Patents by Inventor Paul Walter Behnke

Paul Walter Behnke 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).

  • Patent number: 11795963
    Abstract: Technologies are generally described for holding an impeller of a pump assembly in place axially with an impeller locking collar by loading the collar against a ring element. In a centrifugal pump assembly, one side of the shaft has a larger diameter for the impeller to abut against. The other side of the shaft may be fitted with an impeller locking collar comprising two portions that can be threaded together and hold the impeller in place by tightening against a ring element such as a split ring or spiral lock. Anti-rotation to avoid loosening of the impeller locking collar may be achieved by providing counter threads against a shaft rotation. Secondary anti-rotation may be provided by one or more set screws in the impeller locking collar.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2023
    Assignee: ITT MANUFACTURING ENTERPRISES LLC
    Inventors: Brian Alan Yarnot, Cody Mac Arliss, Paul Matthew Landschoot, Jr., Douglas J. Nobles, Kenneth Michael Smith, Paul Walter Behnke
  • Publication number: 20230075831
    Abstract: Devices to couple a drive hub to a driven hub. The devices may comprise a drive hub contoured end connected to a first end of a spacer column and to a spacer drive hub flange. A portion of the drive hub contoured end may project radially out from the spacer column with a first contoured side and a first flat side and may allow movement in an axial direction and transmit torque and an axial load. The devices may comprise a driven hub contoured end connected to a second end of the spacer column and to a spacer driven hub flange. A portion of the driven hub contoured end may project radially out from the spacer column with a second contoured side and a second flat side and may allow movement in an axial direction and transmit torque and an axial load.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 5, 2022
    Publication date: March 9, 2023
    Inventors: Daniel Stephen Miller, Paul Walter Behnke
  • Publication number: 20230003228
    Abstract: Technologies are generally described for holding an impeller of a pump assembly in place axially with an impeller locking collar by loading the collar against a ring element. In a centrifugal pump assembly, one side of the shaft has a larger diameter for the impeller to abut against. The other side of the shaft may be fitted with an impeller locking collar comprising two portions that can be threaded together and hold the impeller in place by tightening against a ring element such as a split ring or spiral lock. Anti-rotation to avoid loosening of the impeller locking collar may be achieved by providing counter threads against a shaft rotation. Secondary anti-rotation may be provided by one or more set screws in the impeller locking collar.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 12, 2019
    Publication date: January 5, 2023
    Applicant: ITT Manufacturing Enterprises LLC
    Inventors: Brian Alan YARNOT, Cody Mac ARLISS, Paul Matthew LANDSCHOOT, JR., Douglas J. NOBLES, Kenneth Michael SMITH, Paul Walter BEHNKE
  • Patent number: 11486410
    Abstract: Devices to couple a drive hub to a driven hub. The devices may comprise a drive hub contoured end connected to a first end of a spacer column and to a spacer drive hub flange. A portion of the drive hub contoured end may project radially out from the spacer column with a first contoured side and a first flat side and may allow movement in an axial direction and transmit torque and an axial load. The devices may comprise a driven hub contoured end connected to a second end of the spacer column and to a spacer driven hub flange. A portion of the driven hub contoured end may project radially out from the spacer column with a second contoured side and a second flat side and may allow movement in an axial direction and transmit torque and an axial load.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2022
    Assignee: ITT MANUFACTURING ENTERPRISES LLC
    Inventors: Daniel Stephen Miller, Paul Walter Behnke
  • Patent number: 11428270
    Abstract: Rotating equipment includes driver equipment, driven equipment and a rotating shaft coupling. The driver equipment includes a driver support connected to a stationary driver shaft, and also includes a driver arranged on the driver support with a driving shaft to rotate and provide a rotational torque. The driven equipment includes a driven unit support connected to a stationary driven unit shaft, and also includes a driven unit arranged on the driven unit support with a driven shaft to respond to the rotational torque and rotate. The rotating shaft coupling couples the driving shaft to the driven shaft and applies the rotational torque from the driving shaft to the driven shaft. The stationary driver shaft couples to the stationary driven unit shaft to provide a static torque load to counteract the rotational torque applied from the driving shaft to the driven shaft during operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2022
    Assignee: ITT MANUFACTURING ENTERPRISES LLC
    Inventors: Paul Walter Behnke, Daniel Stephen Miller, Abhi Nutankumar Gandhi
  • Patent number: 11136998
    Abstract: A vertical pump features a shaft having an end with an impeller arranged thereon and rotates about an axis; a stationary bushing having an axial bushing surface, a radial bushing surface, and a central bushing bore; and a thrust balance drum that includes a central balancing drum bore to receive the shaft, that couples to the shaft so as to rotate about the axis, that includes an axial balance drum surface and a radial balance drum surface, and that is arranged in the central bushing bore of the stationary bushing with the axial balance drum surface positioned with respect to the axial bushing surface to define an axial clearance, and with the radial balance drum surface positioned with respect to the radial bushing surface to define a radial clearance. In operation, the thrust balance drum balances thrust loads produced by the impeller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 5, 2021
    Assignee: ITT MANUFACTURING ENTERPRISES, LLC
    Inventors: Paul Walter Behnke, Daniel Stephen Miller, Abhi Nutankumar Gandhi
  • Patent number: 11131315
    Abstract: Technologies are described for devices and methods for adjusting a position of impellers within a bowl assembly. The devices may comprise an adjuster at the second end of a spacer coupling. The adjuster may include an adjuster sleeve. The adjuster sleeve may be a cylindrical sleeve. The adjuster sleeve may be threaded on an internal side. The adjuster sleeve may be spaced from the driven hub so that the adjuster sleeve can rotate around a driven shaft. The adjuster sleeve may threadedly mate and engage with an externally threaded first end of the driven shaft when the adjuster sleeve is rotated. The rotation of the adjuster sleeve may adjust a position of the driven shaft with respect to the driven hub and may thereby adjust a position of an impeller attached to a second end of the driven shaft with respect to a stationary bowl.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 28, 2021
    Assignee: ITT MANUFACTURING ENTIRPISES LLC
    Inventors: Daniel Stephen Miller, Paul Walter Behnke
  • Publication number: 20200248716
    Abstract: A vertical pump features a shaft having an end with an impeller arranged thereon and rotates about an axis; a stationary bushing having an axial bushing surface, a radial bushing surface, and a central bushing bore; and a thrust balance drum that includes a central balancing drum bore to receive the shaft, that couples to the shaft so as to rotate about the axis, that includes an axial balance drum surface and a radial balance drum surface, and that is arranged in the central bushing bore of the stationary bushing with the axial balance drum surface positioned with respect to the axial bushing surface to define an axial clearance, and with the radial balance drum surface positioned with respect to the radial bushing surface to define a radial clearance. In operation, the thrust balance drum balances thrust loads produced by the impeller.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 31, 2019
    Publication date: August 6, 2020
    Inventors: Paul Walter BEHNKE, Daniel Stephen MILLER, Abhi Nutankumar GANDHI
  • Patent number: 10690139
    Abstract: A multi-stage pump featuring first and second stages, each stage having an impeller arranged on a rotor of the pump, each impeller having a hub-side and an eye-side, and each impeller configured to pump a liquid through the pump that applies an axial thrust load caused by a pressure difference in an axial direction from the hub-side to the eye-side of each impeller; and a first and second stage pump casing, each casing configured to form a casing enclosure to contain components of the first stage and the second stage, including each impeller, and configured with one or more pump casing openings formed therein and passing thru the pump casing to leak at least some liquid being pumped from inside to outside the casing enclosure to reduce substantially the axial thrust load caused by the pressure difference in the axial direction from the hub-side to the eye-side of each impeller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2020
    Assignee: ITT MANUFACTURING ENTERPRISES LLC
    Inventors: Paul Walter Behnke, Timothy Michael Dach, Carlos Preciado
  • Publication number: 20200149539
    Abstract: Technologies are described for devices and methods for adjusting a position of impellers within a bowl assembly. The devices may comprise an adjuster at the second end of a spacer coupling. The adjuster may include an adjuster sleeve. The adjuster sleeve may be a cylindrical sleeve. The adjuster sleeve may be threaded on an internal side. The adjuster sleeve may be spaced from the driven hub so that the adjuster sleeve can rotate around a driven shaft. The adjuster sleeve may threadedly mate and engage with an externally threaded first end of the driven shaft when the adjuster sleeve is rotated. The rotation of the adjuster sleeve may adjust a position of the driven shaft with respect to the driven hub and may thereby adjust a position of an impeller attached to a second end of the driven shaft with respect to a stationary bowl.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 14, 2018
    Publication date: May 14, 2020
    Applicant: ITT MANUFACTURING ENTERPRISES LLC
    Inventors: Daniel Stephen Miller, Paul Walter Behnke
  • Patent number: 10634152
    Abstract: A centrifugal pump features a bearing housing; a rotor shaft configured in the bearing housing; an impeller configured on the rotor shaft; a sealing arrangement having a seal configured between the rotor shaft and the bearing housing; and a multiple sleeve bearing arrangement positioned on a rotor span between the impeller and the sealing arrangement to provide rotor stabilization, the multiple bearing arrangement having a primary sleeve bearing configured between the rotor shaft and the bearing housing near or in close proximity to the impeller on the rotor span, and a secondary sleeve bearing configured between the rotor shaft and the bearing housing near or in close proximity to the sealing arrangement on the rotor span.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2020
    Assignee: ITT Manufacturing Enterprises LLC
    Inventors: Paul Walter Behnke, Abhi Nutankumar Gandhi, Daniel Stephen Miller
  • Publication number: 20200056620
    Abstract: A centrifugal pump features a bearing housing; a rotor shaft configured in the bearing housing; an impeller configured on the rotor shaft; a sealing arrangement having a seal configured between the rotor shaft and the bearing housing; and a multiple sleeve bearing arrangement positioned on a rotor span between the impeller and the sealing arrangement to provide rotor stabilization, the multiple bearing arrangement having a primary sleeve bearing configured between the rotor shaft and the bearing housing near or in close proximity to the impeller on the rotor span, and a secondary sleeve bearing configured between the rotor shaft and the bearing housing near or in close proximity to the sealing arrangement on the rotor span.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 17, 2018
    Publication date: February 20, 2020
    Inventors: Paul Walter Behnke, Abhi Nutankumar Gandhi, Daniel Stephen Miller
  • Publication number: 20200056664
    Abstract: Rotating equipment includes driver equipment, driven equipment and a rotating shaft coupling. The driver equipment includes a driver support connected to a stationary driver shaft, and also includes a driver arranged on the driver support with a driving shaft to rotate and provide a rotational torque. The driven equipment includes a driven unit support connected to a stationary driven unit shaft, and also includes a driven unit arranged on the driven unit support with a driven shaft to respond to the rotational torque and rotate. The rotating shaft coupling couples the driving shaft to the driven shaft and applies the rotational torque from the driving shaft to the driven shaft. The stationary driver shaft couples to the stationary driven unit shaft to provide a static torque load to counteract the rotational torque applied from the driving shaft to the driven shaft during operation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 17, 2018
    Publication date: February 20, 2020
    Inventors: Paul Walter BEHNKE, Daniel Stephen MILLER, Abhi Nutankumar GANDHI
  • Publication number: 20190219068
    Abstract: A multi-stage pump featuring first and second stages, each stage having an impeller arranged on a rotor of the pump, each impeller having a hub-side and an eye-side, and each impeller configured to pump a liquid through the pump that applies an axial thrust load caused by a pressure difference in an axial direction from the hub-side to the eye-side of each impeller; and a first and second stage pump casing, each casing configured to form a casing enclosure to contain components of the first stage and the second stage, including each impeller, and configured with one or more pump casing openings formed therein and passing thru the pump casing to leak at least some liquid being pumped from inside to outside the casing enclosure to reduce substantially the axial thrust load caused by the pressure difference in the axial direction from the hub-side to the eye-side of each impeller.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 8, 2018
    Publication date: July 18, 2019
    Inventors: Paul Walter BEHNKE, Timothy Michael DACH, Carlos PRECIADO
  • Publication number: 20190195233
    Abstract: Technologies are described for devices to couple a drive hub to a driven hub. The devices may comprise a drive hub contoured end connected to a first end of a spacer column and to a spacer drive hub flange. A portion of the drive hub contoured end may project radially out from the spacer column with a first contoured side and a first flat side and may allow movement in an axial direction and transmit torque and an axial load. The devices may comprise a driven hub contoured end connected to a second end of the spacer column and to a spacer driven hub flange. A portion of the driven hub contoured end may project radially out from the spacer column with a second contoured side and a second flat side and may allow movement in an axial direction and transmit torque and an axial load.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 21, 2018
    Publication date: June 27, 2019
    Applicant: ITT MANUFACTURING ENTERPRISES LLC
    Inventors: Daniel Stephen Miller, Paul Walter Behnke