Vane Pump Overview

While vane pumps can handle moderate viscosity liquids, they excel at handling low
viscosity liquids such as LP gas (propane), ammonia, solvents, alcohol, fuel oils, gasoline,
and refrigerants.  Vane pumps have no internal metal-to-metal contact and self-compensate
for wear, enabling them to maintain peak performance on these non-lubricating liquids. 
Though efficiency drops quickly, they can be used up to 500 cPs / 2,300 SSU.

Vane pumps are available in a number of vane configurations including sliding vane (left),
flexible vane, swinging vane, rolling vane, and external vane.  Vane pumps are noted for their
dry priming, ease of maintenance, and good suction characteristics over the life of the pump. 
Moreover, vanes can usually handle fluid temperatures from -32°C / -25°F to 260°C / 500°F
and differential pressures to 15 BAR / 200 PSI (higher for hydraulic vane pumps).

Each type of vane pump offers unique advantages.  For example, external vane pumps can
handle large solids.  Flexible vane pumps, on the other hand, can only handle small solids but
create good vacuum.  Sliding vane pumps can run dry for short periods of time and handle
small amounts of vapor.

How Vane Pumps Work

Despite the different configurations, most vane pumps operate under the
same general principle
described below.

1.  A slotted rotor is

eccentrically supported
in a cycloidal cam. 
The rotor is located
close to the wall of the
cam so a crescent-
shaped cavity is
formed.  The rotor is sealed into the cam by two sideplates.  Vanes or
blades fit within the slots of the impeller.  As the rotor rotates (yellow
arrow) and fluid enters the pump, centrifugal force, hydraulic pressure,
and/or pushrods push the vanes to the walls of the housing.  The tight seal
among the vanes, rotor, cam, and sideplate is the key to the good suction
characteristics common to the vane pumping principle.

2.  The housing and cam force fluid into the pumping chamber through
holes in the cam (small red arrow on the bottom of the pump).  Fluid
enters the pockets created by the vanes, rotor, cam, and sideplate.
3.  As the rotor continues around, the vanes sweep the fluid to the
opposite side of the crescent where it is squeezed through discharge holes
of the cam as the vane approaches the point of the crescent (small red
arrow on the side of the pump).  Fluid then exits the discharge port.

Advantages
 Handles thin liquids at
relatively higher pressures
 Compensates for wear through
vane extension
 Sometimes preferred for
solvents, LPG
 Can run dry for short periods
 Can have one seal or stuffing  
box
 Develops good vacuum
Disadvantages
 Can have two stuffing boxes
 Complex housing and many
parts
 Not suitable for high pressures
 Not suitable for high viscosity
 Not good with abrasives

Applications
 Aerosol and Propellants
 Aviation Service - Fuel Transfer, Deicing
 Auto Industry - Fuels, Lubes, Refrigeration Coolants
 Bulk Transfer of LPG and NH3
 LPG Cylinder Filling
 Alcohols
 Refrigeration - Freons, Ammonia
 Solvents
 Aqueous solutions

Materials Of Construction / Configuration

Options
 Externals (head, casing) - Cast iron, ductile iron, steel, and
stainless steel.
 Vane, Pushrods - Carbon graphite, PEEK®.
 End Plates - Carbon graphite
 Shaft Seal - Component mechanical seals, industry-standard
cartridge mechanical seals, and  magnetically-driven pumps.
  Packing - Available from some vendors, but not usually
recommended for thin liquid service

Manufacturers
 Viking Pump, Inc.
 Corken, Inc.

In a vane-type pump, a slotted rotor splined to a drive shaft rotates between closely fitted side
plates that are inside of an elliptical- or circular-shaped ring. Polished, hardened vanes slide
in and out of the rotor slots and follow the ring contour by centrifugal force. Pumping
chambers are formed between succeeding vanes, carrying oil from the inlet to the outlet. A
partial vacuum is created at the inlet as the space between vanes increases. The oil is
squeezed out at the outlet as the pumping chamber’s size decreases.

Because the normal wear points in a vane pump are the vane tips and a ring’s surface, the
vanes and ring are specially hardened and ground. A vane pump is the only design that has
automatic wear compensation built in. As wear occurs, the vanes simply slide farther out of
the rotor slots and continue to follow a ring’s contour. Thus efficiency remains high
throughout the life of the pump.

a. Characteristics. Displacement of a vane-type pump depends on the width of the ring and
rotor and the throw of the cam ring. Interchangeable rings are designed so a basic pump
converts to several displacements. Balanced design vane pumps all are fixed displacement.
An unbalanced design can be built in either a fixed- or variable-displacement pump. Vane
pumps have good efficiency and durability if operated in a clean system using the correct oil.
They cover the low to medium-high pressure, capacity, and speed ranges. Package size in
relation to output is small. A vane pump is generally quiet, but will whine at high speeds.

b. Unbalanced Vane Pumps. In the unbalanced design, (Figure 3-9), a cam ring’s shape is a
true circle that is on a different centerline from a rotor’s. Pump displacement depends on how
far a rotor and ring are eccentric. The advantage of a true-circle ring is that control can be
applied to vary the eccentricity and thus vary the displacement. A disadvantage is that an
unbalanced pressure at the outlet is effective against a small area of the rotor’s edge,
imposing side loads on the shaft. Thus there is a limit on a pump’s size unless very large
hearings and heavy supports are used.
Figure 3-9. Unbalanced vane pump

c. Balanced Vane Pumps. In the balanced design (Figure 3-10), a pump has a stationary,
elliptical cam ring and two sets of internal ports. A pumping chamber is formed between any
two vanes twice in each revolution. The two inlets and outlets are 180 degrees apart. Back
pressures against the edges of a rotor cancel each other. Recent design improvements that
allow high operating speeds and pressures have made this pump the most universal in the
mobile equipment field.

d. Double Pumps. Vane type double pumps (Figure 3- 11) consist of two separate pumping
devices. Each is contained in its own respective housing, mounted in tandem, and driven by a
common shaft. Each pump also has its own inlet and outlet ports, which may be combined by
using manifolds or piping. Design variations are available in which both cartridges are
contained within one body. An additional pump is sometimes attached to the head end to
supply auxiliary flow requirements.
Double pumps may be used to provide fluid flow for two separate circuits or combined for
flow requirements for a single circuit. Combining pump deliveries does not alter the
maximum pressure rating of either cartridge. Separate circuits require separate pressure
controls to limit maximum pressure in each circuit.

Figure 3-12, shows an installation in which double pumps are used to provide fluid flow for
operation of a cylinder in rapid advance and feed. In circuit B, two relief valves are used to
control pumping operation. In circuit A, one relief valve and one unloading valve are used to
control pumping operations. In both circuits, the deliveries of the pump cartridges are
combined after passing through the valves. This combined flow is directed to a four-way
valve and to the rest of the circuit.
In circuit B, an upper relief valve is vented when a cylinder rod reaches and trips a pilot
valve. A vented relief valve directs the delivery of a shaft end pump cartridge freely back to a
tank. Another relief valve controls the maximum pressure of a circuit. An unloading valve
and a relief valve in circuit A do the same operation. The output of both pump cartridges
combines to supply fluid for a rapid advance portion of a cycle. When the output of one
circuit returns to the tank, after reaching a certain point in the cycle, the other circuit
completes the advance portion of a cycle. Both pump outputs are then combined for rapid
return.

e. Two-Stage Pumps. Two-stage pumps consist of two separate pump assemblies contained in
one housing. The pump assemblies are connected so that flow from the outlet of one is
directed internally to the inlet of the other. Single inlet and outlet ports are used for system
connections. In construction, the pumps consist of separate pumping cartridges driven by a
common drive shaft contained in one housing. A dividing valve is used to equalize the
pressure load on each stage and correct for minor flow differences from either cartridge.

In operation, developing fluid flow for each cartridge is the same as for single pumps. Figure
3-13 shows fluid flow in a vane-type, two-stage pump. Oil from a reservoir enters a pump’s
inlet port and passes to the outlets of the first-stage pump cartridge. (Passages in a pump’s
body carry the discharge from this stage to an inlet of the second stage.) Outlet passages in
the second stage direct the oil to an outlet port of the pump. Passage U connects both
chambers on the inlet side of a second-stage pump and assures equal pressure in both
chambers. (Pressures are those that are imposed on a pump from external sources.)

A dividing valve (see Figure 3-13) consists of sliding pistons A and B. Piston A is exposed to
outlet pressure through passage V. Piston B is exposed to the pressure between stages
through passage W. The pistons respond to maintain a pressure load on a first-stage pump
equal to half the outlet pressure at a second-stage pump. If the discharge from the first stage
exceeds the volume that can be accepted at the second stage, a pressure rise occurs in passage
W. The unbalanced force acting on piston B causes the pistons to move in such a manner that
excess oil flows past piston B through passage Y to the inlet chamber of a first-stage
cartridge. Fluid throttling across piston B in this manner maintains pressure in passage V.
If the discharge from a first-stage pump is less than the volume required at a second stage
pump, a reduced pressure occurs at piston B. An unbalanced force acting on piston A causes
the pistons to move so that oil flows past piston A into passages X and W to replenish a
second-stage pump and correct the unbalanced condition. Passages Z and Y provide a means
for leakage around the pistons to return to the inlet chamber of a first-stage pump. Pistons A
and B always seek a position that equally divides the load between the two pumping units.

A gear pump uses the meshing of gears to pump fluid by displacement.[1] They are one of the
most common types of pumps for hydraulic fluid power applications. Gear pumps are also
widely used in chemical installations to pump fluid with a certain viscosity. There are two
main variations; external gear pumps which use two external spur gears, and internal gear
pumps which use an external and an internal spur gear. Gear pumps are positive displacement
(or fixed displacement), meaning they pump a constant amount of fluid for each revolution.
Some gear pumps are designed to function as either a motor or a pump.

Theory of operation
As

External gear pump design for hydraulic power applications.

Internal gear (Gerotor) pump design for automotive oil pumps.

Internal gear (Gerotor) pump design for high viscosity fluids.

Suction and pressure ports need to interface where the gears mesh (shown as dim gray lines
in the internal pump images). Some internal gear pumps have an additional, crescent shaped
seal (shown above, right).
Pump formulas:

 Flow rate in US gal/min = Fluid Density X Pump Capacity X rpm

 Power in hp = US gal/min X (lbf/in³)/1714

Generally used in:

 Petrochemicals: Pure or filled bitumen, pitch, diesel oil, crude oil, lube oil etc.
 Chemicals: Sodium silicate, acids, plastics, mixed chemicals, isocyanates etc.
 Paint and ink.
 Resins and adhesives.
 Pulp and paper: acid, soap, lye, black liquor, kaolin, lime, latex, sludge etc.
 Food: Chocolate, cacao butter, fillers, sugar, vegetable fats and oils, molasses, animal
food etc.