Editing Compressor (section)

====Rotary vane compressors====

[[Image:Rotary vane pump.svg|thumb|300px|Eccentric rotary-vane pump]]
{{See also|Rotary vane pump}}
'''Rotary vane compressors''' consist of a rotor with a number of blades inserted in radial slots in the rotor. The rotor is mounted offset in a larger housing that is either circular or a more complex shape. As the rotor turns, blades slide in and out of the slots keeping contact with the outer wall of the housing.<ref name=Perry/> Thus, a series of increasing and decreasing volumes is created by the rotating blades. Rotary vane compressors are, with piston compressors one of the oldest of compressor technologies.

With suitable port connections, the devices may be either a compressor or a vacuum pump. They can be either stationary or portable, can be single or multi-staged, and can be driven by electric motors or internal combustion engines. Dry vane machines are used at relatively low pressures (e.g., {{convert|2|bar|kPa psi|abbr=on|disp=or}}) for bulk material movement while oil-injected machines have the necessary volumetric efficiency to achieve pressures up to about {{convert|13|bar|kPa psi|abbr=on}} in a single stage. A rotary vane compressor is well suited to electric motor drive and is significantly quieter in operation than the equivalent piston compressor.

Rotary vane compressors can have mechanical efficiencies of about 90%.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.matteicomp.com/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100509233715/http://www.matteicomp.com/compressor-news.htm?id=165176063|url-status=dead|title=Rotary Vane Compressors and the Vane Compressor - Compressors for stationary industrial and OEM applications - Mattei|first=Mattei Compressors|last=Inc|archive-date=May 9, 2010|website=www.matteicomp.com}}</ref>