FORM – 2
THE PATENTS ACT, 1970
(39 of 1970)
&
THE PATENTS RULES, 2006
COMPLETE
Specification
(See Section 10 and Rule 13}
DOUBLE SUCTION CONCRETE VOLUTE PUMPING
ASSEMBLY
KIRLOSKAR BROTHERS LTD
an Indian Company
of Udyog Bhavan, Tilak Road, Pune 411 002,
Maharashtra, India.
INVENTORS
l.GODBOLE,VASANT
2. MINCHEKAR, SANDIP
3. CHOUGULE, BABASO
4. GAIKWAD, SANJAY
THE FOLLOWING SPECIFICATION PARTICULARLY DESCRIBES THE NATURE OF THE INVENTION AND THE MANNER IN WHICH IT IS TO BE PERFORMED

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE
The present disclosure relates to the field of volute pump.
BACKGROUND
Pumps enable displacement of fluids, such as, liquids, gases and slurries between two locations and are widely used in process industries, such as, chemical industries, petrochemical industries and refineries. There are various types of pumps depending on the application and discharge required. Accordingly, concrete volute pumps are used in applications wherein high discharge and medium head are required. A conventional concrete volute pump enables pumping of normal water as well as sea water. Conventional concrete volute pump includes a volute casing and a suction draft tube which are made of concrete instead of conventional metal casing. Conventional concrete volute pump operate in the speed range of 150 to 490 rpm, in the head range of up-to 164 feet, and discharge range of 66000 to 530000 US GPM.
Conventional concrete volute pump involves high installation, civil and excavation costs. The civil and excavation costs depend on over-all size of pump and submergence required for cavitation-free operation of pump. Conventional concrete volute pump utilizes a single suction impeller which necessitates specific operational conditions for efficient working. Accordingly, the suction specific speed of conventional concrete volute pump is required to be maintained below 8500 US Units for vortex free operation. In order to meet the requirement of requisite suction specific speed, conventional concrete volute pump is required to be submerged to a specified level resulting in increased excavation and civil costs. The increased excavation subsequently results in increased length of transmission shaft to be used resulting in high transmission losses. Further, due to the use of single suction impeller in conventional

concrete volute pump, heavy capacity axial thrust bearings are required to counter the downward thrust generated during operation. Conventional concrete volute pump involves a cantilever type bearing support for the rotor which reduces the service life of the bearings.
Hence, there was felt a need for a concrete volute pump which enables overcoming the drawbacks associated with conventional concrete volute pumps.
OBJECTS
Some of the objects of the present disclosure aimed to ameliorate one or more problems of the prior art or to at least provide a useful alternative are described herein below:
An object of the present disclosure is to provide a concrete volute pump that enables reduction in axial thrust.
Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a concrete volute pump which enables achieving higher operating speed as compared to conventional concrete volute pump when submerged to a corresponding depth.
Yet another object of the present disclosure is to provide a concrete volute pump which requires reduced submergence depth for efficient operation as compared to conventional concrete volute pump.
An added object of the present disclosure is to provide a concrete volute pump which reduces overall pump house size.
An additional object of the present disclosure is to provide a concrete volute pump which reduces the cost associated with excavation and civil operation.

Further an object of the present disclosure is to provide a concrete volute pump with increased service life.
Still another object of the present disclosure is to provide a concrete volute pump requiring reduced maintenance cost.
Other objects and advantages of the present disclosure will be more apparent from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying figures, which are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
SUMMARY
In accordance with the present disclosure there is provided a concrete volute pumping assembly capable of pumping fluid from a first location to a second location, the pumping assembly comprising:
an impeller casing having at least one cover;
an impeller unit housed within the casing, the unit having at least one
blade, a first suction cone and a second suction cone contiguously
arranged coaxially on either side of the at least one blade along an
operative impeller axis;
a transmission shaft adapted to transmit power to the unit through a
pump shaft, the pump shaft adapted to pass through the casing and
axially through the first suction cone and the second suction cone, the
pump shaft adapted to be along the operative impeller axis;
an inlet defined in the casing, the inlet disposed along an inlet axis,
orthogonal to the operative impeller axis, the inlet adapted to convey
fluid from the first location to the impeller unit;
a baffle adapted to bifurcated the inlet to define a first passage and a
second passage fluidly communicating with the first suction cone and
the second suction cone respectively; and

an outlet defined in the casing, the outlet enabling fluid communication between the unit and the second location.
Typically, the unit is operated by a motor arranged at the end of the transmission shaft distal from the unit, the unit being adapted to receive mechanical torque from the motor.
Typically, the baffle enables bifurcation of the inlet along a horizontal plane orthogonal to the operative impeller axis.
Typically, the inlet and the outlet are substantially coaxial.
Typically, the inlet and the outlet cooperate with a draft tube and a delivery pipe respectively.
Typically, a bearing assembly is positioned between the impeller unit and the transmission shaft, the bearing assembly includes at least one thrust bearing and a bearing lantern.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS
The concrete volute pumping assembly of the present disclosure will now be described with the help of accompanying drawings, in which:
Figure 1 illustrates a schematic representation of a conventional concrete volute pump;
Figure 2 illustrates a schematic representation of a concrete volute pumping assembly in accordance with the present disclosure; and

Figure 3a and Figure 3b schematically illustrate comparison between the submergence depth of the concrete volute pumping assembly in accordance with the present disclosure and the conventional concrete volute pump.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS
Figure 1 illustrates a pumping station of the conventional concrete volute pump 100. The pumping station includes a motor 02, a motor stool 04, a motor base plate 06, a plurality of foundation bolts 08, a transmission shaft 10, a trust bearing unit 12, a thrust bearing lantern 14 and the single suction concrete volute pump 100 functionally coupled to the motor 02. The conventional concrete volute pump 100 includes a cover ring 16, an impeller 18, a volute radius ring 20, a volute casing 22, a liner holder ring 24, a suction draft tube 26 and a delivery pipe 28. The transmission shaft 10 transmits the driving power from the motor 02 to the impeller 18 of the conventional concrete volute pump 100. The conventional concrete volute pump 100 is provided with a single inlet for fluid to enter the conventional concrete volute pump 100. Further, in conventional concrete volute pump 100, the suction draft tube 26 is disposed below the volute casing 22. Accordingly, the conventional concrete volute pump 100 requires to be submerged to a greater depth and accordingly necessitates additional excavation for installation thereof. The civil costs associated with the installation of the conventional concrete volute pump 100 increases exponentially with the increase in excavation required for installation. The delivery pipe 28 delivers fluid pressurized by conventional concrete volute pump 100 to a desired location. Further, the delivery pipe 28 is provided with a manhole 30 for facilitating manual inspection.
The disclosure of concrete volute pumping assembly stems from the observation that conventional concrete volute pump 100 is plagued with the following drawbacks:

• higher submergence to be maintained with suction specific speed required to be maintained below 8500 US Units for vortex free operation;
• higher capacity thrust bearing required for unbalanced axial thrust;
• high excavation and civil costs;
• increased length of the transmission shaft resulting in high transmission losses; and
• wear out of bearing and reduction in the service life of the bearings.
A preferred embodiment of the concrete volute pumping assembly of the present disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The preferred embodiment does not limit the scope and ambit of the disclosure. The description provided is purely by way of example and illustration.
The embodiment herein and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained' with reference to the non-limiting embodiment in the following description. Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques are omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiment herein. The examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the embodiment herein may be practiced and to further enable those of skill in the art to practice the embodiment herein. Accordingly, the examples should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiment herein.
The following description of the specific embodiment will so fully reveal the general nature of the embodiments herein that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept, and, therefore, such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended

within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiment. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. Therefore, while the embodiment herein has been described in terms of preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiment herein can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the embodiment as described herein.
Figure 2 illustrates the concrete volute pumping assembly 200 powered by a motor 102, typically located at the ground level. The motor 102 enables transmission of mechanical torque to an impeller unit, located at a predetermined depth below the ground level, through a transmission shaft 104. The concrete volute pumping assembly 200 enables pumping fluid from a first location to a second location.
The impeller unit is housed within an impeller casing. The impeller casing defines an inlet 122 and an outlet 126 cooperating with a draft tube and a delivery tube 126a respectively. The delivery tube 126a includes a manhole 128 for maintenance of the concrete volute pumping assembly 200.
The impeller unit includes at least one blade 120, a first suction cone 114 and a second suction cone 124. The blade 120 is typically a double suction impeller. The blade 120 has a diameter in the range of 1000 mm to 6000 mm and an impeller eye diameter in the range of 500 mm to 4000 mm. The first suction cone 114 and the second suction cone 124 are contiguously arranged on either side of the blade 120 such that the first suction cone 114, the blade 120 and the second suction cone 124 are coaxial along an operative impeller axis (Y).
The impeller casing includes a volute cover 118 to cover the blade 120 and a top casing cover 112 to cover the first suction cone 114. A frustum shaped sealing

ring 108 is positioned between the top casing cover 112 and the transmission shaft 104 in order to prevent leakage of fluid from the impeller unit.
The transmission shaft 104 transmits power to the impeller unit through a pump shaft. The pump shaft is allowed to pass through the impeller casing 112 so as to axially pass through the first suction cone 114 and the second suction cone 124. The transmission shaft 104 is fitted to the blade 120 along the operative impeller axis (Y) such that the motor 102 and the impeller unit are located at distal ends of the transmission shaft 104. A bearing assembly is provided between the impeller unit and the transmission shaft 104 for smooth operation therebetween. The bearing assembly includes at least one thrust bearing 106 and a bearing lantern 108.
The inlet 122 is disposed along an inlet axis (X) which is orthogonal to the operative impeller axis (Y). The inlet 122 enables conveying fluid from the first location into the impeller unit. The inlet 122 is bifurcated to define a first passage 130 and a second passage 131 by a baffle 129. The baffle 129 enables bifurcation of the inlet 122 along a horizontal plane orthogonal to the operative impeller axis (X).
The fluid in the inlet 122 is divided into two parts - one part of the fluid flows through the first passage 130 and another part of the fluid flows through a second passage 131. The fluid in the first passage 130 and the second passage 131 are allowed to flow into the first suction cone 114 and the second suction cone 124 respectively. The fluid flowing through the first suction cone 114 and the second suction cone 124 are pressurized within the impeller unit. The pressurized fluid is caused to flow through the outlet 126 from the impeller unit to the second location through the delivery pipe 126a.

Figure 3a and Figure 3b schematically illustrate a comparison between the submergence depth of the concrete volute pumping assembly 200 in accordance with the present disclosure and the conventional concrete volute pump 100. In case of the conventional concrete volute pump 100, the maximum fluid level and minimum fluid level are represented by 100' and 100" respectively. Similarly, in case of the concrete volute pumping assembly 200, the maximum fluid level and minimum fluid level are represented by 200' and 200" respectively. MS represents a minimum submergence depth required in case of conventional concrete volute pump 100, whereas MS' represents minimum submergence required in case of the concrete volute pumping assembly 200. On comparing the submergence depth MS required in case of conventional concrete volute pump 100 and the submergence depth MS' required in case of concrete volute pumping assembly 200, it is evident that comparatively lower depth of submergence is required in case of concrete volute pumping assembly 200. Since a lower depth of submergence is required in case of concrete volute pumping assembly 200, the depth to which excavation is required to be carried out is reduced by the distance ES, illustrated in Figure 3b, as compared to the conventional concrete volute pump 100. Thus, the concrete volute pumping assembly 200 results in reduction in submergence by 37 %, a reduction in overall pump house size by 25 %, a reduction in hydraulic axial thrust by 90 % as compared to conventional concrete volute pump 100. The concrete volute pumping assembly 200 provides 40 % higher operating speed at a capacity and submergence similar to that of conventional concrete volute pump 100.
TECHNICAL ADVANCEMENTS
The technical advancements offered by the present disclosure include the realization of:
• reduction in axial thrust;

• achieving higher operating speed as compared to conventional concrete volute pump when submerged to a corresponding depth;
• reduced submergence depth as compared to conventional concrete volute pump;
• reduced overall pump house size;
• reduced excavation and civil cost.
• increased service life; and
• reduced maintenance cost.
Throughout this specification the word "comprise", or variations such as "comprises" or "comprising", will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers or steps, but not the exclusion of any other element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers or steps.
The use of the expression "at least" or "at least one" suggests the use of one or more elements or ingredients or quantities, as the use may be in the embodiment of the disclosure to achieve one or more of the desired objects or results.
The numerical values given of various physical parameters, dimensions and quantities are only approximate values and it is envisaged that the values higher or lower than the numerical value assigned to the physical parameters, dimensions and quantities fall within the scope of the disclosure unless there is a statement in the specification to the contrary.
Wherever a range of values is specified, a value up to 10% below and above the lowest and highest numerical value respectively, of the specified range, is included in the scope of the disclosure.

The foregoing description of the specific embodiments will so fully reveal the general nature of the embodiments herein that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept, and, therefore, such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. Therefore, while the embodiments herein have been described in terms of preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments herein can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the embodiments as described herein.

We claim:
1. A concrete volute pumping assembly capable of pumping fluid from a first
location to a second location, said pumping assembly comprising:
an impeller casing having at least one cover;
an impeller unit housed within said casing, said unit having at least
one blade, a first suction cone and a second suction cone contiguously
arranged coaxially on either side of said at least one blade along an
operative impeller axis;
a transmission shaft adapted to transmit power to said unit through a
pump shaft, the pump shaft adapted to pass through said casing and
axially through said first suction cone and said second suction cone,
the pump shaft adapted to be along said operative impeller axis;
an inlet defined in said casing, said inlet disposed along an inlet axis,
orthogonal to said operative impeller axis, said inlet adapted to convey
fluid from the first location to said impeller unit;
a baffle adapted to bifurcated said inlet to define a first passage and a
second passage fluidly communicating with said first suction cone and
said second suction cone respectively; and
an outlet defined in said casing, said outlet enabling fluid
communication between said unit and the second location.
2. The pumping assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said unit is operated by a motor arranged at the end of the transmission shaft distal from said unit, said unit being adapted to receive mechanical torque from the motor.
3. The pumping assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said baffle enables bifurcation of said inlet along a horizontal plane orthogonal to said operative impeller axis.
4. The pumping assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said inlet and said outlet are substantially coaxial.

5. The pumping assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said inlet and said outlet cooperates with a draft tube and a delivery pipe respectively.
6. The pumping assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said a bearing assembly is positioned between said impeller unit and the transmission shaft, said bearing assembly includes at least one thrust bearing and a bearing lantern.