Rotary feeder for flowable materials

A rotary feeder comprising:

• a housing having an inlet, an outlet, and a chamber between said inlet and said outlet;
• a rotor installed in said chamber and having a shaft journalled in said housing, two spaced-apart end walls carded by the shaft, flanking said inlet and said outlet and having peripheral surfaces adjacent said housing, and vanes extending from said shaft between said end walls, each of said end walls defining with said housing a fluid-containing additional chamber wherein the pressure at least matches the pressure in said plenum chambers;;
• a sealing device between each of said peripheral surfaces and said housing, each of said sealing devices comprising a ring-shaped seal disposed and radially movable in a radial groove of said housing adjacent the respective peripheral surfaces and means for biasing said ring-shaped seal against the respective peripheral surfaces, each of said biasing means comprises an elastomeric seat in the respective radial groove, each of said seals being disposed between the respective seat and the respective peripheral surface;
• a gasket provided in said housing adjacent each of said peripheral surfaces, each of said rings defining with said housing, with the respective peripheral surface and with the respective seal an annular plenum chamber and said housing having means for supplying a pressurized fluid into said plenum chambers, wherein said gaskets are disposed between said seals as seen in the axial direction of said shaft, said gaskets and the respective peripheral surfaces defining fluid conveying paths, each of said seals being disposed between the respective plenum chamber and the respective additional chamber as seen in the axial direction of said shaft;
• and
• channels connecting said plenum chambers with the respective additional chambers, at least one of said channels being provided in the respective end wall.

A rotary feeder comprising:

• a housing having an inlet, an outlet, and a chamber between said inlet and said outlet;
• a rotor installed in said chamber and having a shaft journalled in said housing, two spaced-apart end walls carried by the shaft, flanking said inlet and said outlet and having peripheral surfaces adjacent said housing, and vanes extending from said shaft between said end walls;
• and
• a sealing device between each of said peripheral surfaces and said housing, each of said sealing devices comprising a ring-shaped seal disposed and radially movable in a radial groove of said housing adjacent the respective peripheral surfaces and means for biasing said ring-shaped seal against the respective peripheral surfaces, wherein said shaft has at least one stub and further comprising antifriction bearing means including at least one antifriction bearing surrounding said at least one stub and installed in said housing, said housing having a fourth housing section adjacent said at least one bearing and including two portions and a slit between said portions, and further comprising means for clamping said portions of said fourth housing section to each other in a direction to narrow said slit.