Patent Publication Number: US-8123458-B2

Title: Stacked self-priming pump and centrifugal pump

Description:
This application is a U.S. national phase of PCT/US05/07593 filed on Mar. 8, 2005, which claims priority of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/794,400 filed on Mar. 8, 2004. 
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The technical field relates to pumps, and, more particularly to pumps used to pump mixtures of solids and liquids, solids-laden mixtures, and slurries. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Centrifugal pumps use centrifugal force to move liquids from a lower pressure to a higher pressure and employ an impeller, typically comprising of a connecting hub with a number of vanes and shrouds, rotating in a volute or casing. Liquid drawn into the center of the impeller is accelerated outwardly by the rotating impeller vanes toward the periphery of the casing, where it is then discharged at a higher pressure. 
     Centrifugal pumps, such as trash pumps, are conventionally used in applications involving mixtures of solids and liquids, solids-laden mixtures, slurries, sludge, raw unscreened sewage, miscellaneous liquids and contaminated trashy fluids, collectively referred to as mixed-media flow or mixed-media fluids. These mixed-media fluids are encountered in applications including, but not limited to, sewage plants, sewage handling applications, paper mills, reduction plants, steel mills, food processing plants, automotive factories, tanneries, and wineries. 
     As one example, such pumps are used in sewage lift stations to move wastewater to a wastewater treatment plant. In some aspects, submersible pumps are disposed in a wet well below ground (e.g., 20′ below ground) and are configured to lift the wastewater to an elevation just below ground level, where it is passed to downwardly sloping conduits that utilize gravity to move the flow along the conduit to the next lift station. This operation is repeated at subsequent lift stations to move the wastewater to a wastewater treatment plant. Another form of lift station utilizes “dry well” pumps, wherein one or more self-priming centrifugal pumps and associated controls and drivers (i.e., motor or engine) are either located in a (dry) building above ground or in a (dry) fiberglass (or concrete, metal, and/or polymer) room disposed below ground. Above-ground configurations utilize a self-priming centrifugal pump and an intake extending down into a wet well holding the influent wastewater. An exemplary solids-handling self-priming centrifugal pump for such application includes the Gorman Rupp T-Series™ or Super T-Series™ pumps, which feature a large volute design allowing automatic re-priming in a completely open system without the need for suction or discharge check valves and with a partially liquid-filled pump casing and a dry suction line. Depending on the size and configuration, these pumps generally handle a maximum solids diameter of between about 1.5″-3″ with a maximum head of between about 110 ft.-150 ft. Below-ground configurations typically use either a non-self-priming centrifugal pump disposed beneath the wet well, so as to provide a flooded pump suction, or use a self-priming pump. Flooded non-self-priming pumps correspondingly require an isolation means (e.g., a valve) to permit isolation of the pump suction to allow for pump cleaning and maintenance. 
     Controls in either the wet well or dry well monitor the wet well level and turn on one or more pumps as necessary to maintain a desired wet well state. The operation of the lift stations are often remotely monitored by means such as SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) systems or local node boxes at the lift station which transmit information to a base station or intermediary (e.g., Internet) at selected intervals via a hard-wired land line or transmission, such as microwave or RF signal. 
     The nature of the conveyed medium poses significant challenges to continuous operation of the pumps. One potential problem in such applications is the clogging of the impeller or pump by debris in the pumped medium. Therefore, pump serviceability is an important factor. Conventional multi-stage pumps comprise a plurality of sequential stages arranged so that the discharge portion of one stage feeds liquid into the inlet portion of the next stage and each impeller is driven by a common impeller drive shaft. Rotation of the impeller drive shaft turns each impeller to force fluid outwardly into an internal passage which directs the fluid to the subsequent adjacent pump stage. However, these internal passages are difficult to clean and the pump must be substantially dismantled to permit cleaning. Predictably, these multi-stage pumps are used in applications where fouling or clogging is not of concern, such as well or water pumps, and these pumps are not conducive to use in mixed-media flow. 
     Additional improvements in pump characteristics, such as discharge head, would be advantageous in many applications. For example, in the above-noted sewage handling application, lift stations are expensive to build, with a cost that typically ranges between about forty five thousand dollars and several hundred thousand dollars and may even exceed a million dollars in some instances. A higher head solids-handling self-priming centrifugal pump could be used to reduce the number of lift stations required to transmit wastewater to a wastewater treatment facility. Use of larger, higher-head trash pumps is possible, but such large pumps would have to operate at speeds higher than is generally advisable for a trash-type impeller, particularly in view of the fact that sewage pumps are expected to provide efficient operation for long periods of time without the need for frequent maintenance. Addition of pumps in series with existing pumps in a conventional manner is cumbersome or highly impractical given the space constraints imposed by the limited space available in conventional lift stations and would be a costly proposition when the additional space requirements are factored into the designs of new, more expansive facilities. 
     SUMMARY 
     Accordingly, there is a need for an improved multi-pump configuration for pumping mixtures of solids and liquids, solids-laden mixtures, and slurries. There is also a need for an improved pump configuration providing increases in pump performance while simultaneously maintaining a compact configuration (e.g., without increasing the footprint of the pump). 
     In one aspect, a stacked pump arrangement for mixed-media flow includes a first, self-priming, centrifugal pump with a volute having an inlet and an outlet and a second straight centrifugal pump mounted to an upper portion of the first centrifugal pump, the second straight centrifugal pump also having a volute with an inlet and an outlet. A transition chamber is connected, at one end, to the first centrifugal pump volute outlet and is connected, at another end, to the second straight centrifugal pump volute inlet. 
     In another aspect, a pump arrangement is provided comprising a first self-priming centrifugal pump, comprising a volute having an inlet and an outlet, and a first rotating assembly comprising an impeller shaft and impeller and a second straight centrifugal pump mounted externally to an upper portion of the first centrifugal pump, the second straight centrifugal pump comprising a volute with an inlet and an outlet, a second rotating assembly comprising an impeller shaft and impeller. This arrangement also includes a transition chamber connected, at one end, to the first centrifugal pump volute outlet and connected, at another end, to the second straight centrifugal pump volute inlet. In various other aspects thereof, the first and second centrifugal pump impeller shafts are aligned substantially parallel to each other, the first centrifugal pump impeller shaft is aligned with the second straight centrifugal pump impeller shaft along at least one of longitudinal axis and a vertical axis and the rotating assemblies may be driven by separate power sources or by a common power source. 
     In yet another aspect, a pump arrangement is provided comprising a first self-priming centrifugal pump comprising a volute having an inlet and an outlet, and a first rotating assembly comprising an impeller shaft and impeller and a second straight centrifugal pump mounted externally to an upper portion of the first centrifugal pump, the second centrifugal pump comprising a volute with an inlet and an outlet, a second rotating assembly comprising an impeller shaft and impeller. A transition chamber serving as both a structural support for the second centrifugal pump and a flow path for mixed media flow between the first centrifugal pump and the second centrifugal pump is connected, at one end, to the first centrifugal pump volute outlet and is connected, at another end, to the second centrifugal pump volute inlet. 
     Other aspects and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in this art from the following description of preferred aspects taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. As will be realized, the disclosed concepts are capable of other and different embodiments, and its details are capable of modifications in various obvious respects, all without departing from the spirit thereof. Accordingly, the drawings, disclosed aspects, and description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature, and not as restrictive. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an isometric view of an example of a pump arrangement in accord with the present concepts. 
         FIG. 2  is an isometric, partially-exploded view of the pump arrangement shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is another isometric, partially-exploded view of the pump arrangement shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 4  is an isometric, exploded view of the lower pump in the pump arrangement shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 5  is an isometric, exploded view of the upper pump in the pump arrangement shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 6  is a front view of the pump arrangement shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 7  is a cross-sectional view of the pump arrangement shown of  FIG. 4 , taken along the cross-section A-A. 
         FIGS. 8(   a )- 8 ( b ) show examples of a stacked pump arrangement in accord with the present concepts showing a power source and power transmission elements. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       FIG. 1  shows an example of a stacked pump arrangement in accord with the present concepts comprising a lower self-priming centrifugal pump  100  and an upper centrifugal pump  200 . Whereas conventional pumps disposed in series are often laterally displaced from one another and connecting by piping runs, the illustrated stacked pump directly connects the outlet  105  of the lower self-priming centrifugal pump  100 , shown in  FIG. 2 , to the inlet of upper centrifugal pump  200  by means of transition chamber  202 . The transition chamber  202  eliminates complicated plumbing (e.g., multiple pipes, flanges, elbows, and fittings) and long piping runs that would otherwise be required to connect the pumps in lieu of a simplified, space-minimized connection scheme. Transition chamber  202  connects and transitions flow from the discharge of the lower self-priming centrifugal pump  100  to the suction of the upper centrifugal pump  200 , which is a straight centrifugal pump in one embodiment. Although  FIG. 1  shows the upper centrifugal pump  200  as being disposed directly above and in vertical alignment relative to the lower self-priming centrifugal pump  100 , the upper centrifugal pump may be offset from the lower self-priming centrifugal pump along one or more axes. For example, the upper centrifugal pump may be offset, i.e., cantilevered, at some angle (e.g.,15°, 30° or 45° ) from the vertical center-line of the lower self-priming centrifugal pump or may be offset longitudinally (i.e., front-to-back) with respect to the lower self-priming centrifugal pump. In such configurations, the transition chamber  202  would be reconfigured to directly connect the outlet  105  of the lower self-priming centrifugal pump  100  to the suction of the upper centrifugal pump  200 . 
       FIG. 2  shows an example of a connection between straight centrifugal pump  200  to the self-priming centrifugal pump  100  by a flange  203  provided on an underside of transition chamber  202  and a corresponding flange  103  disposed on an upper side of the lower-self priming centrifugal pump  100  using gasket  102 . This stacked pump arrangement provides a higher discharge head while maintaining the footprint of a single pump. Accordingly, this stacked pump arrangement does not require as much floor space as the side-by-side series pumping arrangements and, correspondingly, does not require expansion or modification of existing facilities or design of new facilities to accommodate the increased space requirements of conventional series pump arrangements. The stacked pump arrangement also avoids the need for substitution of a single, larger pump, which would not operate as efficiently as the stacked pump arrangement disclosed herein. 
       FIG. 3  is another isometric, partially-exploded view of the stacked pump arrangement shown in  FIGS. 1-2 .  FIG. 3  shows the removable cover and wear plate assembly  300  and the removable rotating assemblies  400  that are common to each of the centrifugal pumps  100 ,  200 , in the illustrated example. In one embodiment, removable cover and wear plate assembly  300  for centrifugal pump  100  is substantially identical to removable cover and wear plate assembly  300  for centrifugal pump  200 . Similarly, removable rotating assembly  400  for centrifugal pump  100  is substantially identical to removable rotating assembly  400  for centrifugal pump  200 . Removable cover and wear plate assembly  300  may be removed following the removal of a few retaining screws, thereby providing quick and easy access to the pump interior without the need to disconnect any piping and without the need for special tools. This configuration permits clogs in the pumps  100 ,  200  to be removed and the pump returned to service within several minutes. The impeller, seal, wear plate, and flap valve (discussed later) can also be accessed through the cover plate opening for inspection or service. The removable rotating assemblies  400  are configured to be easily slid out when the retaining bolts (not shown) are removed on the backside of the pump to permit inspection of the pump shaft or bearings without disturbing the pump casing or piping. Although the present concepts advantageously utilize one or more interchangeable parts or assemblies, such as shown in  FIG. 3 , the concepts expressed herein include centrifugal pumps  100 ,  200  having different covers, wear plates, and/or rotating assemblies. 
       FIG. 4  is an isometric, exploded view of the lower pump in the stacked pump arrangement shown in  FIG. 1 . Certain features from the Gorman-Rupp Company Super T-series™ of self-priming centrifugal pumps are present in the pump of  FIG. 4 . For example, rotating assemblies  400  are, in the illustrated example, manufactured by the Gorman-Rupp Company of Mansfield, Ohio. The impeller  401  and the wear plate  323  may each comprise any conventional metal, alloy, polymer or composite suitably durable for an intended application and duty life. The impeller  401  and/or the wear plate  323  may also include hardened surfaces or added layers of hardened materials facing the opposing one of the impeller or wear plate. 
     In some aspects, impeller  401  may comprise gray iron, ductile iron, hard iron, CF8M stainless-steel, or CD4MCu. In one aspect, the impeller  401  may comprise an impeller such as described in the patent application titled “Improved Impeller and Wear Plate”, assigned to the Gorman-Rupp Company, and filed on Oct. 31, 2003 as U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/697,162, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,037,069 and which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. The rotating assembly  400  is attached to a corresponding surface of the centrifugal pump  100  casing or housing  101  using one or more mechanical fasteners, such as a plurality of bolts or screws. O-rings  417 ,  416  are provided to both seal the connection between the rotating assembly  400  and such corresponding surface of the centrifugal pump casing  101 , as well as to facilitate external clearance adjustments. 
     The removable cover and wear plate assembly  300 , which is also offered by the Gorman-Rupp Company, is shown to include a cover plate  328  having a handle  336 , locking collar  329 , adjustment screw  331 , hand nut  333 , and hex head capscrew  332 . The removable cover and wear plate assembly  300  is described in the patent application titled “Centrifugal Pump Having Adjustable Cleanout Assembly”, assigned to the Gorman-Rupp Company, and filed on Sep. 16, 2002 as U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/221,825, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,887,034, and which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. In one aspect, shown in  FIG. 4 , the removable cover and wear plate assembly  300  is positioned within the centrifugal pump  100  using one or more studs  121 . Cover plate  328  is preferably shim-less to permit easy adjustment and eliminate the need to realign belts, couplings, or other drive components without disturbing the working height of the seal assembly or the impeller back clearance. O-rings  324 ,  327  are respectively provided to seal the cover plate  328  against the corresponding surfaces of the centrifugal pump  100  casing and to seal the connection between the backside of the cover plate assembly and wear plate  323 . 
     Connecting members  316  are provided to dispose the wear plate  323  at a predetermined location within the volute. In the illustrated example, the connecting members  316  are solid ribs and the position of the wear plate  323  may be adjusted by adjusting a position of the cover plate  328  relative to the centrifugal pump  100  casing. In other aspects, however, connecting members  316  may be adjustable to permit positioning adjustment by variation of an adjustable length of the connecting members. A suction flange  338  and suction gasket  339  are connected to the volute  301  by mechanical fasteners, such as a plurality of bolts or screws  337 , to provide a suction inlet. Alternately, other conventional universal sealing arrangements may be provided in place of the removable cover and wear plate assembly  300 . 
     A flap valve or check valve  113  is optionally disposed on an inside of the suction inlet and affixed at an upper end to the centrifugal pump casing  101  by a flap valve cover  114 . Flap valve cover  114  is preferably attached with mechanical fasteners that permit the flap valve  113  to be accessed without the need for special tools. 
     In one aspect, shown in  FIG. 4 , a discharge flange  111  is disposed over a discharge gasket  102  at an upper side of the centrifugal pump casing  101  and connected thereto by conventional mechanical fasteners such as, but not limited to, a plurality of studs  107  and lock washers  109 . In this configuration, the self-priming centrifugal pump  100  may be provided separately from the upper straight centrifugal pump as a stand-alone unit having a discharge connected directly to an outlet piping run. This modularity permits a municipality, facility, or purchaser to purchase a first pump as a stand-alone unit to match existing capacity needs and/or budgets while maintaining the option of adding the second straight centrifugal pump  200  at a later time. If modularity is not an issue, the discharge adapter plate  111  and associated components may be eliminated and the transition chamber  202  flange  203  is directly connected to the corresponding flange  103  disposed on an upper side of the lower-self priming centrifugal pump  100  using gasket  102 , as shown in  FIGS. 1-3 . 
       FIG. 5  is an isometric, exploded view of the upper pump in the stacked pump arrangement shown in  FIG. 1 . As previously noted, this pump advantageously uses the same removable cover and wear plate assembly  300  and removable rotating assembly  400  that is used in the lower self-priming centrifugal pump  100  shown in  FIG. 4  and a discussion thereof is accordingly omitted. Significantly, the volute of centrifugal pump  200  comprises a separate volute  201  and transition chamber or transition piece  202 , which are connected by a plurality of mechanical fasteners, such as bolts  218 , circumferentially arranged about the volute  201  intake opening  225 . An O-ring  219 , such as a nitrile O-ring, is provided for sealing. Owing to the two-part structure, the volute  201  is rotatable prior to connection to the transition chamber  202 . Accordingly, the centrifugal pump  200  outlet  250  may be oriented to the right as shown in  FIG. 6 , vertically, to the left (i.e. a rotation of 180° from the orientation shown), below the horizontal, or any of a plurality of positions therebetween. 
     As shown in  FIG. 6 , the width of transition chamber  202  increases with height. In the aspect shown, the increase in width is substantially linear with an increase in height. Internally, the transition chamber  202  is configured, at a minimum, to correspond to the internal clearances of the self-priming centrifugal pump  100 . Since the disclosed pump arrangement is intended for use with mixtures of solids and liquids, solids-laden mixtures, slurries, sludge, raw unscreened sewage, miscellaneous liquids and contaminated trashy fluids, the transition chamber  202  cross-sectional area and internal dimensions must be sized to permit passage of solids output by the self-priming centrifugal pump  100 . For example, a 2″ pump is designed to pass a solid size of 1.75″ (a “solid design diameter”), a 3″ self-priming centrifugal pump  100  is designed to pass a solid having a 2.5″ diameter, and larger self-priming centrifugal pumps (e.g., 4″, 6″, 8″, 10″, or 12″ or larger) are designed to pass a solid having a 3″ diameter. Thus, save for this constraint, the geometry of the transition chamber  202  is variable. The present concepts expressed herein are not limited to these configurations and, instead, include pumps of the same size and/or different sizes configured to solids of the same and/or different sizes than those indicated (e.g., a 6″ pump configured to pass a 4″ diameter solid). As noted above, it is sufficient that the transition chamber  202  minimum cross-sectional area corresponds at least to a minimum cross-sectional area of the self-priming centrifugal pump  100  solid design diameter. Stated differently, the transition chamber  202  flow pathway has a cross-sectional area and minimal transverse dimensions sufficient to enable passage of an object equal or substantially equal to or greater than a solid which may be output by the first pump in accord with a solid design diameter of the first pump. 
     In the example shown in the cross-sectional view of  FIG. 7 , a base portion of the transition chamber  202  is forwardly biased or curved. Since the illustrated example is configured to permit rotation of the volute  201  relative to the transition chamber  202  prior to securement, the transition chamber is correspondingly configured to permit sufficient clearance for both the large diameter section  255  and the small diameter section  260  of the volute. In this stacked configuration, the driven end of the impeller shafts  450  in the upper and lower rotating assemblies  400  are longitudinally aligned (see  FIG. 7 ) and vertically aligned (see  FIG. 6 ). Alignment of the impeller shafts  450  in this manner permits a simpler coupling of the impeller shafts to a common drive source. However, alignment of the impeller shafts  450  along the longitudinal axis and/or vertical axis is optional and the impeller shafts may alternatively be longitudinally and/or vertically displaced from one another. This alternative arrangement complicates the power transmission and drive coupling somewhat, but permits greater flexibility in the design of transition chamber  202 . 
     Pumps  100 ,  200  may be driven by a single electric motor, such as a variable frequency drive (VFD), or other conventional power source (e.g., a fuel-based combustion engine, such as a gas or diesel engine) through an appropriate power transmission device, such as shown in  FIG. 8 . VFDs are well-suited for wastewater treatment processes as they can adapt quickly to accommodate fluctuating demand and permit a “soft start” capability to reduce mechanical and electrical stress on the motor, with corresponding benefits of reduced maintenance, extended motor life, and reduced operating costs. 
     Power transmission may include at least one of a conventional flat belt, a V-belt, a wedge belt, a timing belt, a spur gear, a bevel gear, a helical gear, a worm gear, a slip clutch, and a chain, and a correspondingly configured matching pulley, gear, and/or gear set, as applicable, or by any other conventional power transmission member(s). A sheave and V-belt drive system, for example, is employed with the number of sheaves and V-belts selected to accommodate, in a manner known to those of ordinary skill in the art, the range of torques intended to be transmitted from the power source to the associated drive shaft or impeller shaft. 
       FIGS. 8(   a )- 8 ( b ) depict examples of various belt drive configurations.  FIG. 8(   a ) shows a single motor  500  used to directly drive the impeller shaft (not shown) of the lower self-priming centrifugal pump  100  and to simultaneously drive the upper straight centrifugal pump  200  by means of a belt  510  disposed around a corresponding sheave  520  on one end and disposed on sheave  530  on another end.  FIG. 8(   b ) shows a dual motor configuration wherein each motor  600 ,  610  separately drives a driven end of an associated impeller shaft by means of individual belts  620 ,  640  disposed around, on one side, a sheave (e.g.,  660 ) disposed on the motor output shaft and around, on the other side, a sheave  630 ,  650  disposed on a driven end of the impeller shaft. Thus, each rotating assembly  400  may be separately powered by any type of conventional electric motor or fuel-based combustion engine. For example, one pump (e.g.,  100 ) could be driven by a VFD at one selected speed (e.g., 1750 rpm) different from that of a VFD used to drive the other pump (e.g.,  200 , driven at 1450 rpm) at a selected operation point. 
     A conventional Gorman-Rupp Company Super T-series™ self-priming centrifugal pump provides, for a pump speed of about 1550 rpm, a TDH (Total Dynamic Head) of about 120 ft. at zero flow which slowly decreases to about 100 ft. TDH at 700 gpm and about 70 ft. TDH at 1400 gpm. In contrast, the stacked pump arrangement in accord with the present concepts produces, at a pump speed of about 1950 rpm, a TDH of about 400 ft. at zero flow which decreases to about 335 ft. TDH at 700 gpm and about 270 ft. TDH at 1400 gpm. These figures represent preliminary test data and are intended to be illustrative in nature and are not intended to necessarily represent production operational characteristics. 
     In accord with the present disclosure, this stacked pump arrangement provides a higher discharge head while maintaining the footprint of a single pump and as well as the simplicity of serviceability offered by conventional Gorman-Rupp pumps. Inasmuch as the present invention is subject to many variations, modifications and changes in detail, it is intended that all subject matter described above or shown in the accompanying drawings be interpreted as merely illustrative in nature.