The present invention is a reversible pump-turbine installation positioned in a vertical borehole instead of in a conventional underground powerhouse or deep concrete powerhouse. The required plant cavitation coefficient may be achieved by simply boring a vertical borehole to the required depth rather than routing the water flow to and from a deeply buried powerhouse. A pneumatically controlled pressure relief valve may be incorporated into this invention.

An impeller for pumping fluid that comprises discharge flow paths that allow high pressure liquid to be used to flush out low pressure gas that can accumulate within the internal structure of the impeller. The impeller comprises transition regions, vanes, and at least one discharge flow path. The vanes are rotational about a central axis. The transition regions and the plurality of vanes have a high pressure flow path and a low pressure flow path. The at least one discharge flow path is in fluid communication with a section of the low pressure flow path of at least one of the transition region(s) and the vane(s).

A turbopump includes an impeller (22) that is rotatable about an axis (A). A discharge collector (28) is located radially outward of the impeller. A passage (30) fluidly connects the impeller to the discharge collector. The passage is curved.

Stationary diffusers, downhole centrifugal pumps, and methods of pressurizing a fluid may include vanes configured to direct fluid flow through fluid passageways, where at least some of the vanes include a bulge or protrusion extending axially beyond the fluid passageways into an open rotational volume of the diffuser in a direction toward an impeller.

A heat collecting pump includes: a flow guide member, including a flow guide body and a flow guide blade, wherein the flow guide blade is disposed on an outer peripheral wall of the flow guide body; a heating member, disposed on a periphery of the flow guide member and spaced apart from the flow guide blade. The flow guide blade enables water to flow along the outer peripheral wall of the flow guide body to form a first whirlwind flow and to further form a second whirlwind flow in a gap between the heating member and the flow guide blade. Projections of velocity directions of the first whirlwind flow and the second whirlwind flow on a reference plane perpendicular to the axial direction of the flow guide body are in opposite directions; and the second whirlwind flow removes bubbles gathered on the heating member.

Disclosed are pumps designed to make priming more efficient and therefore reduce priming time. The disclosed pumps include one or more deflection structures that prevent fluid moving through a diffuser of the pump from continuing in a circular path and instead divert the fluid in a different direction that leads directly to an outlet of the pump. This deflection reduces air bubble accumulation inside the pump while priming and makes it easier for air to escape through the pump outlet. Making it easier for air to escape the pump outlet ultimately allows air to escape the pump faster during priming, reducing back pressure caused by trapped air pockets inside the pump and improving priming performance.

The present disclosure relates to a downhole centrifugal pump system designed to include a diffuser configuration which optimally transfers fluid and builds head pressure at a dead zone between the diffuser and an adjacently upper impeller, the dead zone being defined as an open rotational area between the stationary diffuser and the adjacently upper impeller. The diffuser includes a first side for receiving fluid from a first impeller and a second side for transferring the fluid upwardly to the adjacently upper impeller. The diffuser also includes a plurality of vanes that direct fluid flow from the first side to the second side. Each vane of the diffuser includes an edge at the second side that includes a bulge between a proximal edge and a distal edge on the second side. The bulge advantageously extends upwardly toward the second impeller to reduce the dead zone relative to if the second edge extended linearly from the proximal edge to the distal edge. The structure of the bulge facilitates a head pressure buildup at the dead zone that improves the efficiency of the downhole centrifugal pump system as fluid moves from the diffuser to the adjacently upper impeller.

Flow control devices and structures designed and configured to improve the performance of a turbomachine. Exemplary flow control devices may include various flow guiding channels, ribs, diffuser passage-width reductions, and other treatments and may be located on one or both of a shroud and hub side of a machine to redirect, guide, or otherwise influence portions of a turbomachine flow field to thereby improve the performance of the machine.

A multi-stage pump includes a first set of pump stages directing fluid in a first direction from a first end of the multi-stage pump to a diffuser casing disposed at a central portion of the multi-stage pump. A second set of pump stages directs the fluid expelled from the diffuser casing in a second direction, opposite to the first direction, from a second end of the multi-stage pump to the diffuser casing. The diffuser casing receives the fluid from the first set of pump stages and directs the fluid toward the second end of the multi-stage pump and receives the fluid from the second set of pump stages and directs the fluid in a radial direction with respect to a longitudinal axis of the multi-stage pump.

A dishwashing appliance or fluid pump, as provided herein may include a fluid impeller, an electric motor, and a housing. The fluid impeller may be rotatably receivable within a tub of the dishwashing appliance. The electric motor may be in mechanical communication with the fluid impeller to motivate rotation thereof. The electric motor may include a multi-phase winding set sealed within an overmolded insulation. The housing may enclose the electric motor therein. The housing may be receivable within a sump to which water is directed in the dishwashing appliance.