Method and apparatus for controlling compressor valves in a piston compressor
AssigneeHoerbiger Ventilwerke Aktiengesellschaft
InventorPeter Steinruck
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method and apparatus for reducing the loading impact between a sealing element in a suction valve of a piston compressor with a valve stop, wherein the sealing element is forcibly opened using a control device shortly before attaining pressure balance between cylinder and suction chambers of the compressor.
Claims16
In a piston compressor assembly which includes a gas cylinder, a gas piston movable therein and a suction valve attached to said gas cylinder to control flow of gas into a chamber formed in said gas cylinder from an external suction chamber based on location and movement of said gas piston in said gas cylinder, said suction valve including a valve seat, a stop and a sealing member movable between said valve seat and said stop to open or close said suction valve, the improvement wherein a control apparatus is cooperable with said sealing member to move said sealing member away from said valve seat to open said suction valve prior to said valve member being opened by suction created in said chamber by movement of said gas piston, said control apparatus comprising a hydraulic cylinder containing a reciprocatingly movable hydraulic piston that is connected to a lift lug which can contact said valve member when positioned on said valve seat, a hydraulic pressure medium supply means, a control device for controlling whether hydraulic medium is supplied from said hydraulic pressure medium supply means to said hydraulic cylinder to move said hydraulic piston and thus said lift lug in a first direction against said valve member to open said suction valve, or removed from said hydraulic cylinder to enable said piston and thus said lift lug to move in a direction opposite said first direction, an evaluating unit connected to said control device to control operation thereof, and detector means for sensing location and movement of said gas piston in said gas cylinder, said detector means being connected to said evaluating unit.
A control apparatus for controlling the movement of a sealing element between a seat and a stop of a suction valve operatively connected to a gas cylinder of a piston compressor, said control apparatus comprising a hydraulic cylinder which includes a hydraulic piston therein mounting a lift lug contacting said sealing element;
- a control device for regulating flow of hydraulic medium to and away from said hydraulic cylinder and control movement of said hydraulic piston, said control device including a 2/3 port directional control valve;
- an evaluating unit connected to control operation of said 2/3 port directional control valve, and means connected to said evaluating unit for determining the position of a gas piston reciprocatingly movable in said gas cylinder.
A method of controlling opening movement of a sealing element from a valve seat towards a stop in a suction valve connected to a chamber in a gas cylinder of a piston compressor assembly, said gas cylinder including a gas piston which reciprocatingly moves in said gas cylinder to alternatively pressurize said chamber and close said suction valve and then depressurize said chamber and open said suction valve and enable gas from an external suction chamber to flow therethrough into said cylinder chamber, said method comprising the steps of (a) sensing the positioning of the gas piston in said gas cylinder, and (b) pushing said sealing element off said valve seat and towards said stop prior to movement of said gas piston in said gas cylinder causing gas pressure in said cylinder chamber to decrease to equality with the gas pressure in said external suction chamber.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.