The present invention claims a vertical self-priming pump which comprises a pump body, a motor and a medium backflow blocking device, the medium backflow blocking device comprises a static ring and a moving ring which are vertically and oppositely arranged, and an elastic supporting sleeve; the moving ring is embedded on the upper surface of the impeller, the elastic supporting sleeve is fixed on the upper surface of the flow guide body, and the static ring is embedded on the lower surface of an elastic supporting ring. During normal working, the elastic supporting sleeve of the present invention in the medium backflow blocking device generates a downward deformation under the action of liquid medium pressure, thus the moving ring and the static ring closely contact with each other and block the backflow gap channel, and the pump efficiency is improved.

The invention relates to a mechanical seal arrangement comprising: a rotating slide ring (2) having a first slide surface and a stationary slide ring (3) with a second slide surface which between them define a sealing gap 4, wherein the first and second slide surfaces have different hardnesses, wherein the harder slide surface has a diamond coating (20) and the softer slide surface is produced from carbon composite material, and wherein an average initial roughness R.sub.a1 (of the diamond coating 20) is less than an average initial roughness R.sub.a2 of the slide surface made from carbon composite material.

A centrifugal pump assembly includes an electric drive motor (6, 8), a driven impeller (14) and a pump casing (2) which surrounds the impeller (14). A movable element (24; 24′) is arranged a valve element. A section of the valve element is movable from a released position into a bearing position, fixed on a contact surface (60), by pressure which is produced by the impeller in the pump casing. A control device (64) moves the valve element from one switching position into another switching position and reduces the speed of the drive motor. Upon pressure in the pump casing dropping such that the valve element is no longer fixed on the contact surface and the valve element has been moved into the other switching position, the control device increases the speed of the drive motor again. A method for moving a valve element is provided.

An impeller includes a hub, and a plurality of blades supported by the hub, the blades being arranged in at least two blade rows. The impeller has a deployed configuration in which the blades extend away from the hub, and a stored configuration in which at least one of the blades is radially compressed, for example by folding the blade towards the hub. The impeller may also have an operational configuration in which at least some of the blades are deformed from the deployed configuration upon rotation of the impeller when in the deployed configuration. The outer edge of one or more blades may have a winglet, and the base of the blades may have an associated indentation to facilitate folding of the blades.

Bearing assemblies, apparatuses, systems, and methods include bearing assemblies having one or more bearing element in a bearing housing for supporting a shaft extending through at least a portion of the bearing housing. The bearing assembly including a recirculation line for delivering fluid into the bearing housing at a location separate from a fluid inlet of the bearing housing to at least partially thermally regulate, lubricate, and/or flush the one or more bearing elements during operation of the shaft.

A lattice filter for use in an inlet housing of a pump assembly including a lattice filter body extending from a filter inlet end to a filter outlet end. The lattice filter having a lattice structure. The lattice filter also includes one or more passageways within the lattice filter body. Each of the one or more passageways includes a passageway inlet located at the filter inlet end and a passageway outlet located at the filter outlet end. Each of the one or more passageways extend from the passageway inlet to the passageway outlet.

A method of producing a composite metal article and/or a composite metal wear component. The method including the following steps: casting a component composed of a host metal composition wherein one or more cavities are formed in the component during casting; inserting a wear resistant composition in solid form into the one or more cavities formed in the component composed of the host metal composition; and, bonding the wear resistant composition into the one or more cavities of the component composed of the host metal composition to form the composite metal article.

A pump liner for a centrifugal pump wherein the pump liner comprises a main pumping chamber, an inlet to the main pumping chamber and a discharge outlet extending from the main pumping chamber, wherein the pump liner is formed from at least two elastomeric compounds including a first compound and a second compound, the first compound having a different hardness to the second compound and wherein the liner is composed of the second compound at locations which in use are subject to erosive, impingement and/or directional wear.

A pump tray has a liquid pump with an inlet and outlet. A blindly matable liquid coupler fluidicly couples with the pump inlet and a blindly matable liquid coupler fluidicly couples with the pump outlet. A chassis of the pump tray has an alignment member configured to removably engage with another device and to restrict, to a limited number of degrees-of-freedom, movement of the chassis relative to the other device (e.g., a liquid pumping unit). The blindly matable liquid couplers are so physically coupled with the chassis as to inhibit movement of them relative to the chassis. A liquid pumping unit also has a chassis defining a bay configured to receive a pump tray, a liquid inlet coupler and a liquid outlet coupler, and a reservoir fluidicly coupled with the liquid inlet coupler. A blindly-matable liquid coupler fluidicly couples with the reservoir outlet and a blindly-matable liquid coupler fluidicly couples with the liquid outlet coupler. An alignment member is configured to removably engage with the pump tray and to restrict, to a limited number of degrees-of-freedom, movement of the pump tray relative to the chassis of the liquid pumping unit.

An impeller includes a body with an interior channel extending through the body along a centerline axis of the impeller. A plurality of blades is connected to the body on a forward end of the impeller centerline axis. The plurality of blades surrounds the interior channel and is fluidly connected to an array of inlets. An array of pentagonal channels extends through the body and radially outward in a spiral pattern. Each pentagonal channel is fluidly connected to a corresponding vane inlet and a corresponding pentagonal-shaped outlet. Each channel maintains a pentagonal cross-section shape from the inlet to the outlet. Each downward-sloping face of the cross section is more than 35 degrees from a horizontal plane perpendicular to the centerline axis of the impeller.