Piston compressor valve and method for operating a piston compressor valve

• US 10,683,860 B2
• Filed: 03/27/2018
• Issued: 06/16/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Burckhardt Compression Holding AG
• Original Assignee: Burckhardt Compression Holding AG
• Inventors: Voser, Alexandre
• Primary Examiner(s): Tietjen, Marina A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Soski, Frederick D
• Application Number:
  US16/499,068
• Publication Number:
  US 20200040883A1
• Time in Patent Office: 812 Days
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 39/08 Actuation of distribution members
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 39/102 the members being disc valves
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 7/0046 for rotating distribution members
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 15/06 with guided stems
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 15/18 with actuating mechanism; Combined check valves and actuated valves
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 3/085 the axis of supply passage and the axis of discharge passage being coaxial and parallel to the axis of rotation of the plates
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 3/10 with special arrangements for separating the sealing faces or for pressing them together
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/7839 Dividing and recombining in a single flow path
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/784 Integral resilient member forms plural valves
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/7842 Diverse types
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/7843 Integral resilient member forms plural valves

Abstract

A piston compressor valve including a valve seat having a plurality of through openings including a closing element which is rotatable about an axis of rotation (D) for opening and closing the through openings and having an actuating drive for rotating the closing element, wherein the valve seat has an end face into which the through openings lead, wherein the closing element is movably connected to the actuating drive in the running direction of the axis of rotation (D), such that the closing element is both rotatable about the axis of rotation (D) and also movable in the running direction of the axis of rotation (D) relative to the end face, and having a sensor for detecting a condition variable (E) of the piston compressor valve, and having a control device which activates the actuating drive as a function of the condition variable (E).

Claims

1. A piston compressor valve comprising a valve seat having a plurality of passage openings, comprising a closing element for opening and closing the passage openings is rotatable about a rotation axis (D), and comprising an actuator drive for rotating the closing element, wherein the valve seat has an end side into which the passage openings open, wherein the closing element is designed integral, wherein the closing element is connected to the actuator drive so as to be movable in a self-acting manner in a profile direction of the rotation axis (D) such that the closing element is rotatable about the rotation axis (D) by the actuator drive as well as displaceable in the self-acting manner in the profile direction of the rotation axis (D) in relation to the end side, and comprising a sensor for detecting a state variable (E) of the piston compressor valve, and comprising an actuating device which activates the actuator drive as a function of the state variable (E).

2. The valve as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sensor is designed for detecting a state variable (E) of the closing element, except the rotation angle of the closing element.

3. The valve as claimed in claim 1, wherein the closing element is connected to the actuator drive by way of a coupling that is resilient in the profile direction of the rotation axis (D).

4. The valve as claimed in claim 3, wherein the coupling is rotationally stable in relation to a rotation about the rotation axis (D).

5. The valve as claimed in claim 1, wherein the closing element is connected to the actuator drive by way of a shaft, and in that the shaft is mounted so as to be movable in the profile direction of the rotation axis (D) as well as in the rotation direction of the rotation axis (D).

6. The valve as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sensor is designed for detecting a movement of the closing element or of the shaft in the profile direction of the rotation axis (D) as the state variable (E).

7. The valve as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sensor is designed for detecting direct contact between the closing element and the valve seat as the state variable (E).

8. The valve as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sensor is designed for detecting a pressure differential over the closing element as the state variable (E).

9. The valve as claimed in claim 5, wherein the valve seat comprises a central bore, in that the passage openings run radially to the central bore, in that the central bore is designed as a radial bearing as well as an axial bearing in which the shaft is mounted so as to be rotatable and displaceable in the profile direction of the rotation axis (D), in that the closing element is fixedly connected to the shaft, and in that the shaft is connected to the actuator drive by way of the coupling.

10. The valve as claimed in claim 3, wherein the closing element is disposed between the valve seat and the resilient clutch so as to configure a pressure valve, or in that the valve seat is disposed between the closing element and the resilient coupling to form a suction valve.

11. The valve as claimed in claim 1, wherein the valve seat has passage openings which run so as to be radial to the rotation axis (D) and which in the circumferential direction to the rotation axis (D) has a width of at most 10°

such that the closing element by way of a rotation of at most 10°

about the rotation axis (D) is capable of being switched in a reciprocating manner between an open position and a closing position.

12. The valve as claimed in claim 1, wherein a torsion spring comprises an inner torsion spring as well as an outer torsion spring which are disposed so as to be concentric with the rotation axis (D) and which run in the profile direction of the rotation axis (D), in that the inner torsion spring at the first end thereof is connected to the actuator drive, in that the outer torsion spring at the first end thereof is connected to a housing part, in that the inner and the outer torsion springs at the second end thereof are connected to one another, and in that the torsion spring at the second end thereof is connected to the coupling or the shaft.

13. A method for actuating a piston compressor valve, wherein the piston compressor valve comprises a valve seat having a plurality of passage openings, a closing element that for opening and closing the passage openings is rotatable about a rotation axis (D), and an actuator drive for rotating the closing element, wherein the closing element is designed so as to be integral and fixedly connected to the rotation axis (D), wherein the rotation axis (D) is mounted so as to be displaceable in the profile direction of the rotation axis (D), wherein the closing element as a function of the pressure of an operating gas acting on the valve is displaced in a self-acting manner in the profile direction of the rotation axis (D) and bears on the valve seat or is lifted from the valve seat, wherein a state variable (E) of the piston compressor valve is measured, and wherein the closing element is rotated about the rotation axis (D) by the actuator drive as a function of the state variable (E).

14. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein lifting of the closing element in the profile direction of the rotation axis (D) is measured as the state variable (E), and in that the closing element is rotated from a closed position to an open position when lifting is measured.

15. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the closing element is rotated from a closed position to an open position as soon as the lifting exceeds a predefined minimum distance (D_min).

16. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the spacing between a sealing face of the closing element and an end side of the valve seat is measured as the state variable (E), and in that the closing element is rotated from a closed position to an open position should the spacing exceed a minimum distance (D_min) of 0.1 mm.

17. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein a pressure differential over the valve seat is measured as the state variable (E), and in that the closing element is rotated from a closed position to an open position should the pressure differential undershoot a predefined minimum pressure (P_min).