Patent ID: 8622706

Claim:
A pump assembly including: a pump impeller comprising: a hub, a back shroud extending from the hub, and a front shroud, wherein each of the shrouds has an inner surface and an outer surface, the impeller also having: a plurality of pumping vanes extending between the respective inner surfaces of the shrouds, and an impeller inlet opening in the front shroud coaxial with the rotation axis of the impeller, and wherein the impeller includes one or more inducer elements which extend from the inner surface of the front shroud towards the rotation axis and which are positioned adjacent the impeller inlet opening; a flow directing device for directing material in relation to the adjacent moving impeller, the device including a main body having an inner side and an outer side, a plurality of passageways extending between the inner side and the outer side of the main body, at least one passageway providing for the in-use delivery of material to an opening of the impeller and at least one other passageway providing for the in-use circulation of a flow of material past the impeller; and a pump casing comprising: a main body section having a pumping chamber therein, and a discharge outlet extending from the pumping chamber; a strainer section having an intake region therein, with one or more inlets located at the intake region; and a feed opening between the intake region and the pumping chamber; wherein a plurality of flow distribution vanes are positioned in the region of the feed opening; and wherein said impeller is mounted for rotation within said pumping chamber of said main body section of said pump casing, said flow directing device being operatively secured to said pump casing.