Patent ID: 7097437

Claim:
A rotary fluid machine comprising a rotor chamber ( 14 ) formed in a casing ( 11 ), a rotor ( 41 ) rotatably housed within the rotor chamber ( 14 ), a plurality of vane channels ( 49 ) formed radially in the rotor ( 41 ), and a plurality of vanes ( 48 ) slidably supported in the respective vane channels ( 49 ); the vanes ( 48 ) being supported in a floating state by a hydrostatic bearing formed by supplying a liquid-phase working medium to sliding surfaces of the vane channels ( 49 ) and the vanes ( 48 ), and the rotary fluid machine interconverting the rotational energy of the rotor ( 41 ) and the pressure energy of a gas-phase working medium supplied to vane chambers ( 75 ) defined by the rotor ( 41 ), the casing ( 11 ), and the vanes ( 48 ); wherein a liquid-phase working medium guide channel ( 43 g ) is formed in the vane channels ( 49 ) of the rotor ( 41 ) so as to surround a part of the hydrostatic bearing, and the liquid-phase working medium supplied to the hydrostatic bearing is captured by the liquid-phase working medium guide channel ( 43 g ) so as to prevent the liquid-phase working medium from flowing into the vane chambers ( 75 ).