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Pump system and method using planetary gear assemblyPump system and method using planetary gear assembly description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20080056912, Pump system and method using planetary gear assembly. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
BACKGROUND [0001]This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the present invention, which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present invention. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art. [0002]Pumps may be used in a wide variety of applications to transfer a liquid, such as water, from one location to another. For example, one or more pumps may transfer a large quantity of water from a lake, cooling pond, river, or ocean to a remote facility or site. In certain applications, the one or more pumps may transfer the liquid, e.g., water, horizontally for miles to reach the remote facility or site. [0003]Unfortunately, the start up and shut down stages may adversely affect the pump and associated components due to transient hydraulic instabilities. The hydraulic instabilities associated with the start up and shut down stages generally increase with greater vertical and horizontal distances between the pump and the remote site. Unfortunately, the transient hydraulic instabilities generally reduce the life of the pump and associated components. For example, an abrupt change in the flow or pressure within the pumping system can result in water hammer, which may cause piping failures, broken pump shafts, motor damage, structural damage, broken pipe hangers, mechanical seal failures, and so forth. [0004]In addition, the pumps and motors in certain pumping systems may be very large and expensive due to various operational parameters. For example, in high-flow, low-head, vertical pumping systems, the desired speed of the pump may be significantly below the nominal speed of a typical two or four pole motor. Unfortunately, the motor cost, size and weight generally increase dramatically with corresponding increases in the horse power ratings, e.g., greater than one thousand horse power. In turn, the increased size and weight of the motor generally results in a larger pump and support structure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION [0005]Certain aspects commensurate in scope with the originally claimed invention are set forth below. It should be understood that these aspects are presented merely to provide the reader with a brief summary of certain forms the invention might take and that these aspects are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Indeed, the invention may encompass a variety of aspects that may not be set forth below. [0006]In one embodiment, a pump system includes a motor-to-pump transmission having a planetary gear assembly and a clutch or brake mechanism. In another embodiment, a pump system includes a transmission having a housing with a motor mount and a pump mount, a central or sun gear disposed in the housing, a plurality of planet gears disposed in the housing, wherein the plurality of planet gears is disposed about and engaged with the central gear. The transmission also includes an outer ring gear disposed in the housing, wherein the outer ring gear is disposed about and engaged with the plurality of planet gears. DRAWINGS [0007]These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present technique will become better understood when the following detailed description is read with reference to the accompanying drawings in which like characters represent like parts throughout the drawings, wherein: [0008]FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of a liquid transfer or pumping system having a planetary gear system coupled to a motor and a pump; [0009]FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a modular pumping system having a planetary gear system; [0010]FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a modular drive system; [0011]FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a modular pump system; [0012]FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a vertical pump drive having a motor coupled to an integral planetary gear and clutch module; [0013]FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of an embodiment of the vertical pump drive as illustrated in FIG. 5; [0014]FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of an embodiment of the integral planetary gear and clutch module as illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6; [0015]FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the integral planetary gear and clutch module as illustrated in FIGS. 5-7; [0016]FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a planetary or epicyclic gear assembly disposed within the integral planetary gear and clutch module as illustrated in FIGS. 5-8; and [0017]FIG. 10 is a flow chart of an embodiment of a start up process for the vertical pump drive as illustrated in FIGS. 5-9. DETAILED DESCRIPTION [0018]One or more specific embodiments of the present invention will be described below. In an effort to provide a concise description of these embodiments, all features of an actual implementation may not be described in the specification. It should be appreciated that in the development of any such actual implementation, as in any engineering or design project, numerous implementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve the developers' specific goals, such as compliance with system-related and business-related constraints, which may vary from one implementation to another. Moreover, it should be appreciated that such a development effort might be complex and time consuming, but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking of design, fabrication, and manufacture for those of ordinary skill having the benefit of this disclosure. [0019]FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a liquid transfer or pumping system 10 having one or more planetary gear systems disposed between respective motors and pumps. In the following discussion, the planetary gear system is used simply for convenience, and is intended to cover either a planetary gear system (e.g., 146) or a planetary gear system with a clutch or a brake mechanism (e.g., 150). In certain modular systems as discussed below with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, various transmissions and/or clutch systems including 146 and 148 may be exchanged with one another based on the specific parameters of the pumping application. In the embodiments as discussed below with reference to FIGS. 1, 2, and 5-10, each of the planetary gear systems generally includes a planetary gear assembly, which also may include a clutch or brake assembly to vary (e.g., increase or decrease) the output from the motor to the respective pump. However, in other embodiments, such as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, a control start transmission module 148 may be used with or without a planetary gear assembly. [0020]As illustrated in FIG. 1, the liquid transfer or pumping system 10 may include a first or vertical pump arrangement 12, a second or horizontal pump arrangement 14, and a third or horizontal pump arrangement 16. In certain embodiments, the first or vertical pump arrangement 12 includes a motor 18, a planetary gear system 20 coupled to the motor 18, a pump 22 coupled to the planetary gear system 20, and a control unit 24 communicatively coupled to one or more of the vertically arranged components 18, 20, and 22. For example, the control unit 24 may include a pump speed and/or thrust controller to vary the pumping speed and, thus, thrust based on various conditions in the liquid transfer or pumping system 10. Continue reading about Pump system and method using planetary gear assembly... Full patent description for Pump system and method using planetary gear assembly Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Pump system and method using planetary gear assembly patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. Start now! - Receive info on patent apps like Pump system and method using planetary gear assembly or other areas of interest. ### Previous Patent Application: Water pump for bodies of water containing suspended particles Next Patent Application: Capacity varying type rotary compressor Industry Class: Pumps ### FreshPatents.com Support Thank you for viewing the Pump system and method using planetary gear assembly patent info. 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