Patent Publication Number: US-11028850-B2

Title: Chopper pump with double-edged cutting bars

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION 
     The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/457,405 titled “Chopper Pump With Double-Edged Cutting Bars,” filed on Mar. 13, 2017, and now U.S. Pat. No. 10,473,103, issued Nov. 12, 2019. The &#39;103 patent is hereby incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present device relates to centrifugal pumps used for pumping liquids and slurries containing solid matter, including various types of refuse and debris. Specifically, the device relates to pumps having a cutter bar plate with the ability to reduce the size of such solid matter and prevent clogging on the upstream side of the chopper pump. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Generally speaking, U.S. Pat. No. 3,155,046 to Vaughan, issued Nov. 3, 1964, discloses a centrifugal pump having a semi-open impeller with radial vanes. The vane edges adjacent to the pump inlet cooperate with sharpened leading edges of inlet apertures to cut stringy material or chunks entering the pump. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 3,973,866 to Vaughan, issued Aug. 10, 1976, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,842,479 to Dorsch, issued Jun. 27, 1989, disclose centrifugal pumps having impellers with vanes cooperating with inlet apertures to achieve a chopping or slicing action of solid material in a liquid or slurry being pumped. In the case of the pumps of U.S. Pat. No. 3,973,866 to Vaughan and U.S. Pat. No. 4,842,479 to Dorsch, however, semi-open impellers having shroud plates are used and external booster propellers may be provided to accelerate flow into the pump. The latter, when used, helps displace chunks of solid matter which become lodged in the inlet apertures and, at least in some instances cuts solid matter prior to entry into the pump. 
     One of the problems with each of these devices is the occurrence of motor overloading during heavy chopping. Where the chopping is not efficient, the motor power increases causing the motor protection controls to trip the motor offline. When the motor goes offline, the chopping stops and operator intervention is required to place the motor back online. The chopping down-time, of course, detracts from the cost effectiveness of the process. 
     Stringy material also presents a problem. The material becomes wrapped around the turning parts of the impeller assembly and can lead to plugging of the chopper pump inlet. 
     It is therefore desirable to provide an impeller assembly which helps maintain a clear cutting area, reduces cutting part wear and improves chopping efficiency to reduce motor power load and chopping down-time. It also would be desirable to provide an assembly which aggressively reduces the build-up and collection of stringy material, particularly around the external tool of the impeller assembly. The disclosed device affords other structural, manufacture and operating efficiencies not seen in prior art devices, as well. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     There is disclosed herein an improved impeller assembly for a chopper pump. Generally speaking, the assembly comprises an impeller having a back shroud and cutting blades sharpened on a first edge, a cutter bar plate, and an external tool. 
     In a specific embodiment, the assembly comprises an impeller with cutting blades extending from and fixed on a first surface of the back shroud, and a cutter bar plate positioned adjacent to and upstream of the impeller, the cutter bar plate comprising at least one shearing finger having first and second contact surfaces and extending inward from a periphery, the first contact surface of the at least one shearing finger having a first sharpened edge such that the first sharpened edge creates a shearing operation in combination with the sharpened edge of the cutting blades of the impeller during use. Further, the embodiment includes an external tool positioned adjacent to and upstream of the cutter bar plate, the external tool comprising at least one cutting wing having a shearing surface that creates a shearing operation in combination with a second sharpened edge along the second contact surface of the shearing finger during use. 
     In other specific embodiments, the first sharpened edge has a length which is substantially equal to a length of the at least one shearing finger, while the second sharpened edge has a length which is substantially equal to a length of the at least one cutting wing. Accordingly, the second sharpened edge preferably has a length which is substantially less than the length of the first sharpened edge. Preferably, the first and second sharpened edges are both machined v-notches in the shearing finger and each is on a first cutting face of the at least one shearing finger. More preferably, the first and second sharpened edges are the result of casting of the shearing finger to create a cupped surface. 
     In specific embodiments, a gap between the at least one shearing finger and the cutting wing is in the range of from about 0.010 to 0.030 inches. Similarly, a gap between the at least one shearing finger and the sharpened edge of the cutting blades is in the range of from about 0.010 to 0.030 inches. Most preferably, the two gaps are in the range of from about 0.015 to about 0.025 inches. 
     A cutter bar plate for an impeller assembly in a chopper pump is also disclosed and claimed. A preferred cutter bar plate comprises a body configured to be positioned upstream from an impeller of a chopper pump, wherein the body comprises first and second opposing surfaces, the first surface being configured to face downstream and the second surface being configured to face upstream, and an opening defined through the body which allows material to flow past the first and second opposing surfaces, and at least one shearing finger fixed to the body and extending into the opening parallel to the first and second surfaces, wherein the at least one shearing finger comprises a front face normal to the first and second surfaces and having first and second contact surfaces. The shearing finger includes a first sharpened edge disposed on the first contact surface and a second sharpened edge disposed on the second contact surface. 
     In a specific embodiment, there are two shearing fingers and each comprises an aggressive curved-hook end. 
     These and other aspects of the invention may be understood more readily from the following description and the appended drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       For the purpose of facilitating an understanding of the subject matter sought to be protected, there are illustrated in the accompanying drawings embodiments thereof, from an inspection of which, when considered in connection with the following description, the subject matter sought to be protected, its construction and operation, and many of its advantages should be readily understood and appreciated. 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an embodiment of an impeller assembly in accordance with the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of an embodiment of a cutter bar plate in accordance with the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 3  is a close-up view of an embodiment of a shearing finger; 
         FIG. 4  is a cut-away top view of an embodiment of a shearing finger positioned on the inner surface of the cutter bar plate; 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of a cutter bar plate in accordance with the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 6 a    is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a shearing finger having machined v-notches to create two sharpened edges; and 
         FIG. 6 b    is a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of a shearing finger casted to create two sharpened edges. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     While this invention is susceptible of embodiments in many different forms, there is shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail a preferred embodiment of the invention with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the broad aspect of the invention to embodiments illustrated. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1-6 , there is illustrated in the several views a chopper pump impeller assembly, generally designated by the numeral  10 , and various components of the assembly  10 . Generally speaking, the assembly  10  has a centrifugal impeller  12 , a cutter bar plate  14 , and an external tool  16 . The impeller assembly  10  is designed for use in a chopper pump system such as the one described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,125,221 and in U.S. Pat. No. 8,105,017, both assigned to Vaughan Company, Inc. of Montesano, Wash. The &#39;221 and &#39;017 patents are hereby incorporated by reference. 
     As shown in the embodiment of  FIG. 1 , the impeller  12  has a series of radially extending blades  20  and a back shroud  22  to which the blades are attached. The illustrated impeller  12  is called a semi-open impeller due to the use of the back shroud  22  on one side. The impeller  12  connects to a motor and shaft (not shown) from the central hub  24 . As the impeller  12  turns, discharge pressure is created as material is pushed through the impeller  12 . Most of the material is liquid, suspended solid particle, and small debris. This material is easily discharged from the impeller chamber (i.e., the housing of the impeller) as a result of the fluid velocity created by the turning impeller  12 . However, large debris and stringy material can cause problems by blocking the inlet side and/or wrapping around the impeller  12 . As a means for helping reduce such problems, the upstream edges of the impeller blades  20  are sharpened for cutting action. 
     To assist the cutting action, the cutter bar plate  14  attaches to and is fixed at the inlet side of the impeller assembly  10 , as shown. A gap in the range of from about 0.005 inch (0.127 mm) to about 0.050 inches (1.27 mm) is maintained to create a scissoring between the impeller blades  20  and the cutter bar plate  14 . Preferably, the gap is in the range of from about 0.010 (0.254 mm) to about 0.030 inches (0.762 mm), and most preferably within the range of from about 0.015 (0.381 mm) to 0.025 inches (0.635 mm). 
     The cutter bar plate  14  is comprised of a planar ring-shaped body  26  having an upstream surface  30  and a downstream surface (not shown). The central region of the cutter bar plate  14  is open to allow material to pass through to the impeller  12 . However, at least one shearing finger  32 , and preferably two shearing fingers  32  extend into the opening. The shearing fingers  32  are preferably extensions of the inner surface  33  of the cutter bar plate  14 . 
     Each finger  32  has a front surface  40  and a backside surface  42 . At the end of each shearing finger  32  on the front surface is a curved hook  44 . This feature presents another cutting edge to help reduce clogging of the impeller by debris. The front surface  40  also includes a first contact surface (or junction)  50  where the front surface  40  meets the upstream surface  30  of the finger  32 , as well as a second contact surface (or junction)  52  where the front surface  40  meets the downstream surface of the finger  32 . 
     When the cutter bar plate  14  is positioned for use, the curved radial blades  20  scissor against the shearing fingers  32  as the impeller  12  turns. A first sharpened edge  60  along the second contact surface  52  of the shearing finger  32  helps in the reduction of clogging debris. The first sharpened edge  60 , as shown best in  FIG. 3 , is a v-notch machined into the finger surface  52 . Preferably, the sharpened edge  60  extends the entire length of the finger  32  and may even extend along the shared interior surface of the body  26 . 
     In addition to the cutting action of the impeller blades  20  and the shearing fingers  32 , an external tool  16  is positioned adjacent to and upstream of the cutter bar plate  14 . The tool  16  includes hex body  70  and cutting wings  72 , of which there are preferably two wings  72 . The external tool  16  is connected to the impeller  12 , so it also moves during operation. Like the gap between the shearing fingers  32  and the impeller blades  20 , the cutting wings  72  are similarly gapped from the shearing fingers  32 . That is, the gap is in a range of from about 0.005 inch (0.127 mm) to about 0.050 inches (1.27 mm) to create a scissoring between the cutting wings  72  and the shearing fingers  32 . Preferably, the gap is in the range of from about 0.010 (0.254 mm) to about 0.030 inches (0.762 mm), and most preferably within the range of from about 0.015 (0.381 mm) to 0.025 inches (0.635 mm). 
     A second sharpened edge  62  is shown as a v-notch machined into the first contact surface  50  of the shearing finger  32 . Where the edge  62  is a machined notch, as illustrated in  FIGS. 1-3 , the second sharpened edge  62  may have a shorter length than the first sharpened edge  60  to account for the fact that the cutting wings  72  do not extend the length of the shearing finger  32 . However, the use of longer cutting wings  72  on the external tool  16  would give rise to the use of a longer second sharpened edge  62  on the first contact surface  50 . 
     As previously mentioned, the first and second sharpened edges,  60  and  62 , are preferably machined v-notches made in the front surface  40  of the shearing finger  32 , as illustrated in the cross-section of finger  32  in  FIG. 6 a   . The v-notch shape is believed to provide a sufficiently sharp edge for an aggressive cutting action. However, casting the shearing finger  32  (and the entire cutter bar plate  14 ) is even more preferred. Casting would allow the sharpened edges,  60  and  62 , to be made by casting a shearing finger  32  having a cross section as shown in  FIG. 6 b   . Like the v-notch, the “scallop” or cupped-shape also provides aggressive cutting edges on the front face of the shearing finger  32 . Other shapes and sharp cutting edge configuration might provide similar or even better results in different applications. 
     With reference to  FIG. 4 , an alternate embodiment of the cutter bar plate  14  is shown. 
     Two exemplary installations of chopper pump systems using the disclosed impeller assembly  10  are described below: 
     Exemplary Installation #1 
     In 2015, four (4) model HE12W chopper pumps were installed at a Manatee County water treatment facility. Each pump comprised standard cutter bar plates having single notched shearing fingers. The pumps were brought online at a rate of about one unit per month over a period of a few months. Shortly thereafter, reports began coming in from Manatee County maintenance that all four pumps were experiencing periodic plugging at the pump suction side. Plugging would occur approximately once per month on each pump as debris would build-up over time on the pump suction side. As a result of the plugging, each pump would need to be shut down, unplugged, and then restarted on a monthly basis. This practice is both time consuming and costly. 
     In May 2016, all four model HE12W pumps were upgraded with double notch cutter bar plates. Over an eight (8) month period there have been no reports of clogging on any of the four pumps. 
     Exemplary Installation #2 
     A chopper pump having a single notch cutter bar plate was installed at the City of Detroit. Each month the pump would show wrapping of material behind the external tool. A double notch cutter bar plate was installed in late 2016 and after two months has shown no sign of wrapping. 
     The matter set forth in the foregoing description and accompanying drawings is offered by way of illustration only and not as a limitation. While particular embodiments have been shown and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made without departing from the broader aspects of applicants&#39; contribution. The actual scope of the protection sought is intended to be defined in the following claims when viewed in their proper perspective based on the prior art.