Patent ID: 6623261
Filing Date: 2003-09-23
Classification: F01C,F04C

Abstract:
A vane displacement apparatus comprising:a) a stator housing having a right cylindrical bore therethrough, said bore having a preselected diameter, a preselected longitudinal axis and extent, and a generally continuous inner surface curved concentrically around said longitudinal axis; b) first and second stator end plate means connectable to said housing at each end of said bore to define an enclosed right cylindrical space within said housing having a preselected longitudinal length, said first and second endplate means each having inwardly-facing flat surfaces normal to said longitudinal axis; c) rotor shaft means eccentrically positioned in said bore and supported by bearing means in said end plate means for rotation about a rotor shaft axis parallel to but spaced a preselected distance from said longitudinal axis; d) a right cylindrically-shaped rotor positioned in said bore, mounted on and connected to said rotor shaft means so as to rotate integrally therewith about said rotor shaft axis, said rotor having (i) two axial ends, each having flat surfaces normal to said rotor shaft axis, (ii) a longitudinal length preselected to be substantially the same as said preselected longitudinal extent of said enclosed space within said bore, and (iii) a radially extending slot having a preselected slot width and terminating at the outer periphery of said rotor, said slot at least in part also extending longitudinally between said two axial ends of said rotor; e) first and second anti-friction radial vane guide assemblies, each assembly having a rotational axis and further comprising an outer race having a preselected diameter, an inner race concentrically and rotatably mounted within said outer race, said first and second assemblies being respectively mounted in said first and second end plate means with the rotational axes thereof being concentric with said preselected longitudinal axis of said stator housing; f) attachment means connected to one of said races of said first and second vane guide assemblies; g) a vane, at least a portion thereof having a generally rectangular shape with a longitudinal length preselected to be essentially the same as said longitudinal length of said rotor, a thickness preselected to permit said vane to slidably fit within said rotor slot and an outer tip surface, said vane being connected to said attachment means and being positioned within said rotor slot with said outer tip surface thereof being adjacent to said inner surface of said bore in a non-contacting but sealing relationship; h) gas inlet mounting means and gas outlet mounting means on said housing, said gas inlet and outlet mounting means being respectively positioned on opposite sides of a plane defined by said rotor and longitudinal axes; i) means for rotating said assembled rotor and vane relative to said housing; and j) means for axially adjusting said flat surfaces of said axial ends of said rotor relative to said flat surfaces of said stator endplate means to provide preselected sealing but non-contacting relationships between said stator endplate means and said axial ends of said rotor.