This disclosure is directed to compressors with hardened bearing surfaces, particularly laser-hardened bearing surfaces. Laser hardening can be used to precisely harden selected areas of the bearing surfaces of the compressor components. By hardening those selected areas, wear resistance can be improved and sliding wear can be reduced. This can result in thrust plates having different material structures configured to contact one another, such as one having a primarily pearlitic microstructure with the opposing thrust plate having a primarily martensitic microstructure. This can reduce adhesive wear by providing dissimilarity on the wearing surfaces.

A blower assembly includes, but is not limited to, a blower housing defining a blower chamber and including a gas inlet and a gas outlet; a first rotor positioned within the blower chamber and adapted for rotation therein, the first rotor including a first shaft and at least two lobes defining a first lobe profile; and a second rotor positioned within the blower chamber and adapted for rotation therein, the second rotor including a second shaft and at least two lobes defining a second lobe profile, wherein the first and second rotors are formed from a metal having a coefficient of thermal expansion from about 1 (10.sup.−6 in/in*K) to about 13 (10.sup.−6 in/in*K), and wherein at least one of the outer surface of the first rotor, the outer surface of the second rotor, or the blower chamber includes a coating.

Oleophobic and/or philic surface(s) are utilized for oil separation, direction, and/or collection in a refrigeration system. Surfaces of component(s) of a refrigeration system (compressor, oil separator, evaporator, etc.) are produced to be oleophobic or philic. The oleophobic and/or philic surfaces are utilized to direct a flow path of oil within the refrigeration system or to prevent oil connection in an area. Refrigerant phobic and/or lubricant phobic material(s) also may be utilized to help promote separation of refrigerant vapor from refrigerant liquid and/or from oil in refrigeration systems.

A scroll compressor comprising a fixed scroll (15); an orbiting scroll (16) supported in a manner allowing for orbiting motion; a discharge port through which a fluid compressed by the two scrolls (15, 16) is discharged; an end plate step portion (16E) provided on an end plate of the orbiting scroll (16) formed so that a height of the end plate is higher on a center portion side in the direction of a spiral wrap and lower on an outer end side; and a wrap step portion (15E) provided on a wall portion of the fixed scroll (15) that corresponds to the end plate step portion (16E) so that a height of the wall portion is lower on the center portion side of the spiral and higher on the outer end side; wherein the orbiting scroll (16) is treated for surface hardening and the fixed scroll (15) is not treated for surface hardening.

The present invention relates to a dry-running, oil-free orbiter vacuum pump, on which a friction-optimized surface is provided on components. The dry-running orbiter vacuum pump comprises inter alia a pump housing with a cylindrical pump chamber and an orbiter eccentric piston with a guide slot and a cylindrical exterior surface, a cylindrical cross-section of the orbiter eccentric piston being smaller than a cylindrical cross-section of the pump chamber. At at least one of a radial air gap and an axial air gap formed in the cylindrical pump chamber between the orbiter eccentric piston and the pump housing at least one sliding surface is arranged in a manner exposed to the air gap; wherein the at least one sliding surface comprises a microstructure including cavities for decreasing an exposed surface of the at least one sliding surface.

A vane pump including: a housing having a pump chamber; a rotor having a cylindrical peripheral wall portion accommodated in the pump chamber and having a pair of vane holding grooves facing each other in a diameter direction, and an oil chamber defined inside the peripheral wall portion to store lubricating oil; and a vane that is held in the pair of vane holding grooves and moves across the oil chamber in the diameter direction, is provided. At least one of an inner surface of the housing and an end face of the peripheral wall portion, which together with the inner surface defines a sliding interface, has an oil groove for the lubricating oil.

A scroll compressor comprising a fixed scroll (15); an orbiting scroll (16) supported in a manner allowing for orbiting motion; a discharge port through which a fluid compressed by the two scrolls (15, 16) is discharged; an end plate step portion (16E) provided on an end plate of the orbiting scroll (16) formed so that a height of the end plate is higher on a center portion side in the direction of a spiral wrap and lower on an outer end side; and a wrap step portion (15E) provided on a wall portion of the fixed scroll (15) that corresponds to the end plate step portion (16E) so that a height of the wall portion is lower on the center portion side of the spiral and higher on the outer end side; wherein the orbiting scroll (16) is treated for surface hardening and the fixed scroll (15) is not treated for surface hardening.

Nuclear abrasive slurry waste pump systems, devices, and methods for retrieving waste materials and/or other material from storage tanks with liquefied tank material. The systems, devices and methods can work with tanks having high temperature conditions up to approximately 212 degrees Fahrenheit or low temperature conditions down to approximately 32 degrees Fahrenheit.

A sliding contact assembly includes a first surface and a second surface. The second surface of the sliding contact assembly is configured to slide over the first surface, and at least a portion of the second surface contacts the first surface to form at an interface between the first surface and the second surface. The sliding contact assembly also includes a plurality of textures on the portion of the second surface that contacts the first surface. A density of the plurality of textures is not uniform over the portion of the second surface that contacts the first surface. The sliding contact assembly can include apex seal to housing interfaces in rotary engines, roller to roller interfaces, roller to housing interfaces, bearing to surface interfaces, etc.

A method for manufacturing a compressor scroll that appropriately impinges cavitation bubbles on target regions of a scroll. The method includes the step of water jet peening by jetting cavitation bubbles generated underwater by a water jet at a first side of an end plate (13A) of the scroll (13), with a center (P1, P2, P3) of the cavitation bubbles being offset from a center (O) of the spiral shape of a wall portion (13B) on the end plate (13A) and the step portion (13Aa) and the stepped portion (13Ba) positioned at an outer peripheral portion of the cavitation bubbles (C).