Patent ID: 8523539

Claim:
A centrifugal pump comprising: a. a pump housing bottom comprising a top surface; b. a post located in the center of the top surface of the pump housing bottom and protruding outward to define a longitudinal axis; c. a first sleeve-shaped sheath mounted circumferentially about the post; d. a second sleeve-shaped sheath mounted circumferentially about the post and over the first sheath; e. a pump housing top mounted on the pump housing bottom, wherein said pump housing top and bottom collectively form the pump housing, and comprising an inlet conduit centrally located in the pump housing; f. an outlet conduit located in an outer radial region of the pump housing; g. a monolithic, rotatably mounted and bladeless pump rotor rotatable with the second sheath and comprising a central channel positioned such that the first sheath resides within the central channel, a plurality of stacked disks each extending radially outward from the central channel, and a frustoconical portion intermediate the stacked disks and the inlet conduit of the pump housing, the frustoconical portion having a base diameter proximal the stacked disks and an inlet diameter proximal to the inlet conduit; h. a first set of magnets, comprising an even number of magnets, embedded in the bottom of the rotor; and i. a second set of magnets comprising the same number of magnets as the first set of magnets mounted outside the pump housing; wherein the second sheath extends substantially the length of the central channel of the pump rotor to prevent the central channel of the pump rotor from contacting the first sheath mounted about the post; wherein the frustoconical portion of the rotatably mounted pump rotor is aligned with the inlet conduit; and wherein the frustoconical portion of the rotatably mounted pump rotor diverts a fluid entering the pump housing from the inlet conduit radially outwardly onto the stacked disks of the rotatably mounted pump rotor to substantially decrease a magnitude of acceleration imparted to the fluid by the stacked disks.