HIGH VOLUME PUMP
A high-volume low pressure axial flow water pump with a flexible coupler and at least one bearing to increase the lifetime of the integral pump motor is disclosed. Both propeller and impeller units are disclosed for submersible pond pumps of the present invention. Various aspects include a floating display fountain pump and further include optional suction screens and/or sand slingers. Axial flow high pressure low volume pumps made in accordance with the present invention experience long life and higher efficiency. Inclusion of flexible couplers alleviate many problems with vibration and other fatal defects in the prior art, taking a vertical rotational direction from a central shaft to transfer vibration to a stable position. Another aspect of the invention includes using multiple bearings for stability, whether sleeve bearings or thrust bearings.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/241,870, filed on Oct. 15, 2015.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENTNot Applicable
THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENTNot Applicable
INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED, INCLUDING ON A COMPACT DISCNot Applicable
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a sustainable and long lasting high volume pond pump and methods of using same. More particularly, the invention relates to a very efficient high volume, low pressure pond pump and its operation.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventional pond pumps are used for water fountains, decorative water sprays and aeration. These pond pumps draw water from the pond itself and spray it up into the air to make tall fountains and decorative spray patterns by using high volume, high pressure (HVHP) water pumps for high flow water generation. Typically, the pumps can spray something on the order of 20+ gallons per minute (GPM) at 100 plus pounds per square inch (psi). Rarely can they spray more water than that. When high flow water generation was needed, prior art motors connected to those water pumps needed to work very hard to create sufficient hydraulic horsepower, typically on the order of from ½ horse power (HP) to about 5 HP for most of these applications. Traditional radial flow impellers utilized within radial flow pumps for such applications are considered to have a good efficiency when they are only 65% efficient. Alternatively, traditional axial flow propeller pumps typically have a very low efficiency, and are therefore undesirable for these applications.
Furthermore, conventional pump motor efficiencies have been affected by mechanical drag on the motor, typically due to the use of multiple bearings. The motor uses energy to move the propeller in order to move the water, and is not used to move extra bearings or seals. Due to this extra energy requirement, the mechanical drag on these motors causes premature motor failure. Although the industry has become somewhat accustomed to this, it is not a desirable attribute. The mechanical drag is also increased by a radial or side load, and when coupled with a typical rigid mechanical attachment, extra strain is put on the motor, decreasing its useful life. It would be of a great advantage to the industry to have a low maintenance, higher efficiency pump if one could design a pump that utilized less mechanical drag.
Submersible pond pumps are intended to remain in the water, producing fountains and water sprays for a long time. Purchasers of pond pumps usually want a maintenance-free pump assembly in order to have them operate continuously. Consequently, it would be desirable to the pond maintenance industry if there was provided a longer lasting water pump, as well as the method of using it.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention discloses such a desirable fountain pump, with several advantages added to its design by the incorporation of a flexible coupler to provide longer life for the pond pump, and use of suitable bearings for stabilization, also increasing the lifespan of the pump motor. These advantages provide superior efficiencies and significantly add to the life of the pond pump, and nearly eliminate any required maintenance. Methods are also disclosed as well for how to make it and how to operate it.
A high volume pond pump is disclosed including a pump housing and a pump motor integral with the pump housing, a pump shaft mechanically in communication with the pump motor, and being put into rotational motion by the pump motor, along with at least one water thruster attached to the pump shaft. At least one bearing is located on the pump shaft, and a flexible coupler connects the pump motor to the at least one water thruster, whereby the rotational motion is dampened from vibration, thereby lengthening the life of the pump motor.
The pond pump is a preferably a submersible pump, and may further comprise a suction screen located around the motor to strain out pond water particulates that could harm the pump motor. The at least one water thruster is either an impeller or a propeller. At least one bearing type may be selected from the group consisting of sleeve bearings, thrust bearings, roller bearings, and any combination thereof. In certain aspects of the invention, the at least one bearing includes both an upper and a lower bearing for added stability. The preferred bearing type is a thrust bearing made of a ceramic material selected from the group consisting of silicon carbide, alumina, silicon nitride and any combination thereof, in order to forestall corrosion.
Rather than a rigid coupler, the present invention may use a flexible coupler to absorb vibrational motion while the pump is operating, thereby greatly increasing the lifetime of the motor. Such a flexible coupler is advantageously made of any suitable material selected from the group consisting of linear low density polyethylene, rigid polymeric materials, semi-rigid polymeric materials, polyvinyl chloride, PETG, butyrate, ABS, high impact polystyrene, styrene, polycarbonate, polypropylene, and thermoplastic elastomers, and combinations thereof.
A method of pumping pond water is disclosed, comprising providing a pond pump with a water thruster mechanism in accordance with the present invention, attaching a float to the pond pump, and floating the pond pump in a body of water, such as a pond. By providing power to the motor, the water thruster is put into motion and water is sprayed upward into the air by converting rotational motion of the pond pump into linear forces on the pond water, whereby the pond water is forced upward into the air above the water.
By practicing this method, the pond water is aerated and algae growth is stunted to a great extent. Because algae growth is encouraged in anaerobic conditions, the present method helps to prevent this favorable anaerobic situation.
Although the invention will be described by way of examples herein below for specific aspects having certain features, it must also be realized that minor modifications that do not require undo experimentation on the part of the practitioner are covered within the scope and breadth of this invention. Additional advantages and other novel features of the present invention will be set forth in the description that follows and in particular will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination or may be learned within the practice of the invention. Therefore, the invention is capable of many other different aspects and its details are capable of modifications of various aspects which will be obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art all without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Accordingly, the rest of the description will be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive.
For a further understanding of the nature and advantages of the expected scope and various aspects of the present invention, reference shall be made to the following detailed description, and when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like parts are given the same reference numerals, and wherein:
In summary, numerous benefits have been described which result from employing any or all of the concepts and the features of the various specific aspects of the present invention, or those that are within the scope of the invention. The present pump acts to more completely spray and/or aerate the pond water with a longer lifetime.
LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS UTILIZED IN THE DRAWINGS
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- 10. Floating display fountain
- 11. Fountain spray out of the fountain
- 12. Pump discharge
- 13. Mount ring
- 14. Propeller or impeller
- 15. Threaded discharge end
- 16. Bearing
- 17. Motor fairing
- 18. Propeller shaft
- 19. Propeller cone
- 20. Pump housing
- 21. Shaft sleeve
- 22. Flexible coupler
- 23. Outlet housing
- 24. Motor
- 26. Float
- 28. Nozzle
- 30. Pump motor assembly
- 32. Suction screen
- 34. Cooling shroud
- 36. Cooling shroud handle
- 38. Pond
- 40. Pump handles
- 42. Flow of water
- 44. Mount ring inlet
- 46. Inlet mount flange
- 48. Mount ring inlet spokes
- 52. Threaded inlet
- 54. Bearing bell
- 56. Inlet housing
- 58. Motor mount
- 60. Inlet housing fasteners
- 62. Top hand grip
- 64. Bottom hand grip
- 100. Fountain pump
- 111. Pump discharge
- 114. Impeller
- 116. Lower bearing
- 118. Shaft
- 120. Pump housing
- 122. Flexible coupler
- 124. Motor
- 134. Cooling shroud
- 164. Top bearing
- 200. Axial flow high-volume impeller pump
- 202. Impeller lock ring
- 204. Impeller
- 206. Impeller pump upper shroud, bearing-holder
- 208. Impeller shaft
- 210. Pump sleeve bearing
- 212. Stationary upper thrust bearing
- 214. Rotating lower thrust bearing
- 216. Coupler
- 218. Pump lower shroud
- 220. Impeller sand slinger
- 222. Pump motor mount
- 250. Axial flow high-volume propeller pump
- 252. Propeller lock ring
- 254. Propeller
- 256. Propeller pump upper shroud, bearing holder
- 258. Pump sleeve bearing-holder
- 260. Propeller shaft
- 262. Coupler
- 264. Pump lower shroud
- 266. Propeller sand slinger
- 268. Pump motor mount
- 270. Motor
Referring now to the drawings in detail,
This floating display fountain pond pump 10 includes a pump discharge 12 taking in water from pond 38 and providing a fountain spray 11 which helps to aerate the pond by exposing smaller droplets of water to the air. Increased surface area of the smaller droplets encourages aeration of the water, which, in turn, discourages algae growth and stagnation due to anaerobic conditions in the pond, or whatever body of water the pond pump is being utilized. In this figure, floating display fountain 10 is attached to a float 26 which supports the fountain nozzle 28 at the surface of the water. Underwater, and while being supported from above by float 26, is a pump housing 20 which encases a prop cone 19 and a shaft sleeve 21. Water is sucked up through the water pump discharge 12 through suction screen 32 and is then forced towards the surface by the pump through nozzle 28 to form fountain spray 11. The entire assembly is easy to handle due to the pump handles 40 and the cooling shroud handle 36 attached to the bottom and top of the suction screen, respectively.
Flexible coupler 22 is made in accordance with the present invention, and substantially alleviates much of the problems with vibration and other fatal defects in the prior art. Flexible coupling 22 takes the vertical rotational direction from the shaft and transfers it upward to spokes 48 and then consequently impeller 14, in order to provide the fountain spray and ultimately the aeration of the water. Suitable flexible couplers may be made of any flexible material, including semi-rigid rubber, polymeric or other materials capable of being submerged for lengthy time periods without any degradation whatsoever.
Suitable bearings help keep the thrust of the impeller rotor balanced so “up thrust” on the shaft will not be a problem during pump operation. Typically with conventional impeller style axial flow pumps, the impeller will have unbalanced forces in the axial direction. This causes the impeller to move up in the pump housing, eventually causing damage or de-coupling of the pump shaft. Although there are several methods and solutions to resolving up-thrust, the design of the present invention may be the most compact and evasive design as possible to reduce any negative effects of pump performance. Preferred materials include ceramics, such as silicon carbide and alumina, or any other self-lubricating material for thrust bearings in a high speed, low lubrication application.
With combined reference to
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Suitable thrust bearings come in several varieties, including thrust ball bearings, composed of ball bearings supported in a ring, appropriate for low thrust applications where there is little axial load, and cylindrical thrust roller bearings where small cylindrical rollers are arranged flat with their axes pointing to the axis of the bearing. Although cylindrical thrust roller bearings exhibit good carrying capacity and they tend to be inexpensive, they tend to wear significantly due to radial speed and friction differences, which is higher than with ball bearings. In addition, for some applications, tapered roller thrust bearings that utilize small tapered rollers arranged so that their axes all converge at a point on the axis of the bearing may be most suitable. Each of these types of thrust bearings are commercially available nationwide, and would not require undue experimentation to incorporate into the present invention.
For all the aspects of the present invention, including any of the bearings, propellers, pump shrouds, shaft, coupler, or lower pump shroud, may be made of any suitable material, including ceramics, flexible materials such as polymers and elastomers, and metallic components, as well as any other suitable material. Although the motor is shown as a motor commercially available from Franklin Electric Company of Fort Wayne, Ind., any suitable motor with a rotational shaft coupler possibility may be suitable. Further, in any of the aspects detailed above, the pumps may either be high volume, low pressure pumps, or they may be a high volume, high pressure pump, depending on how much lift and/or head the pump is designed to handle.
In summary, numerous benefits have been described which result from employing any or all of the concepts and the features of the various specific aspects of the present invention, or those that are within the scope of the invention. The flexible coupler acts to stabilize the prop shaft and the entire device so that there is longer life for the pump motor. Although the prior art teaches away from the use of a flexible coupler, the present invention was fully researched and after many attempts, the flexible coupler was determined to be successful.
The foregoing description of a preferred embodiment of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. Obvious modifications or variations are possible in light of the above teachings with regards to the specific aspects. The embodiment was chosen and described in order to best illustrate the principles of the invention and its practical applications to thereby enable one of ordinary skill in the art to best utilize the invention in various aspects and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the claims which are appended hereto.
Claims
1. A high volume pond pump, comprising:
- a pump housing;
- a pump motor integral with the pump housing;
- a pump shaft mechanically in communication with the pump motor, and being put into rotational motion by the pump motor;
- at least one water thruster attached to the pump shaft;
- at least one bearing on the pump shaft;
- a flexible coupler for connecting the pump motor to the at least one water thruster, whereby the rotational motion is dampened from vibration, thereby lengthening the life of the pump motor.
2. The high volume pond pump of claim 1, wherein the pond pump is a submersible pump.
3. The high volume pond pump of claim 1, further comprising a suction screen located around the motor to strain out pond water particulates that could harm the pump motor.
4. The high volume pond pump of claim 1, wherein the at least one water thruster is an impeller.
5. The high volume pond pump of claim 1, wherein the at least one water thruster is a propeller.
6. The high volume pond pump of claim 1, wherein the at least one bearing is selected from the group consisting of sleeve bearings, thrust bearings, roller bearings, and any combination thereof.
7. The high volume pond pump of claim 1, wherein the at least one bearing includes an upper and a lower bearing.
8. The high volume pond pump of claim 6, wherein the at least one bearing is at least one thrust bearing made of a ceramic material selected from the group consisting of silicon carbide, alumina, silicon nitride and any combination thereof.
9. The high volume pond pump of claim 1, wherein the flexible coupler is made of a material selected from the group consisting of linear low density polyethylene, rigid polymeric materials, semi-rigid polymeric materials, polyvinyl chloride, PETG, butyrate, ABS, high impact polystyrene, styrene, polycarbonate, polypropylene, and thermoplastic elastomers, and combinations thereof.
10. A method of pumping pond water, comprising:
- providing a pond pump with a water thruster mechanism;
- attaching a float to the pond pump;
- floating the pond pump in a body of water, such as a pond;
- providing power to the motor; and
- spraying water upward into the air by converting rotational motion of the pond pump into linear forces on the pond water, whereby the pond water is forced upward into the air above the water.
Type: Application
Filed: Oct 14, 2016
Publication Date: Apr 20, 2017
Inventor: Frederick E Fess, II (Utica, IL)
Application Number: 15/293,435