What is a Volute Pump

Components

Coupling Hub &#; A coupling hub adapts the pump shaft to the coupling. Usually this is a disc coupling or a gear coupling rated for high speeds.

For more information, please visit Double Volutes Housing.

Input Shaft &#; The pump shaft runs the length of the entire pump and is what all the impellers are attached to, as well as the coupling hub. The entire rotating assembly is suspended between the drive end and the non-drive end bearings.

Radial Bearings &#; Radial bearings support the pump shaft radially. In this case, the bearings are axially split sleeve bearings.

Thrust Bearing &#; Thrust bearings support the pump shaft axially. Although this pump is primarily hydraulically balanced, there are still axial forces as the pump operates at different speeds and pressures. In this case, the thrust bearing is a set of ball bearings. In some cases, a pivot shoe bearing (sometimes referred to as a tilt shoe bearing), such as a Kingsbury Thrust Bearing, is used.

Drive End Bearing Housing &#; This bearing housing supports the radial bearing closest to the coupling hub on the drive end of the pump.

Non-Drive End Bearing Housing &#; This bearing housing supports the radial bearing and thrust bearing on the thrust end (non-drive end) of the pump. This is often referred to as the thrust end bearing housing.

Mechanical Seal &#; The mechanical seal isolates the pressurized fluid from the atmosphere. The design consists of two very smooth surfaces gliding on each other which are held together with springs. One surface rotates with the shaft, and the other is stationary. In some cases, when leakage is not an issue, (such as when pumping potable water) rope packing is used instead of a mechanical seal.

Impellers &#; Fluid is drawn in the center of the impeller in an axial direction. Then, as the impeller rotates, the fluid is forced outward, in the radial direction, due to centrifugal force.

Casing Eye Wear Rings &#; Each impeller has a casing eye ring that is built to have a very tight clearance (0.001&#; to 0.020&#; depending on the fluid being pumped) with the outside of the impeller eye. This is because there is a pressure differential between the eye of the impeller and the outside of the impeller, and the casing ring limits the leakage of the fluid back to a lower pressure zone.

Casing Hub Wear Rings &#; Like the Casing Eye Wear Ring, the Casing Hub Wear Ring serves the same purpose, but on the hub side of the impeller.

Flow Diverters &#; These help direct the fluid into the eye of the impeller. Often, these are built into the Casing Eye Wear Ring.

Throat Bushings &#; The throat bushings are made to maintain positive pressure in the seal chamber and keep contaminants away from the mechanical seal surfaces.

Throttle Bushing &#; The throttle bushing is only required on the higher-pressure side of the pump. Its purpose is to isolate the mechanical seal from the pressure of the mid stage impeller. A balance line is usually used between the two seal chambers to make both mechanical seals operate at the same pressure, even though the drive end seal is on stage 1 and the non-drive end seal is on stage 4 (in the example above). The throttle bushing is also designed to help hydraulically balance the axial thrust load of the pump.

Center Bushing &#; The center bushing is positioned between stage 3 impeller and stage 6 impeller. This means that the pressure differential between one side of the center bushing and the other can be quite high. The center bushing is designed to help hydraulically balance the axial thrust load of the rotating assembly.

Pump Case &#; What is shown in this photo is only the bottom half of the pump case. An axially split centrifugal pump has a bottom half and a top half, clamped together by large studs and nuts with a gasket in the middle.

Clamping Studs &#; Attached to the bottom half and the top half of the pump case are clamping studs. These studs and nuts are torqued up to 10,000 ft lbs on large pumps to contain the pressure in the pump case.

Suction Port & Discharge Port &#; In a multistage, horizontal, axially split volute pump, the suction connection will always be in one of the four corners of the pump, and the discharge flange will always be in the middle (on either side).

REPLACEMENT GOULDS VOLUTES AVAILABLE AT PLATINUM PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS

Our replacement Goulds volutes for centrifugal pumps are designed to provide reliable and efficient operation in a variety of industrial applications. The volutes are available in several sizes, including the ST, MT, LT, and XLT models, which range from 1.375&#; to 2.500&#; in size. These volutes are made from high-quality materials and are designed to fit a range of Goulds pump models, including the popular model.

Disclaimer: Platinum Performance Products provides parts that are compatible with or can replace different original equipment manufacturer (OEM) parts. The mention of any OEM names, trademarks, model numbers, or part numbers is purely for reference and does not indicate that we are an authorized distributor or representative of the listed companies and brands. We do not claim any association or affiliation with any of the OEM manufacturers mentioned on our website or in our product descriptions.