Patent ID: 6776589
Filing Date: 2004-08-17
Classification: F04B,Y10S

Abstract:
A reciprocating piston compressor, comprising:a cylinder block having a cylinder bore; a piston reciprocatingly disposed in said cylinder bore; a cylinder head connected to said cylinder block and partially defining a suction chamber into which gas is received and from which the gas exits into said cylinder bore substantially at a suction pressure, said cylinder head partially defining a discharge chamber into which gas is received from said cylinder bore and from which the gas exits substantially at a discharge pressure; a valve plate having a suction port through which said cylinder bore and said suction chamber fluidly communicate, and a discharge port through which said cylinder bore and said discharge chamber fluidly communicate; a suction check valve disposed over said suction port and past which gas flows from said suction chamber to said cylinder bore, flow from said cylinder bore to said suction chamber being inhibited by said suction check valve; a discharge check valve disposed over said discharge port and past which gas flows from said cylinder bore to said discharge chamber, flow from said discharge chamber to said cylinder bore being inhibited by said discharge check valve; and a spacer disposed between said valve plate and said cylinder head, said spacer having generally opposite first and second end surfaces, each of said first and second spacer end surfaces respectively abutting an interfacing surface of said valve plate and said cylinder head, said spacer partially defining said discharge chamber, a substantial portion of the volume of said discharge chamber located between said spacer end surfaces; wherein said first and second spacer end surfaces are each provided with a plurality of substantially concentric ridges having tips, said ridge tips having one of a deformed state and an undeformed state, adjacent ones of said ridges separated by a valley, said ridge tips being placed in said deformed state in response to a compressive load exerted on said spacer between said valve plate and said cylinder head during assembly of said compressor, said deformed ridge tips providing a seal between said first spacer end surface and said valve plate, and between said second spacer end surface and said cylinder head.