A question has been asked here before whether sliding vane compressors could be used in place of axial compressors on jet engines since they have a high compression ratio per stage (Por que os compressores de palhetas rotativas nunca foram usados em motores a jato?), the answer being that the sliding seal would give out at the RPMs required.
Que tal um liquid ring pump?
It's essentially a sliding vane compressor where the seal is provided by the mass of liquid moving along the circumference. Is it possible to maintain a mass flow of the same order as axial compressors with these? Please ignore the question of cooling of the liquid for the purpose of this discussion.