Abstract: A centrifugal pitot pump has a rotor driven in rotation within a casing. A pitot tube pickup in a rotor chamber within the rotor intercepts rotating fluid and withdraws the fluid through a duct. The duct mounts the pitot tube and passes through the rotor casing. Fluid to be pumped passes through the annulus between the rotor and the duct and up through generally radial passages in the rotor into the rotor chamber. A leakage path from the rotor chamber to the inlet annulus between a hub of the pitot tube pickup and the rotor permits fluid to pass from the chamber into the annulus. A ring interrupts line-of-sight communication between the chamber and the annulus along the leak path and dissipates considerable of the leaking fluid velocity head to thereby improve the net positive suction head of the pump.

Abstract: The cross section of a flow passage in a pitot tube of a pitot tube pump begins as circular, becomes continuously changing to ovular during a change in passage direction from circumferential to radial, and, when the passage is radial, is long and narrow with parallel sides and curved ends. Within a given, generally ovular cross section the passage has its greatest width at larger radii. The inside wall of the passage curves gradually from the entrance towards the axis of the pump, and, towards the purely radial portion of the passage, curves relatively sharply. A perimeter of the pitot tube in planes perpendicular to the tube's radial axis and parallel to the circumferential component of fluid motion externally of the pitot tube is in the form of a fluid foil having a leading edge which is relatively blunt with respect to the trailing edge. The long axis of the fluid foil points into the fluid.

Abstract: A multiple outlet, constant flow pitot pump comprising: a rotary casing; means for delivering fluid to be pumped to the casing; a plurality of discharge ducts generally coaxial with the rotary casing; and a plurality of circumferentially spaced pitot tubes in and extending radially of the rotary casing, the pitot tubes respectively having adjacent their outer ends inlets facing in a direction opposite to the direction of rotation of the rotary casing, the pitot tubes respectively having radial passages and having adjacent their inner ends outlets respectively connecting the inner ends of such radial passages to the discharge ducts, the pitot tubes further respectively having circumferentially rearwardly extending passages connecting the inlets to the outer ends of the radial passages, the upstream ends of the circumferentially rearwardly extending passages having divergent portions diverging rearwardly from the inlets, and the ratio of the area of the inlet of each pitot tube to the area of the circumferentia