Patents by Inventor Falk Schaefer

Falk Schaefer has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Method and apparatus for early fault detection in centrifugal pumps
    Patent number: 6877947
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for early fault detection in a centrifugal pump equipped with a balancing device, where the balancing device has an axial gap and optionally at least one radial gap through which a balancing flow is conducted, and with a spring element which acts on the balancing device to hold open the axial gap. Reliable information regarding impending faults is obtained while largely using existing elements by measuring the deformation of the spring element (10, 14) during operation of the centrifugal pump (24), and starting from the pump characteristics of the centrifugal pump (24) and the spring constant of the spring element (10, 14), drawing a conclusion regarding the instantaneous operating state of the centrifugal pump based on the measured deformation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2005
    Assignee: KSB Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Heinz-Dieter Hellmann, Christian Trautmann, Juergen Schill, Falk Schaefer
  • Method and apparatus for early fault detection in centrifugal pumps
    Publication number: 20040151581
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for early fault detection in a centrifugal pump equipped with a balancing device, where the balancing device has an axial gap and optionally at least one radial gap through which a balancing flow is conducted, and with a spring element which acts on the balancing device to hold open the axial gap. Reliable information regarding impending faults is obtained while largely using existing elements by measuring the deformation of the spring element (10, 14) during operation of the centrifugal pump (24), and starting from the pump characteristics of the centrifugal pump (24) and the spring constant of the spring element (10, 14), drawing a conclusion regarding the instantaneous operating state of the centrifugal pump based on the measured deformation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 19, 2003
    Publication date: August 5, 2004
    Applicant: KSB Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Heinz-Dieter Hellmann, Christian Trautmann, Juergen Schill, Falk Schaefer