Rotative valves for reciprocating compressors and related methods

Abstract

Reciprocating compressors having a rotative valve and related methods are provided. A reciprocating compressor has a compression chamber configured to compress a fluid that has entered the compression chamber via an intake, and it is discharged from the compression chamber, after being compressed, via a discharge, an actuator configured to supply an angular displacement, and a rotative valve configured to receive the angular displacement and to determine whether the intake and the discharge are opened or closed depending on the angular displacement. The rotative valve has a rotatable disk configured to rotate due to the angular displacement and having a first opening allowing a suction fluid flow to enter the compression chamber when the first opening overlaps the intake, and a second opening allowing a discharge fluid flow to exit from the compression chamber when the second opening overlaps the discharge.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A reciprocating compressor, comprising:
 a compression chamber configured to compress a fluid that has entered the compression chamber via an intake, and it is discharged from the compression chamber, after being compressed, via a discharge;   an actuator configured to supply an angular displacement; and   a rotative valve configured to receive the angular displacement and to control whether the intake and the discharge are opened or closed depending on the angular displacement, the rotative valve comprising:
 a rotatable disk configured to rotate due to the angular displacement; 
 a first opening allowing a suction fluid flow to enter the compression chamber when the first opening overlaps the intake; and 
 a second opening allowing a discharge fluid flow to exit from the compression chamber when the second opening overlaps the discharge. 
   
     
     
         2 . The reciprocating compressor of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a gear mechanism located outside of the compression chamber and configured to transmit the angular displacement from the actuator to the rotatable disk of the rotative valve.   
     
     
         3 . The reciprocating compressor of  claim 2 , wherein the gear mechanism comprises:
 an actuator stem connected to the actuator; and   at least two gears comprising a first gear being attached to and rotating with the actuator stem, and a second gear transmitting the angular displacement to the rotatable disk of the rotative valve.   
     
     
         4 . The reciprocating compressor of  claim 3 , further comprising:
 a cover, the actuator being located outside the cover and the rotative valve being located inside the volume,   wherein the gear mechanism further comprises:
 a valve stem configured to penetrate through the cover and having the second gear at one end, and 
 a third gear connected to another end of the valve stem and meshed with the first gear. 
   
     
     
         5 . The reciprocating compressor of  claim 4 , wherein:
 the valve stem is configured to have a first collar between the cover and the second gear, and a second collar between the cover and the third gear, and   the gear mechanism further comprises a first bushing placed between the first collar and the cover, and a second bushing placed between the second collar and the cover.   
     
     
         6 . The reciprocating compressor of  claim 1 , wherein the reciprocating compressor is a dual reciprocating compressor comprising two compression chambers, and the rotative valve is located on a head end or on a crank end thereof, wherein the compression chamber is one of the two compression chambers. 
     
     
         7 . The reciprocating compressor of  claim 6 , further comprising:
 a second rotative valve configured to control whether an intake and a discharge of another one of the two compression chambers, to be opened or closed depending on an angular actuation applied to a second rotatable disk configured to rotate due to the angular actuation and comprising:
 another first opening allowing a suction fluid flow to enter the another one of the two compression chambers, when the another first opening overlaps the intake; and 
 another second opening allowing a discharge fluid flow to exit from the another one of the two compression chambers, when the another second opening overlaps the discharge. 
   
     
     
         8 . The reciprocating compressor of  claim 7 , further comprising:
 at least one gear mechanism configured to transmit the angular displacement from the actuator to cause the angular actuation of the rotatable disk of at least one of the rotative valve and the second rotative valve.   
     
     
         9 . A rotative valve useable at one end of a compression chamber, wherein the compression chamber comprises an end plate with a suction opening configured to allow a suction fluid flow to enter the compression chamber, and a discharge opening configured to allow a discharge fluid flow to exit the compression chamber, the rotative valve comprising:
 a rotatable disk configured to be rotated and comprising a first opening and a second opening positioned at different angular locations, wherein, when the first opening overlaps the suction opening, the suction fluid flow passes there-through, and when the second opening overlaps the discharge opening, the discharge fluid flow passes there-through.   
     
     
         10 . A reciprocating compressor, comprising:
 a compression chamber configured to compress a fluid that has entered the compression chamber via an intake and to be discharged from the compression chamber after being compressed via a discharge,   an actuator configured to supply an angular displacement; and   the rotative valve according to  claim 9  to receive the angular displacement.   
     
     
         11 . The reciprocating compressor according to  claim 1 , further comprising the rotative valve according to  claim 9 . 
     
     
         12 . A method of retrofitting a reciprocating compressor initially comprising two automated valves located on an end plate of a compression chamber of the reciprocating compressor, the method comprising:
 removing mobile parts of the valves, while leaving seats of the valves in place, each seat comprising an opening towards an inside of the compression chamber;   providing an actuator configured to supply an angular displacement;   mounting, outside the end of the compression chamber, a rotatable disk comprising two openings at different angular positions, such that one of the openings of the rotatable disk to overlap the opening of one of the seats, at a first angular position, and another one of the openings of the rotatable disk to overlap the opening of another one of the seats, at a second angular position different from the first angular position; and   connecting the rotatable disk to the actuator, to enable the rotatable disk to rotate due to the angular displacement.