Importance

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Abstract

A sliding vane pump is provided with side plates disposed on opposing sides of the rotor with through holes and grooves in the side plates that cooperate with passageways disposed in the seal head and access head for providing fluid communication to the rotor bearings. As a result, the fluid being pumped is used to lubricate and cool the rotor bearings. Annular grooves disposed in the side plates provide further cooling and lubrication between the side plates and the rotor as well as between the side plates and the seal head and access head. The flow through the pump may be easily reversed by rotating the side plates 180.degree., switching flow through the passageways in the seal head and access head by plugging one passageway and opening another passageway as well as rotating the vanes 180.degree.. The reversal of the flow may be accomplished without disconnecting the companion piping, the prime mover or the electrical wiring. The side plates disposed on either side of the rotor are also interchangeable and present different wear surfaces to the rotor, depending upon the side of the rotor on which they are placed. Accordingly, the interchangeability of the side plates enables the side plates to be used on both sides of the rotor to extend the working life of the side plates. Galling between the cam and the case is avoided through the use of a tapered cam liner which limits the surface contact between the case and the cam liner.

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First Claim