| 摘要 |
A centrifugal pump for a first fluid has a housing with an inlet and includes a rotatable impeller which is adjacent to a stationary plate. The inlet communicates with a space defined between the impeller and the plate. An outlet adjacent to the periphery of the impeller also communicates with the space. The space is divided into a plurality of zig-zag pumping passages which extend from the inlet to the periphery of the impeller. Each passage has undulating sidewalls defined by complementary undulations in the facing surfaces of the plate and the impeller. Each passage also has endwalls defined by vanes mounted to the impeller. The vanes generally conform to the undulations in the impeller and are also complementary to the undulations in the plate. An injection port in the plate communicates with the space downstream of the inlet at a point where the lowest absolute pressure within the passages exists. A second fluid may be injected through the port and into the passages. The vapor phase of the first fluid, which is present in the passages because of the low absolute pressure, is condensed and compressed upon contact with the second fluid and is thereafter centrifugally moved to the outlet. Depressions downstream of each passage between the undulating surfaces of both the plate and the impeller encourage the establishment of vortices therein, the vortices encouraging and expediting fluid flow along the passages. |
