Compressed Air technology
Rotary Vane
Sliding vanes. Compact, quiet, direct drive.
Schematic section, not to scale
How it works
Rotary vane compressors compress air with vanes that slide in and out of a rotor turning off-centre in a cylinder. They suit small to mid-sized plants that want a compact, quiet, slow-turning machine.
An eccentric rotor carries sliding vanes that seal against the cylinder wall. The cells between the vanes shrink as the rotor turns, compressing the air; injected oil seals, cools and lubricates.
Performance range
Roughly 2-100+ hp; typical working pressure around 100-150 psig
Typical industry range. Exact capability is model specific, see each model’s curve.
In the catalogue · 141 models from 5 manufacturers
- Motor power
- 1 – 630 kW · 133 models
- Weight
- 15 – 10,900 kg · 109 models
- Noise level
- 61 – 84 dB(A) · 102 models
- Free air delivery
- 7.2 – 4,600 m³/h · 94 models
- Max. pressure
- 1 – 15 bar · 15 models
Spread of each model’s own rated figure, as published by its manufacturer.
Advantages & tradeoffs
- Low speed and low noise
- Few moving parts
- Compact direct drive
- Vane wear over time
- Oil service
- Smaller size range than screw
Best applications
Maintenance
Oil and filter changes, air filter, vane inspection, cooler cleaning.
Energy characteristics
Specific-energy comparisons (kW per unit of flow at your operating point) appear here as sourced performance curves are added. Until then, compare models directly on the Performance Map.
Open the Performance Map