Sliding Vane:  top 
Operation of Sliding (Rotary) Vane Compressor
A sliding (rotary) vane compressor has a solid rotor mounted inside a water jacketed cylinder, similar to that of a jacketed water section of a reciprocating cylinder. The water jacket around the cylinder is used for cooling. The rotor is filled with blades that are free to move in and out of the longitudinal slots in the rotor. Blade configurations range from 8 to 12 blades, depending upon manufacturer and pressure differentials. The blades are forced out against the cylinder wall by centrifugal force, creating individual cells of gas which are compressed as the rotor turns. As it approaches the discharge port, this area is reduced and the gas discharged.

Typical Applications
Sliding (rotary) vane compressors are designed to be utilized in very harsh environments. When it comes to vapor recovery, landfill gas, and other low ratio and discharge pressure applications, the sliding vane compressor is typically the most commonly used due to the lubrication system. 

Features
Unlike other types of compressors where the lube oil is mixed with the gas stream and then re-used, the lubrication system of a sliding vane is once thru lubrication, thus not contaminating or breaking down the oil viscosity. The sliding (rotary) vane design does not have critical tolerances, due to the use of blades. Since a sliding (rotary) vane does not operate at close tolerances, it's life expectancy exceeds those compressor designs that depend on close tolerance.

  VR Systems utilizes the following manufacturers' sliding vane compressors: