|Publication number||US6149407 A|
|Application number||US 09/317,732|
|Publication date||Nov 21, 2000|
|Filing date||May 24, 1999|
|Priority date||May 20, 1998|
|Also published as||DE19822704A1, DE19822704B4|
|Publication number||09317732, 317732, US 6149407 A, US 6149407A, US-A-6149407, US6149407 A, US6149407A|
|Original Assignee||Laing; Karsten|
|Export Citation||BiBTeX, EndNote, RefMan|
|Patent Citations (21), Referenced by (18), Classifications (14), Legal Events (8)|
|External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, Espacenet|
The invention refers to a circulation pump for a domestic hot water installation.
When a faucet in the hot water supply line is opened, the pressure within said line drops due to the friction in the line whereby gas dissolved in the water is set free. Also, heat applied to the water leads to the formation of gas-bubbles. When these gas-bubbles travel through the hot water supply line into the pump, the water flow becomes blocked as soon as the air centripeting within the suction port of the pump impeller has reached the size of said suction port. This gas interrupts the water stream. Since these emitted gases tend to collect in the inlet region of the pump impeller, it leads to the water-lubricated bearing of the impeller running dry, causing high wear.
To avoid this interruption in the water flow, the invention shows means that cause the gas-bubbles to be conveyed to the pressure side of the pump.
According to the invention, the water enters a calming chamber positioned in the highest region of the pump and being connected to the inlet port. This calming chamber communicates with an air-venting valve. Through the calming chamber, the water flows towards the suction region of the pump impeller through a hole, positioned eccentrical to the axis of rotation. A vane, positioned next to this gap, extends into the center region of the impeller. The eccentric hole, in combination with said vane, causes the vortex inside of the impeller to move eccentrically to the axis of rotation, whereby the gas-bubbles reach the spiral channel around the impeller. These gas-bubbles flow through a narrow bore which connects the spiral channel with the calming chamber. From there they leave through the venting valve.
FIG. 1 shows an installation with a pump according to the invention.
FIG. 2 shows a vertical cross-section through the pump with vertical axis.
FIG. 2a shows the outlet port.
FIG. 2b shows a cross-section through the inlet port of the impeller.
FIG. 1 shows the hot water system with the hot water heater 1, the hot water supply line 2, the recirculation line 3 and the circulator pump 4, the pressure side of which communicates with the dip-tube 5 of the hot water heater 1. An air-vent 6 is attached to the pump.
FIG. 2 shows a vertical cross-section through the circulation pump. The motor axis 23 can run vertically, with the motor being below the pump, or horizontally. The pump housing 21 with an inlet port 22 and an outlet port has a calming chamber 24 in which gas-bubbles can rise. The opening 25 for the gas-bubbles is in an area, which always is at the highest level, whether the pump axis 23 runs vertically or horizontally. The opening 25 is connected to an air vent 6, that is rotatable around the axis of opening 25, so that it can be moved into a vertical position, for instance, when the axis 23 of the pump runs horizontally. After passing the calming chamber 24, the flow is conveyed through channel 29, into the cavity 30, which is closed by a plate 31. This plate 31 has a hole 32, whose axis 33 runs parallel and eccentrically to the axis of rotation 23, with a distance 33a from said axis. The flow passes through hole 32 into the suction region 39 of the pump impeller 35. Next to the hole 32 a vane 36 is positioned, which extends into the suction port 39 of the pump impeller 35. The pump impeller 35 is surrounded by a spiral channel 37, which is covered by a helically extending wall. The spiral channel ends at the outlet port. As a result of the hole 32 interacting with the vane 36, the pump impeller 35 creates an eccentric vortex that prevents further gas-bubbles, especially created by the centrifugal forces, from centripeding towards the axis 23. The eccentric vortex pushes the air bubbles into the spiral channel 37. At the end of channel 37, the gas-bubbles enter the calming chamber 24 through a narrow bore 38 in the highest region 37a of spiral channel 37, from where they exit to the outside through air-vent 6. The highest area 37a of the spiral channel 37 is also connected with the outlet port. A ball valve 34 is situated in the inlet port 22. A check-valve is positioned in the outlet-port that may consist for instance, of a ball 40, whose specific density differs from that of water, a valve-seat 41 and a barrier 42. The ball 40 allows the water to recirculate only in the direction of the hot water heater 1, while gas-bubbles can pass in the opposite direction as long as the ball 40 is in an eccentric position to the axis 28 of the pipe.
An eccentric vortex within the impeller can also be initiated by a protrusion in the spiral channel as known from self-priming centrifugal pumps.
When it is necessary to decalcify the pump, motor 20 can be unscrewed from the pump housing 21. The supply line will be closed by ball valve 34 within the inlet port 22, while on the pressure side, the outlet port will be closed by the check-valve.
FIG. 2a shows the ball 40 in its resting position within the outlet port as well as the barrier 42.
FIG. 2b shows the plate 31 in an enlarged presentation. The reference numbers are the same as in FIG. 2.
|Cited Patent||Filing date||Publication date||Applicant||Title|
|US3582229 *||Aug 25, 1969||Jun 1, 1971||Troesch Hans A||Circulating pump for hot water heating system|
|US3604820 *||Jun 20, 1969||Sep 14, 1971||Loewe Pumpenfabrik Gmbh||Motor-driven pump|
|US3664373 *||Nov 18, 1970||May 23, 1972||Karl Schichl||Apparatus for hot-water and heating installations|
|US3767330 *||Aug 20, 1971||Oct 23, 1973||Marelli & C Spa Ercole||Electric hot water circulating pump with motor having an axial air gap|
|US4172695 *||Jul 25, 1977||Oct 30, 1979||Ebara Corporation||Pump unit|
|US4392777 *||Jan 12, 1981||Jul 12, 1983||Huettlin Herbert||Pump or blower, in particular for heating and air-conditioning systems|
|US4456456 *||Sep 30, 1982||Jun 26, 1984||Amtrol Inc.||Hot-water heating system having an air eliminator|
|US4555253 *||May 3, 1984||Nov 26, 1985||Amtrol, Inc.||Gas-liquid vortex separator-eliminator|
|US4878804 *||Sep 12, 1988||Nov 7, 1989||Bieri Pumpenbau Ag||Circulating pump|
|US4886430 *||Jul 18, 1988||Dec 12, 1989||Westinghouse Electric Corp.||Canned pump having a high inertia flywheel|
|US4934914 *||Jul 29, 1988||Jun 19, 1990||Ebara Corporation||Portable motor pump|
|US4979875 *||Oct 16, 1987||Dec 25, 1990||Sihi Gmbh & Co. Kg||Centrifugal pump for the delivery of hot liquids|
|US5033673 *||Apr 26, 1990||Jul 23, 1991||Toyotomi Co., Ltd.||Hot water circulating system|
|US5624244 *||Jan 2, 1996||Apr 29, 1997||Daewoo Electronics Co., Ltd.||Circulating pump for cooling water to be forcibly circulated|
|US5644178 *||May 1, 1995||Jul 1, 1997||Halm; Richard||Wet rotor gap tube motor for pumps|
|US5692886 *||Sep 30, 1996||Dec 2, 1997||Ebara Corporation||Canned motor pump having concentric bearings|
|US5983922 *||Feb 9, 1998||Nov 16, 1999||Laing; Karsten A.||Instantaneous hot-water delivery system|
|US5988118 *||Oct 29, 1997||Nov 23, 1999||Daewoo Electronics Co., Ltd.||Water supplying method for a boiler|
|US6041742 *||Mar 3, 1999||Mar 28, 2000||Drake; Lawrence V.||Fluid heating and pumping apparatus|
|US6065946 *||Jul 3, 1997||May 23, 2000||Servo Magnetics, Inc.||Integrated controller pump|
|US6082976 *||Nov 18, 1998||Jul 4, 2000||Grundfos Manufacturing Corporation||Circulating pump|
|Citing Patent||Filing date||Publication date||Applicant||Title|
|US7531092||Sep 29, 2006||May 12, 2009||Hayward Industries, Inc.||Pump|
|US8182212||Sep 27, 2007||May 22, 2012||Hayward Industries, Inc.||Pump housing coupling|
|US8186517||Nov 13, 2008||May 29, 2012||Hayward Industries, Inc.||Strainer housing assembly and stand for pump|
|US8297920||Nov 13, 2008||Oct 30, 2012||Hayward Industries, Inc.||Booster pump system for pool applications|
|US8313315 *||May 17, 2007||Nov 20, 2012||Itt Manufacturing Enterprises, Inc.||Circulating pump and method for producing a circulating pump|
|US8397736||Jul 18, 2008||Mar 19, 2013||Fisher & Paykel Appliances Limited||Appliance pump|
|US8734098||Oct 1, 2012||May 27, 2014||Hayward Industries, Inc.||Booster pump system for pool applications|
|US9079128||Dec 9, 2011||Jul 14, 2015||Hayward Industries, Inc.||Strainer basket and related methods of use|
|US20070270008 *||May 17, 2007||Nov 22, 2007||Karsten Laing||Circulating pump and method for producing a circulating pump|
|US20080079259 *||Sep 27, 2007||Apr 3, 2008||Parcell Jason W||Pump housing coupling|
|US20080089777 *||Aug 30, 2007||Apr 17, 2008||Lang John P||Self-priming adapter apparatus and method|
|US20080203009 *||Oct 18, 2007||Aug 28, 2008||Fred Hazlehurst||Pump|
|US20090028700 *||Jul 18, 2008||Jan 29, 2009||Clinton Coker||Appliance pump|
|US20090145498 *||Nov 13, 2008||Jun 11, 2009||Joel Brent Bowman||Strainer Housing Assembly And Stand For Pump|
|CN103573649A *||Jul 31, 2012||Feb 12, 2014||上海佰诺泵阀有限公司||Vertical fluorine-lined pipeline chemical pump|
|CN103573679A *||Jul 31, 2012||Feb 12, 2014||上海佰诺泵阀有限公司||PTFE-lined magnetic pipeline pump|
|CN103573679B *||Jul 31, 2012||Apr 13, 2016||上海佰诺泵阀有限公司||衬氟磁力管道泵|
|CN103573680A *||Jul 31, 2012||Feb 12, 2014||上海佰诺泵阀有限公司||Self-priming fluorine-lined magnetic drive pump|
|U.S. Classification||417/423.14, 96/174, 96/166, 417/420, 417/424.2|
|International Classification||F04D9/00, F04D13/06, F04D29/62|
|Cooperative Classification||F04D9/003, F04D13/06, F04D29/628|
|European Classification||F04D13/06, F04D9/00B2B, F04D29/62P|
|May 13, 2004||FPAY||Fee payment|
Year of fee payment: 4
|Jun 2, 2008||REMI||Maintenance fee reminder mailed|
|Aug 19, 2008||SULP||Surcharge for late payment|
Year of fee payment: 7
|Aug 19, 2008||FPAY||Fee payment|
Year of fee payment: 8
|Jul 8, 2009||AS||Assignment|
Owner name: ITT MANUFACTURING ENTERPRISES, INC., DELAWARE
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:LAING, OLIVER PETER;LAING, KARSTEN ANDREAS;LAING, BIRGER;REEL/FRAME:022917/0919
Effective date: 20090608
|Jul 2, 2012||REMI||Maintenance fee reminder mailed|
|Nov 21, 2012||LAPS||Lapse for failure to pay maintenance fees|
|Jan 8, 2013||FP||Expired due to failure to pay maintenance fee|
Effective date: 20121121