Small diameter irrigation pump

Claim 1

An irrigation pump having exceptional flexibility and unusually large pumping capacity in terms of gallons pumped per unit of outside diameter, comprising: a. a power shaft extending centrally of said pump and having means for connection with a driving motor; b. an inlet adapter having a central shaft aperture in which said power shaft is sealingly journalled, and having a base means for sealingly connecting with a housing of said driving motor; said inlet adapter having an inlet passage defining a first flow area about said shaft and having a diameter greater than 0.4 times the outside diameter of said pump and greater than one-half the outside diameter of an impeller emplaced therewithin and a plurality of smoothly interiorly ascending passageways having a smooth continuum of respective flow areas that affect a total flow area greater than said first flow area; said inlet adapter having a top that includes a short cylindrical section and an adjoining frusto-conical section that is adapted to receive the bottom of an impeller and having a top end that is adapted to conformingly fit and be connected with a bowl; c. at least one impeller connected with said power shaft by way of a central shAft aperture disposed about and in unifying relationship with said power shaft; having an inlet aperture defining a second flow area about said shaft that is as large as said first flow area; said inlet aperture having a diameter D1 that is greater than 0.4 times the outside diameter of said pump, greater than one-half times the outside diameter D2o of said impeller and greater than 0.55 times the inner discharge diameter D2i of said impeller, each said spirally exteriorly ascending passageway having a smooth cross sectional profile and defining a discharge port having a top discharge angle Beta within the range of 62*-65* and a bottom discharge angle Alpha of about 54*; said angle being measured with respect to the central longitudinal axis of said impeller; said impeller having a plurality within the range of 5-8, inclusive, vanes that define spirally exteriorly ascending water flow passageways; d. at least one bowl having a central shaft aperture in which is sealingly journalled said power shaft; said bowl having its respective ends conformingly matching such that it can be serially connected with a plurality of adjacent said bowls to form a pump of a desired work potential; said bowl having a flow area at any cross sectional plane at least as great as said first flow area; said bowl having a plurality of spirally ascending passageways that provide a smooth continuum of the effluent of a vane imposed therein and initially traverse exteriorly a short distance and smoothly traverse interiorly for the remaining distance to terminate centrally of said bowl and annularly about said shaft adjacent the top at a point of entrance into any impeller emplaced in said top so as to achieve a smooth flow pattern effecting minimal low pressure drop with respect to water discharged from said impeller; said bowl having a top that has a cylindrical section connected with a frusto-conical section and is adapted to receive the bottom of an additional impeller; having a bottom that is adapted to receive the top of an impeller; and having one said impeller emplaced rotatably within its bottom; the bottom end of the lowermost bowl being connected with said inlet adapter; and e. a top manifold sealingly connected with the top of the uppermost said bowl, said top manifold having an internal thread for connection with a string of conduit for conducting a volumetric rate of flow less than a predetermined maximum of water from a subterranean formation to the surface for irrigation and at least space and wall thickness for an external thread for connection with a second string of conduit having a second diameter larger than said first string for conducting a volumetric rate of flow greater than said predetermined maximum of water to the surface for irrigation; said top manifold having an internal flow passageway of a diameter greater than 0.4 times the outside diameter of said pump.