Patent ID: 6932562

Claim:
A single-stage turbine fluid pump assembly, comprising: a lower casing having a fluid inlet passage and a top surface that includes first and second lower annular grooves that are each in fluid communication with said inlet passage but are generally independent of each other; an upper casing having a fluid outlet passage to the exterior of the upper casing and a bottom surface that includes first and second upper annular grooves that are each in fluid communication with said fluid outlet passage but are generally independent of each other; between said fluid inlet passage and said fluid outlet passage all the first annular grooves are independent of all of the second annular grooves and none of the first annular grooves are connected with any of the second annular grooves, an impeller cavity formed between said top and bottom surfaces, said cavity being in fluid communication with said fluid inlet passage via said first and second lower annular grooves and being in fluid communication with said fluid outlet passage via said first and second upper annular grooves; an electric motor having a rotating shaft; and an impeller operably coupled to said shaft such that rotation of said shaft causes said impeller to rotate within said impeller cavity, said impeller having a first vane array that operably communicates with said first lower and upper annular grooves and a second vane array that operably communicates with said second lower and upper annular grooves, wherein rotation of said impeller causes a portion of the incoming fluid through said fluid inlet passage to enter said first lower annular groove and a portion to enter said second lower annular groove, and the fluid from all of the annular grooves to be discharged through said fluid outlet passage.