Compressor installation having a control valve arrangement for independently switching compression chambers between delivery partial delivery and idle operation

Abstract

An installation for the production of pressure has three operating states corresponding to a delivery operation, an idle operation, and a partial delivery operation. The installation contains at least two compression chambers in at least one compressor, each chamber being assigned at least one switchable inlet valve. In the delivery operation, the switchable inlet valves act as check-valves that allow pressure medium to flow into their respective compression chambers. Each compression chamber also contains at least one outlet check valve through which compressed pressure medium flows out to a pressure consuming system in the delivery operation. Each switchable inlet valve also has an idling position that allows pressure medium to flow into the applicable compression chamber and back out again without being substantially compressed. In the idle operation of the installation, each switchable inlet valve switches to its idling position. In the partial delivery operation, one of the switchable inlet valves independently switches to its idling position, while the other inlet valve remains in its rest position, thus resulting in only partial delivery of the pressure medium to the pressure consuming system.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.