Poppet Valve Assembly, System, and Apparatus for Use in High Speed Compressor Applications

A compressor system, the compressor system comprising:

• a high-speed gas compressor operable at speeds of at least 600 rpm, said high-speed compressor further comprising a high-speed poppet valve assembly, wherein the high-speed poppet valve assembly comprises:
• a high-speed cage plate, said high-speed cage plate including a plurality of counter bores disposed therein wherein each counter bore has an open end and a bottom in the high-speed cage plate;
• a plurality of high-speed poppet elements, each high-speed poppet element including a guide stem having an outer stem diameter and a mushroom shaped head with a smooth continuous sealing surface, wherein the head has a maximum diameter that is both less than approximately 0.9 inches and larger than the outer stem diameter, and wherein the guide-stem is disposed proximate to a cage plate wall of one of said counter bores in a guide relationship with said counter bore;
• a coil spring disposed in a hollow portion of the guide-stem having bias characteristics suitable for a high-speed poppet-head operation;
• a high-speed seat plate overlying said high-speed cage, said high-speed seat plate including a plurality of through bores axially aligned with the plurality of counter bores of the high-speed cage, wherein each of the plurality of through bores is sized to have a smaller diameter than the maximum diameter of the head;
• and
• a lift spacer disposed in at least one of said plurality of counter bores wherein said lift spacer limits axial movement and controls lift of said guide stem to an amount less than the length of said cage plate and an amount suitable for high-speed poppet-head operation.