Fluid moving apparatus

Claim 1

A FLUID MOVING APPARATUS FOR INCREASING THE PRESSURE AND/OR THE SPEED OF A FLUID FLOWING THROUGH A PIPELINE, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A CASING ADAPTED TO BE BUILT INTO THE PIPELINE, SAID CASING HAVING AN INLET AND AN OUTLET; A BLADED IMPELLER LOCATED IN SAID CASING INTERMEDIATE SAID INLET AND SAID OUTLET; MEANS SUPPORTING SAID IMPELLER FOR ROTARY MOVEMENT ABOUT AN AXIS AND FOR AXIAL MOVEMENT BETWEEN AN OPERATING POSITION IN WHICH THE IMPELLER IS MOVED TOWARD SAID INLET TO OFFER SUBSTANTIAL RESISTANCE TO THE FLOW OF FLUID, AND A REST POSITION IN WHICH THE IMPELLER IS MORE DISTANT FROM SAID INLET THAN IN SAID OPERATING POSITION TO OFFER LESS RESISTANCE TO THE FLOW OF FLUID; DRIVE MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED WITH SAID IMPELLER FOR ROTATING AND FOR AUTOMATICALLY MOVING THE SAME TO SAID OPERATING POSITION; MEANS FOR AUTOMATICALLY SHIFTING THE IMPELLER TO SAID REST POSITION WHEN THE IMPELLER IS NOT ROTATED BY SAID DRIVE MEANS; MEANS PROVIDED IN SAID CASING ADJACENT TO AND IN COMMUNICATION WITH SAID INLET AND DEFINING WITH SAID IMPELLER AT LEAST ON AUXILIARY PASSAGE FOR THE FLUID; AND VALVE MEANS CONNECTED TO AND MOVABLE WITH SAID IMPELLER TO A FIRST POSITION FOR SEALING SAID PASSAGE WHEN THE IMPELLER IS IN SAID OPERATING POSITION, SAID VALVE MEANS MOVABLE BY SAID SHIFTING MEANS TO A SECOND POSITION FOR EXPOSING SAID PASSAGE WHEN THE IMPELLER IS IN SAID REST POSITION WHEREBY THE FLOW OF FLUID BETWEEN SAID INLET AND SAID OUTLET IS LESS RESTRICTED WHEN THE IMPELLER IS MOVED TO SAID REST POSITION.