Compressor valve plate with spiral groove

Abstract

A compressor includes a discharge and/or suction valve whose valve seat has a spiral groove that faces the valve. When the valve is closed, the spiral groove provides a minute fluid passageway between the valve and the valve seat. The spiral groove reduces fluid adhesion between the valve and the seat so that the compressor is quieter, more efficient and less expensive to make.

1 . A compressor for compressing a gas, comprising: 
 a compressor housing assembly defining a cylinder, a chamber, a valve seat, and a gas passageway running past the valve seat, between the chamber and the cylinder;    a reciprocating piston disposed within the cylinder; and    a valve disposed within the compressor housing assembly and being movable between a closed position and an open position, wherein the valve in the closed position obstructs the gas passageway between the chamber and the cylinder, and the valve in the open position uncovers the gas passageway, wherein the valve seat defines a spiral groove that generally faces the valve.    
   
   
       2 . The compressor of  claim 1 , wherein the spiral groove extends between the chamber and the cylinder.  
   
   
       3 . The compressor of  claim 1 , wherein the spiral groove is able to maintain at least some minute fluid communication between the chamber and the cylinder when the valve is in the closed position.  
   
   
       4 . The compressor of  claim 1 , wherein the spiral groove provides the valve seat with a surface finish of less than 250 microinches.  
   
   
       5 . The compressor of  claim 1 , wherein the spiral groove provides the valve seat with a surface finish of at least 10 microinches.  
   
   
       6 . The compressor of  claim 1 , wherein the spiral groove extends a plurality of revolutions along the valve seat such that when the valve is in the closed position, the spiral groove encourages any gas that may be leaking between the chamber and the cylinder to first travel a plurality of laps along the valve seat.  
   
   
       7 . The compressor of  claim 1 , wherein the valve seat includes an annular inner seat and an annular outer seat that define an annular gap therebetween, the valve has an annular shape for bridging the annular gap when the valve is in the closed position, and the spiral groove extends a first plurality of revolution along the annular inner seat and extends a second plurality of revolutions along the annular outer seat.  
   
   
       8 . The compressor of  claim 1 , wherein the chamber is a discharge chamber, the valve is a discharge valve, and the gas passageway is for conveying the gas from the cylinder to the discharge chamber.  
   
   
       9 . The compressor of  claim 1 , wherein the chamber is a suction chamber, the valve is a suction valve, and the gas passageway is for conveying the gas from the suction chamber to the cylinder.  
   
   
       10 . A compressor for compressing a gas, comprising: 
 a compressor housing assembly defining a cylinder, a suction chamber, a discharge chamber, a suction valve seat, a discharge valve seat, a suction gas passageway between the suction chamber and the cylinder and extending past the suction valve seat, and a discharge gas passageway between the cylinder and the discharge chamber and extending past the discharge valve seat;    a reciprocating piston disposed within the cylinder;    a discharge valve disposed within the compressor housing assembly and being movable between a first closed position and a first open position, wherein the discharge valve in the first closed position obstructs the discharge gas passageway between the cylinder and the discharge chamber, and the discharge valve in the first open position uncovers the discharge gas passageway, wherein the discharge valve seat defines a first spiral groove extending between the cylinder and the discharge chamber and generally facing the discharge valve; and    a suction valve disposed within the compressor housing assembly and being movable between a second closed position and a second open position, wherein the suction valve in the second closed position obstructs the suction gas passageway between the cylinder and the suction chamber, and the suction valve in the second open position uncovers the suction gas passageway, wherein the suction valve seat defines a second spiral groove extending between the suction chamber and the cylinder and generally facing the suction valve.    
   
   
       11 . The compressor of  claim 10 , wherein the first spiral groove is able to convey at least some minute backflow of gas from the discharge chamber to the cylinder when the discharge valve is in the first closed position, and the second spiral groove is able to convey at least some minute backflow of gas from the cylinder to the suction chamber when the suction valve is in the second closed position.  
   
   
       12 . The compressor of  claim 10 , wherein the first spiral groove provides the discharge valve seat with a first surface finish of less than 250 microinches, and the second spiral groove provides the suction valve seat with a second surface finish of less than 250 microinches.  
   
   
       13 . The compressor of  claim 10 , wherein the first spiral groove provides the discharge valve seat with a first surface finish of at least 10 microinches, and the second spiral groove provides the suction valve seat with a second surface finish of at least 10 microinches.  
   
   
       14 . The compressor of  claim 10 , wherein the first spiral groove extends a first plurality of revolutions along the discharge valve seat such that when the discharge valve is in the first closed position, the first spiral groove encourages any gas that may be leaking from the discharge chamber to the cylinder to first travel a first plurality of laps along the discharge valve seat, and wherein the second spiral groove extends a second plurality of revolutions along the suction valve seat such that when the suction valve is in the second closed position, the second spiral groove encourages any gas that may be leaking from the cylinder to suction chamber to first travel a second plurality of laps along the suction valve seat.  
   
   
       15 . A method of using a compressor to compress a gas, comprising: 
 driving a piston back and forth along a cylinder such that the piston alternately has a compression stroke and a return stroke, wherein the piston during the compression stroke forces the gas from within the cylinder, past a discharge valve, and into a discharge chamber, and the piston during the return stroke draws gas from within a suction chamber, past a suction valve, and into the cylinder; and    conveying at least a first minute backflow of gas along a first spiral path from the discharge chamber to the cylinder during the return stroke.    
   
   
       16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the first spiral path is adjacent to the discharge valve.  
   
   
       17 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising conveying at least a second minute backflow of gas along a second spiral path from the cylinder to the suction chamber during the compression stroke.  
   
   
       18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the second spiral path is adjacent to the suction valve.  
   
   
       19 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the first spiral path and the second spiral path are defined by a commonly shared valve plate.  
   
   
       20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the first spiral path and the second spiral path are on opposite sides of the valve plate.