Patent ID: 8662862

Claim:
A pump for pumping a fluid, the pump comprising: a motor; a centrifugal pump having a main inlet and a main outlet, the centrifugal pump having an impeller that is driven by the motor, the centrifugal pump pumps a fluid; a separator tank having an inlet and an outlet fluidly coupled to a separator tank interior, wherein the outlet of the separator tank is fluidly coupled to the main inlet of the centrifugal pump; a liquid ring vacuum pump fluidly coupled to the separator tank for creating a reduced pressure in the separator tank to help draw fluid through the inlet of the separator tank to prime the centrifugal pump; a reservoir for holding and feeding a liquid to the liquid ring vacuum pump, the reservoir and the vacuum pump forming a substantially closed loop system for the liquid such that the liquid is maintained separate from and not substantially intermixed with the fluid being pumped by the centrifugal pump; and the reservoir is situated outside of the separator tank interior, and thermally coupled to the fluid being pumped by the centrifugal pump such that the fluid being pumped removes heat from the liquid in the reservoir during operation of the liquid ring vacuum pump.