Patent ID: 8147215

Claim:
A reciprocating-piston compressor having at least two working cylinders arranged in series, along a cylinder axis, comprising: a piston in each of the cylinders, guided in an axially movable manner; and a common axially actuated piston rod of the pistons, extending through a passage opening in a partition between the at least two working cylinders, wherein the at least two working cylinders are sealed off with respect to one another in a region of the common axially actuated piston rod exclusively by a non-contact seal, the axial seal comprising an axial gap seal formed between a radially outer circumferential surface of the common axially actuated piston rod and a radially inner circumferential surface of the passage opening, and wherein the reciprocating-piston compressor is a reversing reciprocating-piston compressor, a leakage flow flowing through the axial gap seal from one into another of the at least two working cylinders increasing an air volume compressed during subsequent reversing movement of the axially actuated piston rod.