The invention includes three flushing channels each having a flushing channel longitudinal axis oriented parallel to the rotary shaft, which are distributed evenly around a rotary shaft with each flushing channels including a flushing channel cross-section oriented orthogonally to the rotary shaft. The cross-sections are each kidney-shaped and surround the rotary shaft in sectors.

A mixed-flow impeller for an electric submersible pump can include a lower end and an upper end; a hub that includes a through bore that defines an axis; blades that extend at least in part radially outward from the hub where each of the blades includes a leading edge and a trailing edge; an upper balance ring that includes a radially inward facing balance chamber surface and a radially outward facing diffuser clearance surface; and an upper guard ring disposed radially outwardly from the upper balance ring where the upper guard ring includes an axially facing diffuser clearance surface that is disposed axially between the trailing edges of the blades and the upper end.

An inducer and a submersible pump for pumping a slurry comprising solids and viscous fluids, the inducer mountable to the pump's drive shaft adjacent to and immediately upstream of an impeller mounted on said shaft. The inducer comprises a hub, two to four inducer blades extending outwardly from and wrapping helically around the hub, the hub and the inducer blades defining a plurality of channels A trailing edge of each inducer blade is positioned snugly adjacent to and in fluidical alignment with a leading edge of a corresponding impeller blade when the inducer is mounted on the drive shaft of the pump, such that a velocity curve of the slurry is smooth as the slurry travels from a leading edge of the inducer blades to the leading edge of the impeller blades.

A method for creating an impeller and an impeller of a radial turbo fluid energy machine includes a wheel disc, cover disc, blades, and hub. The hub is mounted on a shaft which extends along an axis, the wheel disc extends substantially radially from the hub, and the cover disc is connected to the wheel disc by the blades such that flow channels separated from one another in the circumferential direction are defined by the blades. The impeller has a first flow passage in a substantially axial direction in the radial proximity of the hub, and the impeller has a second flow passage in a substantially radial direction radially farther away from the hub than the first flow path passage. The cover disc surface facing the wheel disc has a lower degree of roughness at least in some regions than the wheel disc surface facing the cover disc.

A submersible pump assembly configured to manipulate the flow of fluids to achieve sufficient flow rate and fluid pressure to efficiently pump viscous or solids-laden fluid, while minimizing the risk of pump clogging and/or damage due to the solids content of the fluid. The submersible pump assembly comprising a cylindrical housing having an intake disposed at an upstream end for receiving viscous and/or solids-laden fluid and an outlet disposed at a downstream end opposite the intake for discharging the fluid to the surface. A rotating shaft extending through the cylindrical housing along a center axis of the housing and adapted to be driven by a submersible motor. A plurality of successive pumping stages disposed in a co-axial arrangement along the rotating shaft and a helical inducer coupled to the shaft between the intake and the plurality of pumping stages. The helical inducer comprising at least a single helical turn that directly converges into the plurality of pumping stages.

A centrifugal pump with adaptive pump stages includes an impeller configured to provide kinetic energy to fluid flow through the pump. The impeller has multiple geometric dimensions. The pump includes a diffuser connected to the impeller that is configured to convert the kinetic energy provided by the impeller into static pressure energy to flow the fluid through the pump. The pump includes an adaptive material attached to the impeller that is configured to modify, during operation of the pump, a geometric dimension to modify fluid flow through the pump.

A centrifugal pump with adaptive pump stages includes an impeller configured to provide kinetic energy to fluid flow through the pump. The impeller has multiple geometric dimensions. The pump includes a diffuser connected to the impeller that is configured to convert the kinetic energy provided by the impeller into static pressure energy to flow the fluid through the pump. The pump includes an adaptive material attached to the impeller that is configured to modify, during operation of the pump, a geometric dimension to modify fluid flow through the pump.

A mixed-flow impeller for an electric submersible pump can include a lower end and an upper end; a hub that includes a through bore that defines an axis; blades that extend at least in part radially outward from the hub where each of the blades includes a leading edge and a trailing edge; an upper balance ring that includes a radially inward facing balance chamber surface and a radially outward facing diffuser clearance surface; and an upper guard ring disposed radially outwardly from the upper balance ring where the upper guard ring includes an axially facing diffuser clearance surface that is disposed axially between the trailing edges of the blades and the upper end.

A mixed-flow impeller for an electric submersible pump can include a lower end and an upper end; a hub that includes a through bore that defines an axis; blades that extend at least in part radially outward from the hub where each of the blades includes a leading edge and a trailing edge; an upper balance ring that includes a radially inward facing balance chamber surface and a radially outward facing diffuser clearance surface; and an upper guard ring disposed radially outwardly from the upper balance ring where the upper guard ring includes an axially facing diffuser clearance surface that is disposed axially between the trailing edges of the blades and the upper end.

A centrifugal pump and an impeller thereof are provided. The impeller defines an outer peripheral edge which includes a plurality of serrations circumferentially thereon. The plurality of serrations are configured such that additional power and momentum are transferred to a working fluid of the pump, which results in an additional pressure rise in the working fluid at relatively low flow rates of the centrifugal pump.