POPPET VALVE ASSEMBLY, SYSTEM, AND APPARATUS FOR USE IN HIGH SPEED COMPRESSOR APPLICATIONS

• US 20100090149A1
• Filed: 10/01/2009
• Published: 04/15/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Compressor Engineering Corporation
• Original Assignee: Compressor Engineering Corporation
• Inventors: Jones, Catherine, Thompson, Gene M.
• Application Number:
  US12/572,071
• Publication Number:
  US 20100090149A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 251/321
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 39/1013 the members being of the poppet valve type

Abstract

A poppet valve assembly for a high-speed compressor, the poppet valve assembly including a cage that includes a plurality of counter bores disposed therein. The poppet valve assembly further includes a plurality of poppets, each poppet having a stem and a head. The head of each poppet has a maximum diameter that is less than approximately 0.75 inches. The stem of the poppet is disposed in each of said counter bores. The poppet valve assembly also includes a seat plate overlying said cage, said seat plate including a plurality of through bores axially aligned with the counter bores of the cage. Each through bore is sized to have a smaller diameter than the maximum diameter of the head. A lift spacer is disposed in each of the counter bores.

Claims

1. A poppet valve assembly, comprising:

a cage, said cage including a plurality of counter bores disposed therein;

a plurality of poppets, each poppet including a stem and a head, wherein the head has a maximum diameter that is less than approximately one inch, and wherein the stem is disposed in a corresponding one of the said plurality of counter bores;

a seat plate overlying said cage, said seat plate including a plurality of through bores axially aligned with the plurality of counter bores of the 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 a plurality of counter bores.

2. The poppet valve assembly of claim 1, wherein the stem of a poppet is at least partially hollow, and further comprising a spring disposed in the partially hollow stem of each of a plurality of poppets so as to seat in the corresponding one of the plurality of counter bores.

3. The poppet valve assembly of claim 1, wherein said lift spacer includes an aperture therethrough.

4. The poppet valve assembly of claim 1, wherein the maximum diameter of the head is no greater than approximately 0.75 inches.

5. The poppet valve assembly of claim 1, wherein the seat plate is removably coupled to the cage.

6. The poppet valve assembly of claim 1, wherein an edge of each of the plurality of through bores that interfaces with the head is chamfered.

7. The poppet valve assembly of claim 6, wherein a first lift spacer disposed in a first of said plurality of counter bores has different dimensions than a second lift spacer disposed under a second of said plurality of counter bores.

8. The poppet valve assembly of claim 1, wherein a combined surface area of the plurality of poppets is at least approximately 50% of a surface area of the cage.

9. An apparatus, the apparatus comprising:

a poppet valve assembly, wherein the poppet valve assembly comprises;

a cage, said cage including a plurality of counter bores disposed therein;

a plurality of poppets, each poppet including a stem and a head, wherein the head has a maximum diameter that is less than approximately 0.75, and wherein the stem is disposed in a corresponding one of the said plurality of counter bores; and

a seat plate overlying said cage, said seat plate including a plurality of through bores axially aligned with the plurality of counter bores of the cage, wherein each of the plurality of through bores is sized to have a smaller diameter than the maximum diameter of the head.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, the poppet valve assembly further comprising a spring disposed in the stem of each of the plurality of poppets so as to seat in the corresponding one of the plurality of counter bores.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising a lift spacer disposed in a plurality of counter bores, wherein each lift spacer includes an aperture therethrough.

12. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the maximum diameter of the head is in the range of approximately 0.50-0.75 inches.

13. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the seat plate is removably coupled to the cage.

14. The apparatus of claim 9, comprising at least 9 through bores and at least 9 corresponding poppets.

15. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the cage is circular in shape and a first set of poppets is arranged about a first circumference defined on said cage and a second set of poppets is arranged about a second circumference defined on said cage.

16. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein a combined surface area of the plurality of poppets is at least approximately 50% of a surface area of the cage.

17. A compressor system, the compressor system comprising:

a compressor operable at speeds of at least 600 rpm, said compressor further comprising a poppet valve assembly, wherein the poppet valve assembly comprises;

a cage, said cage including a plurality of counter bores disposed therein;

a plurality of poppets, each poppet including a stem and a head, wherein the head has a maximum diameter that is less than approximately 0.9 inches, and wherein the stem is disposed in a corresponding one of the said plurality of counter bores;

a seat plate overlying said cage, said seat plate including a plurality of through bores axially aligned with the plurality of counter bores of the 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 a plurality of counter bores.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the stem of a poppet is at least partially hollow, and wherein the poppet valve assembly further comprises a spring disposed in the stem of each of the plurality of poppets so as to seat in the corresponding one of the plurality of counter bores.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein said lift spacer includes an aperture therethrough.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the maximum diameter of the head is greater than approximately 0.75 inches.

21. The system of claim 17, wherein the seat plate is removably coupled to the cage.

22. The system of claim 17, wherein a first lift spacer disposed in a first of said plurality of counter bores has different dimensions than a second lift spacer disposed under a second of said plurality of counter bores.

23. The system of claim 17, wherein said compressor is operable at speeds of at least 1000 rpms.

24. The system of claim 17, wherein a combined surface area of the plurality of poppets is at least approximately 50% of a surface area of the cage.