# US 9,518,579 B2 · Oil flooded compressor having motor operated temperature controlled mixing valve

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- Number: US 9,518,579 B2
- Document ID: US9518579B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 13/580,291
- Filed: 2010-10-28
- Published: 2013-03-07
- Granted: 2016-12-13
- Earliest claimed: 2010-01-22
- Assignees: Ingersoll-Rand Company
- Applicants: Paul A. Scarpinato; Sudhir Sreedharan; James D. Mehaffey; Paul A. Kirkpatrick
- Inventors: Paul A. Scarpinato; Sudhir Sreedharan; James D. Mehaffey; Paul A. Kirkpatrick
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9518579B2

## CPC

- F04B 49/22: by means of valves (F04B49/03 takes precedence)
- F01M 5/007: {Thermostatic control}
- F04B 49/06: Control using electricity (regulating by means of floats actuating electric switches F04B49/04)
- F04B 53/08: Cooling; Heating; Preventing freezing
- F04B 53/18: Lubricating
- F04C 29/0007: {Injection of a fluid in the working chamber for sealing, cooling and lubricating (sealing only F04C27/00; lubrication only F04C29/02; cooling F02B47/02, F02D21/00, F02M25/00)}
- F04C 29/021: {Control systems for the circulation of the lubricant}
- F04C 29/04: Heating; Cooling (of machines or engines in general F01P); Heat insulation (heat insulation in general F16L59/00)
- F16K 11/0716: {with fluid passages through the valve member (F16K11/0704, F16K11/0708, F16K11/0712 take precedence)}
- G05D 23/023: {the sensing element being placed outside a regulating fluid flow}
- G05D 23/1931: {to control the temperature of one space}
- Y10T 137/7737: Thermal responsive
- F04B: POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; PUMPS (machines for liquids, or pumps, of rotary-piston or oscillating-piston type F04C; non-positive-displacement pumps F04D; pumping of fluid by direct contact of another fluid or by using inertia of fluid to be pumped F04F)
- F01M: LUBRICATING OF MACHINES OR ENGINES IN GENERAL; LUBRICATING INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES; CRANKCASE VENTILATING
- F04C: ROTARY-PISTON, OR OSCILLATING-PISTON, POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS (engines F03C); ROTARY-PISTON, OR OSCILLATING-PISTON, POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT PUMPS
- F16K: VALVES; TAPS; COCKS; ACTUATING-FLOATS; DEVICES FOR VENTING OR AERATING {(devices for emptying and evacuating the excess liquid in valves or conduits F16L55/07)}
- G05D: SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES
- Y10T: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION

## Abstract

A thermal control valve for use in a lubricant flooded compressor system including a controller that generates a control signal includes a valve body including a hot coolant inlet, a cooled coolant inlet, a mixed coolant outlet, an actuator space, and a cylinder bore. A sleeve is positioned within the cylinder bore and is movable between a first position, a second position, and a third position, and an electrical actuator is at least partially disposed within the actuator space and is operable in response to the control signal to move the sleeve between the first position, the second position, and the third position.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A thermal control valve for use in a lubricant flooded compressor system including a controller that generates a control signal, the thermal control valve comprising:
a valve body including a hot coolant inlet, a cooled coolant inlet, a mixed coolant outlet, an actuator space, and a cylinder bore;
a sleeve positioned within the cylinder bore and movable between a first position, a second position, and a third position; and
an electrical actuator at least partially disposed within the actuator space and operable in response to the control signal to slidably move the sleeve between the first position, the second position, and the third position;
wherein the hot coolant inlet defines a first flow area and the cooled coolant inlet defines a second flow area that is larger than the first flow area; and
wherein the sleeve in the first position completely covers the cooled coolant inlet and completely uncovers the hot coolant inlet, and wherein the sleeve in the second position partially uncovers the cooled coolant inlet and completely covers the hot coolant inlet, and wherein the sleeve in the third position completely uncovers the cooled coolant inlet and completely covers the hot coolant inlet.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The thermal control valve of claim 1, wherein the electrical actuator includes a stepper motor.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The thermal control valve of claim 2, further comprising a lead screw rotatably coupled to the stepper motor and threadably engaged with the sleeve to move the sleeve between the first position, the second position, and the third position in response to rotation of the stepper motor.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The thermal control valve of claim 1, wherein a flow of hot coolant is delivered to the valve at the hot coolant inlet, a flow of cooled coolant is delivered to the valve at the cooled coolant inlet and the valve discharges a first quantity of bulk coolant via the mixed coolant outlet when the sleeve is between the first position and the second position and discharges a second quantity of bulk coolant greater than the first quantity of bulk coolant when the sleeve is in the third position.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The thermal control valve of claim 4, wherein the quantity of bulk coolant varies between the first quantity and the second quantity as the sleeve is positioned between the second position and the third position.

### Claim 6

A compressor system comprising:
a compressor including a gas inlet and a lubricant inlet, the compressor operable to compress a gas and discharge a mixed flow of compressed gas and lubricant;
a valve housing including a hot lubricant inlet, a cooled lubricant inlet, and a lubricant outlet connected to the lubricant inlet of the compressor;
a sleeve disposed within the valve housing and movable between a first position and a second position, the sleeve selectively uncovering the hot lubricant inlet to selectively direct a hot lubricant to the lubricant outlet and selectively uncovering the cooled lubricant inlet to selectively direct a cooled lubricant to the lubricant outlet, the hot lubricant and cooled lubricant mixing at the lubricant outlet to define a bulk lubricant that is directed to the lubricant inlet of the compressor;
a controller operable to sense a parameter and generate a control signal at least partially in response to the sensed parameter;
a motor coupled to the sleeve and operable to move the sleeve in response to the control signal, the movement of the sleeve being operable to vary the amount of hot lubricant admitted through a first aperture and to vary the amount of cooled lubricant admitted through a second aperture to control a temperature of the bulk lubricant; and
wherein the sleeve is slidably movable between the first position in which the hot lubricant inlet is fully open and the cooled lubricant inlet is fully closed such that all of the lubricant flowing to the lubricant outlet amounts to a first quantity, and the second position in which the hot lubricant inlet is closed and the cooled lubricant inlet is partially open such that all of the lubricant amounts to a second quantity that is about equal to the first quantity; wherein the first aperture has a first size and the second aperture has a second size that is larger than the first size.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The compressor system of claim 6, further comprising a lubricant separator and a lubricant cooler, the lubricant separator operable to separate the mixed flow of compressed gas and lubricant into a flow of compressed gas and a flow of lubricant, at least a portion of the flow of lubricant passing through the lubricant cooler to reduce the temperature of the portion of the flow of lubricant.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The compressor system of claim 7, wherein the lubricant cooler includes an outlet in fluid communication with the cooled lubricant inlet such that the portion of the flow of lubricant flows through the lubricant cooler to the cooled lubricant inlet and the remainder of the flow of lubricant bypasses the lubricant cooler and flows to the hot lubricant inlet.

### Claim 9 (depends on 6)

The compressor system of claim 6, wherein the sleeve is further movable between the second position and a third position in which the hot lubricant inlet is closed and the cooled lubricant inlet is fully open such that all of the lubricant flowing to the lubricant outlet flows through the cooled lubricant inlet and amounts to a third quantity that is greater than the first quantity.

### Claim 10 (depends on 6)

The compressor system of claim 6, wherein the motor includes a stepper motor operable to drive a lead screw to move the sleeve.

### Claim 11 (depends on 6)

The compressor system of claim 6, wherein the parameter is a discharge temperature of the mixed flow of compressed gas and lubricant discharged from the compressor.

### Claim 12

A valve system comprising:
a valve housing including a hot lubricant inlet, a cooled lubricant inlet and a lubricant outlet connectable to a lubricant inlet of a compressor;
a sleeve disposed within the valve housing and movable between a first position and a second position, the sleeve defined by a substantially solid body extending along a longitudinal length and bounded by first and second end walls, the sleeve selectively uncovering the hot lubricant inlet to selectively direct a hot lubricant to the lubricant outlet and selectively uncovering the cooled lubricant inlet to selectively direct a cooled lubricant to the lubricant outlet, the hot lubricant and cooled lubricant mixing at the lubricant outlet to define a bulk lubricant discharged from the lubricant outlet;
a pin aperture extending through each of the endwalls along the longitudinal length of the sleeve;
a lead screw aperture extending through the longitudinal length of the sleeve;
a flow passage aperture extending through each of the endwalls along the the longitudinal length of the sleeve;
an actuator coupled to the sleeve being operable to move the sleeve to vary the amount of hot lubricant admitted through a first aperture and to vary the amount of cooled lubricant admitted through a second aperture to control a temperature of the bulk lubricant.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The compressor system of claim 12, further comprising a pin slidably engageable within the pin aperture at one end and connected to the valve housing at the other end.

### Claim 14 (depends on 12)

The compressor system of claim 12, further comprising a lead screw engageable within the lead screw aperture at one end and connected to the actuator at the other end.

### Claim 15 (depends on 12)

The compressor system of claim 12, wherein the actuator is an electric actuator.

### Claim 16 (depends on 12)

The compressor system of claim 12, wherein the flow passage aperture forms a fluid conduit between a hot lubricant passageway proximate one end of the sleeve and a cooled lubricant passageway proximate the other end of the sleeve.

### Claim 17

A method of controlling the temperature and quantity of a bulk flow of coolant to a lubricant flooded compressor in a compressor system, the method comprising:
dividing a flow of hot coolant into a first flow of coolant and a second flow of coolant;
cooling the first flow of coolant to produce a third flow of coolant;
directing the second flow of coolant and the third flow of coolant to a valve and discharging the bulk flow of coolant from the valve;
sensing a parameter of the compressor system and delivering the measured parameter to a controller;
generating a control signal at least partially in response to the sensed parameter; and
operating an electrical actuator at least partially in response to the control signal to configure the valve between a first position, a second position, and a third position, wherein the bulk flow of coolant includes only coolant from the second flow of coolant when the valve is in the first position, the bulk flow of coolant includes only coolant from the third flow of coolant when the valve is in the second position, and the bulk flow of coolant includes a mixture of coolant from the second flow of coolant and the third flow of coolant when the valve is between the first position and the second position; and delivering a first quantity of coolant in the bulk flow of coolant when the valve is positioned between the first position and the second position and delivering a second quantity of coolant in the bulk flow of coolant when the valve is positioned in the third position, the second quantity being greater than the first quantity.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The method of claim 17, wherein the electrical actuator includes a stepper motor, and wherein the method further includes rotating the stepper motor in response to the control signal to rotate a lead screw and move a sleeve axially between the first position, the second position, and the third position.

### Claim 19 (depends on 17)

The method of claim 17, wherein a quantity of coolant in the bulk flow of coolant continuously varies between the first quantity when the valve is between the first position and the second position and the second quantity when the valve is in the third position.

### Claim 20 (depends on 17)

The method of claim 17, wherein the parameter is a discharge temperature of the compressor.