Method for pumping fragile or other articles in a liquid medium

Claim 1

A method of pumping articles of a predetermined size in a liquid medium comprising the steps of:

Claim 2

A method of pumping articles of a predetermined size in a liquid medium comprising the steps of:

Claim 10

A method for pumping articles in an incompressible liquid medium, said method comprising the steps of: selecting a rotary disc incompressible liquid pump; selecting said pump to have a housing having a pair of circular end walls disposed in spaced apart parallel planes and connected together by a peripheral wall defining a rotor chamber having a constant radius at any selected plane parallel to and between said parallel planes; selecting one of said end walls having means defining an inlet opening co-axially of said chamber; selecting said housing having peripheral wall having tubular means defining an outlet communicating with said rotor chamber and extending outwardly from said housing in a direction parallel to and between said parallel planes at a tangent to the housing walls at the outer diameter of said chamber; selecting an impeller shaft and rotatably mounting said shaft in the other of said end walls with said shaft terminating with an inner end in said rotor chamber adjacent said other end wall; selecting and mounting a rotary disc impeller co-axially on said inner end of said impeller shaft in said chamber for rotation therein and said impeller comprising a plurality of circular co-axially disposed discs, positioning said discs a predetermined distance apart, and selecting each disc having a pair of oppositely disposed parallel continuous planar faces and an outer diameter defined by a peripheral edge that is a uniform distance no greater than ten percent of the diameter of said discs from said peripheral wall of said chamber, selecting and mounting one of said discs directly on the end of said impeller shaft, selecting another of said plurality of discs having a co-axial circular opening therein defining an inner diameter no greater than one-half said outer diameter and connecting said disc by a plurality of spacer pins to said one of said discs at the edge of said circular opening; and selecting and establishing said predetermined distance said discs being spaced apart being at least one-quarter inch and no greater than the outer diameter of said discs sufficient to permit the unobstructed passage of articles of a predetermined size having no dimension greater than said predetermined distance in liquid from said inlet through said co-axial circular opening and between said discs to the outlet; introducing a mixture of said articles and a liquid into the inlet of said pump, while simultaneously therewith rotating the impeller of said pump in said chamber about the axis thereof; permitting said articles in a liquid medium to be pumped into said housing cylindrical chamber through said inlet in all radial directions; and rotating said impeller at a rate to establish and maintain a flow of said mixture of particles and liquid through said pump.

Claim 11

A method for pumping articles in an incompressible liquid medium, said method comprising the steps of: selecting a rotary disc incompressible liquid pump; selecting said pump to have a housing having a pair of circular end walls disposed in spaced apart parallel planes and connected together by a peripheral wall defining a rotor chamber having a constant radius at any selected plane parallel to and between said parallel planes; selecting one of said end walls having means defining an inlet opening co-axially of said chamber; selecting said housing having peripheral wall having tubular means defining an outlet communicating with said rotor chamber and extending outwardly from said housing in a direction parallel to and between said parallel planes at a tangent to the housing walls at the outer diameter of said chamber; selecting an impeller shaft and rotatably mounting said shaft in the other of said end walls with said shaft terminating with an inner end in said rotor chamber adjacent said other end wall; selecting and mounting a rotary disc impeller co-axially on said inner end of said impeller shaft in said chamber for rotation therein and said impeller comprising a plurality of circular co-axially disposed discs, positioning said discs a predetermined distance apart, and selecting each disc having a pair of oppositely disposed parallel continuous planar faces and an outer diameter defined by a peripheral edge that is a uniform distance no greater than ten percent of the diameter of said discs from said peripheral wall of said chamber, selecting and mounting one of said discs directly on the end of said impeller shaft, selecting another of said plurality of discs having a co-axial circular opening therein defining an inner diameter no greater than one-half said outer diameter and connecting said disc by a plurality of spacer pins to said one of said discs at the edge of said circular opening; and selecting and establishing said predetermined distance said discs being spaced apart being at least one-quarter inch and no greater than the outer diameter of said discs sufficient to permit the unobstructed passage of articles of a predetermined size having no dimension greater than said predetermined distance in liquid from said inlet through said co-axial circular opening and between said discs to the outlet; introducing a mixture of said articles and a liquid into the inlet of said pump, while simultaneously therewith rotating the impeller of said pump in said chamber about the axis thereof; permitting said articles in a liquid medium to be pumped into said housing cylindrical chamber through said inlet in all radial directions; and rotating said impeller at a rate to establish and maintain a flow of said mixture of particles and liquid through said pump.