Clubhead Vane Pump With Balanced Vanes

A fluid pump, comprising:

• a housing comprising:
• an inlet port and an outlet port;
• a cam block having an inner surface comprised of two minor radii different from two major radii on the common center axis, and four developed curved surfaces connecting the two minor radii with the two major radii;
• a plurality of vanes, each vane comprising:
• a vane shank having a leading shank edge and a trailing shank edge;
• and,
• a vane head having a curved outer side, the curved side in contact with the cam block inner surface to separate a corresponding high fluid pressure region of a plurality of high pressure regions from a corresponding low pressure region of a plurality of low pressure regions;
• a rotor having a central axis substantially aligned with the center axis of the cam block inner surface and comprising:
• a plurality of vane slots, each vane slot comprising:
• a leading slot edge;
• a trailing slot edge substantially parallel to the leading slot edge, and spaced apart from the leading slot edge to accommodate the vane shank of one of the plurality of vanes;
• a cavity at the radial inboard side of each slot forming a fluid path within the vane slot;
• and
• fluid flow passages axially disposed on each side of the cam block with fluid passages communicating with the housing inlet and outlet ports and cavities formed by the cam inner surface, the rotor outside diameter and adjacent vanes and rotor cavities at the inboard side of each vane slot, wherein each vane of the plurality of vanes contacts the cam block inner surface at a contact point on the vane head controlled by the rotor vane slot position and the vane head outer curved surface, the contact point being located relative to the vane shank edge when the vane is radially aligned with the major radius and minor radius, and the contact point being located rotationally to create a controlled radial force between the vane head curved surface and the cam block inner surface.