The pumps that are used as hydraulic pumps with high-pressure are known as vane pumps. They are also used in automobiles for air conditioning, power steering, automatic transmission and supercharging. Vane pumps are designed with flexible displacement discs and they are better than fixed displacement pumps. The centreline distance between the rotor and the eccentric ring can be used to determine the displacement capacity of a vane pump.
These pumps are also used for other applications that require mid-range pressures. The carbonator for espresso machines and soft-drink dispensers also designed with these types of vane pumps. Even though they are more suitable for high and mid pressure applications, low-pressure applications also incorporate vane pumps.
The Different Applications of Dry Vane Pump
There are different types of vane pumps available in the market and such pumps are designed with a circular rotor. The dry vane pump with the rotary is the most popular type of vane pump. A few features that these pumps must have are that they should be robust, reliable, have oil-less operation, silencers, dischargers, quiet, long life, cool operations and with inlet filters.
Those applications that have positive displacements make use of vane pumps as they can easily handle low viscosity and thin liquids like petrol and water. However, these pumps cannot work well with fluids and they are highly viscous because the vanes cannot move freely in those slots. The vane pumps can wide ranges of viscosity and are very popularly used at terminals for fuel loading, alcohol, soft drinks, solvents, vehicles that transport fuels, etc.
Another big advantage of a dry vane pump is that it can handle wide ranges of pressures and temperatures as well. The different configurations make it possible to handle such fluids. Usually constructed with metal rotors and ductile iron castings, these pumps are also often used for cleaning hydrocarbons such as light oils and gas.
What Are the Advantages of Dry Vane Pumps?
Regardless of the applications and specifications, there are certain advantages and disadvantages of vane pumps.
Certain advantages of dry vane pumps are:
- Characteristics of a good vacuum
- For a shorter period of time, they can also run dry
- The sliding contact makes it’s a perfect option for liquids that are thin
- The wear through is compensated through the vane extension
Certain disadvantages of dry vane pumps are:
- It is not a good product for an abrasive application
- It has many parts and a complex housing
- These pumps are not good for high viscosity or high-pressure application
Choosing the Right Dry Vane Pump:
- It is important to choose the pumps for the correct fluids because they can only work properly if they are being used with the correct fluid for a specific application. The fluids that are thick and have high-viscosity will reduce the pump’s speed and you cannot use such dry vane pumps for the fluid filtration process. Gear pumps are also used to pump oils with low viscosity, but vane pumps are a better alternative in comparison.
- The manufacturers of vane pump design and manufacture them in different manners and thus they have different specifications. This is why it is very important to review the specifications of the pumps that are provided by the suppliers. It makes it easier to choose a pump for a specific application.
Apart from being a good choice for applications with low viscosity, they can also be maintained very easily and are good for dry priming. There are different types of configurations of vane pumps such as rolling vane, external vane, swinging vane, flexible vane, and sliding vane.
