Vane controlling system for rotary sliding vane compressor

Claim 1

A rotary sliding vane compressor comprising: a casing defining a closed cavity having a cylindrical wall and a pair of spaced parallel end walls; a slotted rotor eccentrically positioned within said cavity to define with said cylindrical wall and said end walls a crescent-shaped compression chamber, and having a drive shaft journalled in said end walls; a plurality of vanes slidably mounted in the slots of said rotor; suction and discharge ports communicating with said compression chamber; and a lubricating system including an oil reservoir which supplies oil to an oil pump which then delivers pressurized oil into said slots behind said vanes to urge said vanes toward and in sealed engagement with said cylindrical wall when said drive shaft is driven, thereby to compress a gaseous fluid introduced through said suction port and to discharge that fluid through said discharge port at a higher pressure, the inlet of said oil pump communicating with said oil reservoir via an oil supply passageway sized to create cavitation in an amount which increases as drive shaft speed increases thereby controlling the oil pressure delivered to said slots so that the total force, as contributed by both the oil pressure and by centrifugal action, holding each of said vanes against said cylindrical wall is maintained within desired limits as the drive speed changes.