Re: Impeller Challenge

With the size of this impeller. If you dead set on a centrifugal pump impeller then, why don't you just use one that has already been fabricated? They will be cheaper then actually making your own. A sister company of mine, its all national oilwell now, Either Halco/Mission pumps (they bought 2 pump companies) could supply you with an impeller cheaper then you could ever make it.Mickey Shrader could probably help you out the most there as he knows the most about the pumps in question. His number is 281-517-3105. I believe the impeller is steel and is cast. Not sure because they are not in my division. They go all the way up 15 or 16" Diameters. You could then use a shaft, etc and its already mounted before you start your modifications. You could then weld in thin steel sheets to fit the side of each vane to pick up an increased volume of air.

Another alternative would be to contact Marathon Electric Motor Company at 715-675-3311 They use some pretty heavy duty fans similar to the one depicted in your picture on the larger explosion proof motors. These would come from 3 phase 40-60HP explosion proof motors. TEFC motors is what you are looking for.

If I was making this by hand would thread the end of the shaft. and thread the bottom plate. I would toungue and groove the shaft to take all the fins. slide the fins in screw on the base and tack/skip weld the fins in. the fan would have both welded and mechanical stiffness. The mechanical fit would allow you to make the whole fan staight with minimal welding. this would reduce the warpage seen by welding. I would make the whole thing out of A36 steel. Sand-blast the parts before machining or welding.

The other way would be to get a pattern maker to make a mold for sand castings. You could make them cheaply by volume. I am sure this is a home project, so this idea is precluded.

Best Regards, Daniel Lee