Centrifugal elastomeric coated impellers

Claim 1

A closed shrouded impeller comprising: a pair of elastomeric-covered, disk-like shrouds; said shrouds being denominated a forward shroud and a rear shroud; said forward shroud having a thickness; said shrouds being positioned spacedly apart from one another and parallel to each other; a plurality of elastomeric-covered upstanding vanes positioned between said pair of shrouds and mounted to each said shroud respectively; each of said vanes being configured in a radial, arc-like shape to extend from a central region of each said shroud, outward to a periphery of each shroud; each pair of adjacent vanes defining a vane passage there between having a peripheral outlet and a corresponding central inlet opening; said forward shroud defining a centrally positioned throat opening therein which extends through said thickness of said forward shroud; said throat opening communicating with each vane passage formed between said forward disk-like shroud and said rear disk-like shroud; said vanes extending into said throat opening; said throat opening being contiguous with each said central inlet opening, and communicating therewith, said rear shroud having a conical upstanding projection at its center which extends toward said forward shroud; said projection having a first longitudinal axis colinear with an axis of rotation of said rear shroud; said projection having an apex positioned elevationally below an upper surface of each of said vanes; said projection forming a curved channel to interconnect said inlet throat with said vane passages, said central inlet opening of each said vane passage being at least twice as wide as a width of a corresponding said vane passage peripheral outlet opening; wherein said impeller operates to introduce an axial inlet flow through said throat to a right-angle peripheral flow within said impeller with a minimum eddying effect.