Air compressor

An air compressor assembly comprising:

• a cylinder block group having a head deck, the cylinder block group defining an internal cavity, at least a portion of the interior cavity forming a sump;
• a crankshaft rotatably disposed in the interior cavity;
• a lubricant disposed in the sump;
• a piston kit group having a cylinder and a piston kit, the cylinder being received through the head deck and defining a piston bore, the piston kit including a piston, a wrist pin and a connecting rod, the piston being slidably received in the piston bore, the wrist pin connecting the piston to a first end of the connecting rod, a second end of the connecting rod being coupled to the crankshaft;
• and
• a member associated with the crankshaft, the member moving through the lubricant in the sump to thereby sling the lubricant outwardly from the sump such that a first portion of the slung lubricant collects on at least one of the piston bore and the piston to lubricate an interface between the piston and the cylinder and a second portion of the slung lubricant draws heat from the cylinder from a surface other than the piston bore;
• wherein the cylinder is configured to collect the second portion of the slung lubricant and control the flow of the second portion of the slung lubricant as it drains back to the sump.

A method for rejecting heat from an air compressor, the air compressor comprising a cylinder block group, a crankshaft, a lubricant and a piston kit, the cylinder block group having a head deck and defining an internal cavity, at least a portion of the interior cavity forming a sump, the crankshaft being rotatably disposed in the interior cavity, the lubricant being disposed in the sump, the piston kit group having a cylinder and a piston kit, the cylinder being received through the head deck and defining a piston bore, the piston kit including a piston, a wrist pin and a connecting rod, the piston being slidably received in the piston bore, the wrist pin connecting the piston to a first end of the connecting rod, a second end of the connecting rod being coupled to the crankshaft, the method comprising:

• rotating the crankshaft to reciprocate the piston in the cylinder to alternately intake air into the cylinder and compress the air, wherein rotation of the crankshaft moves a member associated with the crankshaft through the lubricant in the sump such that the member slings lubricant outwardly;
• discharging the compressed air from the cylinder;
• collecting a portion of the slung lubricant on an exterior surface of the cylinder;
• and
• directing the collected portion of the slung lubricant to flow about the exterior surface in a predetermined manner to permit heat to be rejected from the cylinder to the collected portion of the slung lubricant.

An air compressor assembly comprising:

• a crankcase including a head deck and defining an internal cavity, at least a portion of the interior cavity forming a sump;
• a crankshaft rotatably disposed in the interior cavity;
• a lubricant disposed in the sump;
• a compression cylinder including an exterior surface principally surrounded by the internal cavity and an inner surface defining a piston bore;
• a piston kit including a piston, a wrist pin and a connecting rod, the piston being slidably received in the piston bore, the wrist pin connecting the piston to a first end of the connecting rod, a second end of the connecting rod being coupled to the crankshaft;
• and
• a head assembly coupled to the crankcase, the head assembly including an outlet valve;
• wherein the piston reciprocates in the cylinder to compress air that is disposed between the compression cylinder, the piston and the head assembly and wherein the valve opens to release compressed air in the compression cylinder when a pressure of the compressed air in the compression cylinder exceeds a predetermined pressure.

An air compressor assembly comprising:

• a cylinder block defining a shaft aperture, a cylinder and an internal cavity;
• a cover coupled to the cylinder block to close the internal cavity, the cover defining a wall member, a bearing hub, and a breather labyrinth, the bearing hub being coupled to the wall member, the breather labyrinth including a pair of sidewalls, a plurality of baffle plates and an outlet, the plurality of sidewalls and the plurality of baffle plates cooperating with the wall member to form a breather space;
• a first main bearing received in the shaft aperture and coupled to the cylinder block;
• a second main bearing received in the bearing hub;
• a crankshaft supported for rotation in the internal cavity by the first and second main bearings;
• a piston received in the cylinder;
• a connecting rod coupling the piston to the crankshaft;
• a valve assembly in fluid communication with the cylinder;
• and
• a cover gasket disposed between the cylinder block and the cover, the cover gasket closing a side of the breather labyrinth opposite the wall member, the cover gasket including an inlet aperture that is in fluid communication with the internal cavity and the breather space;
• wherein the piston reciprocates in the cylinder to compress air that is disposed therein, and wherein the valve opens to release compressed air in the cylinder when a pressure of the compressed air in the cylinder exceeds a predetermined pressure.