ABI's innovation is a novel centrifugal pump, which will not have bearings, shaft, and seals. The impeller in this pump would rotate in a stable position in the center of the pump housing. The balance of all hydodynamic forces acting on impeller achieves stability. This pump will have high reliability, durability, and low cost in reduced mass, power and volume configuration, which are required in an active cooling system for a spacecraft thermal control. In addition, the relatively large clearances between the impeller and the housing allow particulates to pass through the pump without "freezing" the impeller. No commercially available pump offers these performance characteristics.
Potential Commercial Applications:POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS for bearing and seal-free centrifugal pumps include extracorporeal and implantable blood pumps, pumps for delicate and aggressive fluids, cryogenic pumps, cooling pumps, etc. Successful development of high reliability, low cost and maintenance-free centrifugal pumps could save the U.S. economy tens of millions of dollars per year.
