Self venting piston plugs

A reciprocating compressor, comprising:

• a housing having a bore;
• a piston slidably disposed in the bore, the piston connected to a crankshaft and responsive to reciprocating motion from the crankshaft, the piston comprising a piston cavity,
• wherein the piston and the bore define a chamber therebetween, the piston having an inner surface in fluidic communication with the chamber and an outer surface opposite the inner surface;
• and
• a piston plug for venting gaseous working fluid from the piston cavity while restricting exit of non-fluidic debris material from the piston cavity, the piston plug disposed in a plug hole defined on the outer surface, the piston plug being retained in the plug hole via an interference fit between the piston plug and the plug hole, and the piston plug defining a non-collinear flowpath configured to restrict non-fluidic material from passing therethrough, the piston plug comprising:
• a cylindrical body having a longitudinal axis and defining:
• a partially drilled hole extending radially inward from an outer cylindrical surface of the cylindrical body, the partially drilled hole having a central axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis,
• a first channel in fluidic communication with a first circular surface of the cylindrical body and the partially drilled hole,
• a second channel in fluidic communication with a second circular surface of the cylindrical body and the partially drilled hole, the second circular surface being opposite the first circular surface, and
• a first straight thread defined on the outer cylindrical surface and having a first thread profile, the first straight thread configured to provide the interference fit with a second straight thread defined on an inner surface of the plug hole, the second straight thread having a second thread profile that is different than the first thread profile;
• a ball and a spring disposed in the hole,
• wherein, when a pressure of gaseous working fluid in the cavity defined by the piston of the reciprocating compressor reaches or exceeds a predetermined value, the ball is dislodged from a valve seat and gaseous working fluid in the piston cavity escapes via the non-collinear flowpath in the piston plug,
• wherein the non-collinear flowpath is effective to prevent the non-fluidic debris material from exiting the piston of the reciprocating compressor along with the gaseous working fluid that escapes via the non-collinear flowpath;
• a fastener disposed in the hole and configured to retain the ball and the spring in the hole,
• wherein at least a portion of the partially drilled hole, the first channel, and the second channel form the non-collinear flowpath;
• and
• wherein when the piston plug is installed in the piston, the first circular surface is flush with the outer surface of the piston, wherein a notch diametrically traverses the first surface, the notch arranged to apply a screwing rotation about the central axis to the piston plug so that, when the piston plug is being installed in the piston, the piston plug is rotated relative to the plug hole in the piston and thus effect the interference fit of the first straight thread with the second straight thread defined on the inner surface of the plug hole,
• wherein a notch diametrically traverses from side-to-side the first surface of the piston plug, the notch defined by a cross-section centrally arranged relative to the longitudinal axis of the piston plug,
• wherein the second channel constitutes an inlet channel to receive the gaseous working fluid in the position cavity into the non-collinear flowpath, and wherein the first channel constitutes an outlet channel for gaseous working fluid exiting the non-collinear flowpath through the piston plug,
• wherein the inlet channel extends along a longitudinal channel axis offset from the longitudinal axis of the piston plug and spaced-apart form the notch.