifugal pump having a pump casing according to the present invention. In this specification, a side-top type of centrifugal pump is defined as a pump having a pump casing which is provided with a suction nozzle on the side of the cylindrical side wall and a discharge nozzle on the top of the cylindrical side wall. As shown in FIG. 7, the side-top type of centrifugal pump 25 has a pump casing 2 which is provided with a leg 26, a suction nozzle 10 and a discharge nozzle 11 on the cylindrical side wall thereof. The leg 26 is provided on the bottom of the cylindrical side wall, the suction nozzle 10 is provided on the side of the cylindrical side wall, and the discharge nozzle 11 is provided on the top of the cylindrical side wall. A cross-sectional view taken along line I-I of FIG. 7 is the same as FIG. 1, therefore the interior structure of the pump 25 will not be described. There have also been known end-top type of centrifugal pumps which have a suction nozzle extending horizontally from a front wall of a pump casing and a discharge nozzle extending vertically upwardly from the cylindrical side wall of the pump casing. As shown in FIG. 8(a), the end-top type of centrifugal pump has a cylindrical cup-shaped pump casing 90 having a front wall and a cylindrical side wall. A suction nozzle 91 having a suction flange 92 extends forwardly from the front wall of the pump casing 90, and a discharge nozzle 93 having a discharge flange 94 extends upwardly from the cylindrical side wall of the pump casing 90. The pump casing 90 has a casing flange 90a, at the open end thereof, to which a motor M is connected. According to the end-top type of centrifugal pump thus constructed, a discharge pipe P d connected to the discharge flange 94 must be spacedly disposed from a wall W by a distance corresponding to the length of the motor M plus a space L 1 for disassembling and checking. Therefore, the dimension (or length) L 2 from the wall W to the discharge pipe P d becomes long, the pump cannot be placed at the corner of a room and the discharge pipe P d cannot be disposed in close proximity to the wall W, resulting in inefficient space utilization. Since the suction nozzle extends forwardly from the front wall of the pump casing, the total length L 3 of the pump becomes long, also resulting in inefficient space utilization. However, the side-top type of centrifugal pump 25 shown in FIG. 7 can be placed in close proximity to the wall W as shown in FIG. 8(b). As is apparent from FIG. 8(b), according to the embodiment, the suction nozzle 10 and the discharge nozzle 11 can be provided on the cylindrical side wall, thereby constituting a side-top type of centrifugal pump. The suction nozzle 10 extends horizontally from the cylindrical side wall of the pump casing 2, and does not extend forwardly from the front side of the pump casing. Therefore, the dimension (or length) L 2 from the wall W to the discharge pipe P d becomes short, the pump can be placed at the corner of the room, and the suction pipe P s and the discharge pipe P d can be disposed in close proximity to the wall W. Further, the total length L 3 of the pump becomes short. Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG. 9. FIG. 9 shows in cross section a full-circumferential flow double suction pump having a pump casing made of sheet metal. As shown in FIG. 9, a full-circumferential flow double suction pump 30 is provided with a canned (sealed) motor 31 at the central portion thereof. The canned motor 31 has a main shaft 32 having two ends to which impellers 33, 34 are fixed. The impellers 33, 34 each cooperate with a suction port which is open outwardly of the main shaft 32. Cylindrical cup-shaped casings 35, 36 are provided to house the impellers 33, 34, respectively. These casings 35, 36 are formed by pressing steel plate such as stainless steel. These casings 35, 36 are connected to an outer cylinder 37. The casing 35, the casing 36, and the outer cylinder 37 have respective flanges 35f, 36f, 37f 1 , 37f 2 extending radially outwardly from open ends thereof. The adjacent flanges 35f, 37f 1 of the casing 35 and the outer cylinder 37 are clamped by loose flanges 38, 38. Similarly, the adjacent flanges 36f, 37f 2 of the casing 36 and the outer cylinder 37 are clamped by loose flanges 39, 39. The casings 35, 36 have respective suction nozzles 35a and 36a. The suction nozzle 35a and the suction nozzle 36a are connected to each other through a header pipe 40. The header pipe 40 has a suction portion 40a at the central portion thereof. The suction portion 40a has a suction port 40b and a suction flange 41 fixed thereto. The casings 35, 36 are in the form of a substantially cylindrical cup-shaped outer casing having a bottom 35b, 36b on one axial end and an opening in the other axial end. The casings 35, 36 have a partition wall 45 and a partition wall 46, respectively. The partition walls 45, 46 divide the interior spaces of the casings 35, 36 into a suction chamber 42 and a hydrocasing chamber 43, respectively. The partition wall 45 has a radial portion 45a whose outer peripheral edge is welded to an inner surface of the cylindrical side wall of the casing 35. The partition wall 46 has a radial portion 46a whose outer peripheral edge is welded to an inner surface of the cylindrical side wall of the casing 36. The partition walls 45, 46 also have a central cylindrical portion 45b and a central cylindrical portion 46b, respectively. The central cylindrical portions 45b, 46b axially extend from the radial portions 45a, 46a, respectively. The cylindrical portion 45b is connected to the bottom 35b of the casing 35. The cylindrical portion 46b is connected to the bottom 36b of the casing 36. The cylindrical portions 45b, 46b have a plurality of rectangular suction holes 45c, 46c, respectively defined in their cylindrical side walls at circumferentially spaced positions. The full-circumferential double suction pump also has inner casings 48, 49 disposed inwardly of the respective casings 35, 36. The inner casings 48, 49 include a guide device 48a, 49a, respectively defining guide vanes or a volute. The inner casings 48, 49 are fitted over a motor frame side plate 56, 57, respectively, in a socket-and-spigot joint. A resilient seal 50 is disposed in a gap defined between the inner casing 48 and the partition wall 45 to seal a suction side (low-pressure side) in the pump from a discharge side (high-pressure side) in the pump. A resilient seal 51 is disposed in a gap defined between the inner casing 49 and the partition wall 46 to seal a suction side (low-pressure side) in the pump from a discharge side (high-pressure side) in the pump. A liner ring 52 is provided on the inner end of the inner casing 48, with a slight clearance defined between the liner ring 52 and the impeller 33. A liner ring 53 is provided on the inner end of the inner casing 49, with a slight clearance defined between the liner ring 53 and the impeller 34. The motor frame 54 of the canned motor 31 comprises a cylindrical frame outer barrel 55, frame side plates 56, 57 provided on both sides of the frame outer barrel 55. As shown in FIG. 9, the frame outer barrel 55 has a plurality of ribs 55a projecting radially outwardly from an outer circumferential surface thereof. The ribs 55a are integrally formed with the motor frame outer barrel 55 by embossing, and have outer surfaces fitted in and spot-welded or otherwise joined to the outer cylinder 37 of the pump casing. The canned motor 31 has a stator 58 and a rotor 59 that are disposed in the motor frame outer barrel 55. The rotor 59 is supported on the main shaft 32 and disposed radially inwardly of the stator 58. A cylindrical can 60 is fitted in the stator 58 which is fixedly positioned in the motor frame outer barrel 55. A bearing housing 61 is detachably fastened to the frame side plate 56, with a resilient O-ring 67 being interposed between the bearing housing 61 and the frame side plate 56. A bearing housing 62 is detachably fastened to the frame side plate 57, with a resilient O-ring 68 being interposed between the bearing housing 62 and the frame side plate 57. The bearing housing 61 and the frame side plate 56 are joined to each other by a socket-and spigot joint with a clearance fit with the O-ring 67 disposed therein. The bearing housing 62 and the frame side plate 57 are joined to each other by a socket-and spigot joint with a clearance fit with the O-ring 68 disposed therein. The bearing housings 61, 62 support radial bearings 63, 64 on their radially inner surfaces, respectively. Shaft sleeves 65, 66 fitted over opposite ends of the main shaft 32 are rotatably supported by the radial bearings 63, 64, respectively. An annular fluid passage 44 is defined between the motor frame 54 of the canned motor 31 and the outer cylinder 37 having an opening 37a. A discharge nozzle 69 is fixed to the outer cylinder 37 in the vicinity of the opening 37a. The discharge nozzle 69 has a discharge port 69a and a discharge flange 70 fixed thereto. The full-circumferential-flow double suction pump shown in FIG. 9 operates as follows: A fluid drawn from the suction port 40b is divided so as to flow right and left by the header pipe 40 and flows into the casings 35, 36 from the suction nozzles 35a, 36a. A fluid flows through the suction holes 45c, 46c into the impellers 33, 34. The fluid is then radially outwardly discharged by the impellers 33, 34, and directed by the guide devices 48a, 49a to flow axially through an annular fluid passage 44 radially defined between the outer cylinder 37 and the motor frame outer barrel 55 of the canned motor 31. The fluid merges in the middle of the annular fluid passage 44. Thereafter, the fluid passes through the opening 37a and is discharged from the discharge nozzle 69. In this embodiment, since the interior spaces of the substantially cylindrical cup-shaped pump casings 35, 36 are divided into the suction chamber 42 and the hydrocasing chamber 43 by the partition walls 45, 46, respectively, the pump casings 35, 36 are of a simple configuration that does not depend on the hydrocasing chamber 43. Therefore, the pump casings 35, 36 can easily be pressed to desired shape, and the suction chamber 42 and the hydrocasing chamber 43 can be separated from each other by the partition walls 45, 46 that are also a simple shape. The number of parts used is relatively small, and they can easily be welded together. The partition walls 45, 46 may thus be simplified in shape and easily be pressed to shape. The partition walls 45, 46 provide a desired level of rigidity against the pressure difference between the suction and discharge sides. According to the present invention, a common pump casing can be used for a line pump (FIG. 1), a side-top type of centrifugal pump (FIG. 7) and a full-circumferential flow double suction pump (FIG. 9), by providing a suction nozzle and/or a discharge nozzle. Although certain preferred embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described in detail, it should be understood that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

Claims: A pump casing (2) made of sheet metal, comprising: a substantially cylindrical cup-shaped pump casing made of sheet metal and having a bottom (2a) on one axial end thereof and an opening defined in an opposite axial end thereof; a partition wall (3) disposed in said pump casing for partitioning said pump casing into a suction chamber (4) and a hydrocasing chamber for housing an impeller (6), said partition wall (3) being connected to said bottom of said pump casing; a suction nozzle (10) mounted on a cylindrical side wall of said pump casing and communicating with said suction chamber, and a separate guide device (23) defining either guide vanes or a volute located in said hydrocasing chamber (5). The pump casing made of sheet metal according to claim 1, wherein said suction nozzle (10) is positioned outside of said suction and hydrocasing chambers, further comprising a discharge nozzle (11) mounted on said cylindrical side wall of said pump casing and positioned outside of said suction and hydrocasing chambers, said cylindrical side wall having a suction port (17) defined thereon which provides communication between said suction chamber and said suction nozzle, and a discharge port defined thereon which provides communication between said hydrocasing chamber and said discharge nozzle. The pump casing made of sheet metal according to claim 2, wherein each of said suction nozzle (10) and said discharge nozzle (11) has a smaller-diameter portion and a larger-diameter portion extending therefrom, the larger diameter portion being connected to said cylindrical side wall of said pump casing, said suction and discharge ports being positioned on mutually opposite sides of a plane defined by said partition wall, each of said suction and discharge ports having a semicircular shape having a center of curvature substantially at said partition wall. The pump casing made of sheet metal according to claim 2, wherein longitudinal axes of said suction nozzle (10) and said discharge nozzle (11) are positioned in line with each other. The pump casing made of sheet metal according to claim 2, wherein longitudinal axes of said suction nozzle (10) and said discharge nozzle (11) are positioned substantially perpendicularly to each other. The pump casing made of sheet metal according to claim 1, wherein said hydrocasing chamber of said pump casing defines an annular discharge passage. The pump casing made of sheet metal according to claim 1, further comprising an inner casing (19) disposed in said hydrocasing chamber of said pump casing in spaced relationship to said partition wall to define a gap, said inner casing (19) housing an impeller (7) when said pump casing is mounted to a pump having the impeller, and a resilient seal disposed in the gap defined between said inner casing and said partition wall. The pump casing made of sheet metal according to claim 1, wherein said partition wall (3) has a cylindrical suction portion having a guide plate for forming a whorled flow of a fluid sucked therethrough. A pump casing as set forth in any of the preceding claims, wherein said partition wall (3) is substantially symmetrical about an axis of said pump casing and has a radial portion whose outer peripheral edge is supported by an inner surface of said cylindrical side wall of said pump casing. A pump casing as set forth in any of the preceding claims: wherein said suction nozzle (10) is mounted on a cylindrical side wall of said pump casing (2) and communicates with said suction chamber, said suction nozzle (10) is positioned outside of said suction and hydrocasing chambers, said cylindrical side wall of said pump casing has a suction port defined thereon which provides communication between said suction chamber and said suction nozzle; and said discharge nozzle (11) is mounted on said cylindrical side wall of said pump casing and communicates with said hydrocasing chamber, said discharge nozzle is positioned outside of said suction and hydrocasing chambers, said cylindrical side wall of said pump casing has a discharge port defined thereon which provides communication between said hydrocasing chamber and said discharge nozzle.

Inventors: KOBAYASHI MAKOTO, MIYAKE YOSHIO, YAMAMOTO MASAKAZU, KOBAYASHI, MAKOTO,, MIYAKE, YOSHIO,, YAMAMOTO, MASAKAZU,, KOBAYASHI, MAKOTO, C/O EBARA RESEARCH CO., LTD., MIYAKE, YOSHIO, C/O EBARA RESEARCH CO., LTD., YAMAMOTO, MASAKAZU, C/O EBARA RESEARCH CO., LTD.
Applicants: EBARA CORP, EBARA CORPORATION
Application year: 1993
Main classification: F04D29
IPC codes: F04D29, F04D1, F04D13