Flow conditioning feature for suction diffuser

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10240611-B2
Application number	US-201314070771-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 4, 2013
Priority date	Nov 5, 2012
Publication date	Mar 26, 2019
Grant date	Mar 26, 2019

Abstract

A suction diffuser or arrangement is provided featuring a main suction diffuser body and a flow conditioning arrangement. The main suction diffuser body is configured with an inlet to receive an incoming fluid flow, an interior cavity to receive the incoming fluid from the inlet, and an outlet to receive the incoming fluid from the interior cavity and provide an outgoing fluid. The flow conditioning arrangement is configured in relation to the inlet and also comprises a flow conditioning portion having at least one inwardly contoured surface, configured to extend into the interior cavity, diffuse the incoming fluid passing from the inlet into the interior cavity, and provide a flow conditioning that produces a uniform flow of the outgoing fluid by directing the incoming fluid towards the outlet, based at least partly on a contoured design corresponding to the at least one inwardly contoured surface.

First claim

What we claim is:

1. A suction diffuser or arrangement comprising:
a main suction diffuser body configured with an inlet to receive an incoming fluid, an interior cavity to receive the incoming fluid from the inlet, and an outlet to receive the incoming fluid from the interior cavity and provide an outgoing fluid, the main suction diffuser body having a longitudinal axis; and
a flow conditioning arrangement configured in relation to the inlet and comprising
a contoured cover plate configured to couple to the main suction diffuser body and having at least one inwardly contoured surface, configured to extend into the interior cavity, diffuse the incoming fluid passing from the inlet into the interior cavity, and provide a flow conditioning that produces a uniform flow of the outgoing fluid by directing the incoming fluid towards the outlet, based at least partly on a contoured design corresponding to the at least one inwardly contoured surface, the contoured cover plate having a peripheral portion and a central or vertex portion, the at least one inwardly contoured surface having slots formed therein configured between the peripheral portion and the central or vertex portion, and
a baffle configured in the interior cavity to restrain or regulate the flow of the fluid from the inlet to the outlet, the baffle having deflector plates with end portions, the deflector plates configured in a shape with a central longitudinal axis and arranged equidistant in relation to one another, the central longitudinal axis of the baffle being parallel to the longitudinal axis of the main suction diffuser body when the baffle is arranged in the interior cavity, the baffle having a center axial portion extending along the central longitudinal axis, the deflector plates extending radially from the center axial portion, each end portion configured with a corresponding shape that substantially corresponds to the slots of the at least one inwardly contoured surface so as to mate or fit together with the same.

2. A suction diffuser or arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one inwardly contoured surface is configured with a shape that is substantially conically contoured, including being quadric conically contoured, or convexly conically contoured.

3. A suction diffuser or arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the contoured cover plate central or vertex portion is configured to extent further or deeper into that interior cavity than the peripheral portion.

4. A suction diffuser or arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one inwardly contoured surface is configured with an associated shape that is substantially pyramidally contoured.

5. A suction diffuser or arrangement according to claim 4 , wherein the at least one inwardly contoured surface comprises at least three triangular walls configured between an outer peripheral base portion and an inner central vertex portion.

6. A suction diffuser or arrangement according to claim 5 , wherein the at least three triangular walls comprise four triangular flat walls between an outer square peripheral base portion and the inner central vertex portion.

7. A suction diffuser or arrangement according to claim 5 , wherein the at least three triangular walls are configured with slots formed therein to receive the end portions of the deflection plate of the baffle.

8. A suction diffuser or arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one inwardly contoured surface is configured or formed with an associated shape that is substantially inwardly concavely contoured.

9. A suction diffuser or arrangement according to claim 8 , wherein the at least one inwardly contoured surface is configured as a concave wall having an outer peripheral base portion.

10. A suction diffuser or arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one inwardly contoured surface is configured or formed with an associated shape that is substantially helically contoured.

11. A suction diffuser or arrangement according to claim 10 , wherein the at least one inwardly contoured surface is configured as a helically contoured wall extending from an outer peripheral base portion to a central vertex portion.

12. A suction diffuser or arrangement according to claim 11 , wherein the helically contoured wall is configured with vanes and angles for conditioning the flow in direct relationship to its curvature.

13. A suction diffuser or arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the contoured cover plate is configured or formed integrally to the main suction diffuser body.

14. A suction diffuser or arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the contoured cover plate is configured as, or takes the form of, an inwardly contoured plate or insert.

15. A suction diffuser or arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the flow conditioning arrangement is configured to substantially eliminate fluid recirculation and stagnation zones of the fluid flowing in the interior cavity to the outlet so as to provide a substantially uniform fluid flowing from the outlet.

16. A suction diffuser or arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the deflector plates comprise four deflector plates configured in an X-shape and arranged about the central longitudinal axis 90° equidistant from one another.

17. A suction diffuser or arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the baffle comprises a cylindrical strainer in order to strain, screen or filter the incoming fluid.

18. A suction diffuser or arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the baffle comprises at least three deflector plates that extend radially from the center axial portion.

Assignees

• Fluid Handling Llc

Inventors

• Evans Jr Stanley P
• Strongin Mikhail P
• Rosca Florin
• Sharma Manish
• Laveti Ravi K
• Ande Sameer K

Classifications

• F04D29/448

  bladed diffusers · CPC title

• F04D29/4273 Primary

  suction eyes · CPC title

• F04D29/4293

  Details of fluid inlet or outlet · CPC title

• F04D29/669 Primary

  especially adapted for liquid pumps (F04D29/18 takes precedence) · CPC title