RECIPROCATING COMPRESSOR HEAD ARRANGEMENT

Abstract

The present invention demonstrates a reciprocating compressor head arrangement capable of eliminating frictional wear in the flexing areas of the actuating valves. This is achieved by using an interconnecting plate positioned between the valve plate and the stop plate, such that the interface between the static end of the actuating valve plate and the valve stop plate is formed entirely by the interconnecting plate.

Description

RECIPROCATING COMPRESSOR HEAD ARRANGEMENT pQRRnn / zznz / E / YiAi TECHNICAL FIELD The invention in question relates to a reciprocating compressor head arrangement and, more particularly, to an integrated head arrangement comprising at least one valve plate, at least one suction valve, at least one discharge valve, at least one mounting bracket and / or fastening means, and at least one flexible interface between said discharge valve and said mounting bracket and / or fastening means. According to the invention in question, such a reciprocating compressor head arrangement is capable of preventing the wear normally observed in the flexible region of the discharge valve. The invention in question is specifically intended for a reciprocating compressor head arrangement whose discharge valve comprises a vane valve used in conjunction with a discharge port of the valve plate of a hermetic reciprocating compressor applied in refrigeration systems. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In vapor-compression cooling systems, compressors perform two key functions: pumping the refrigerant through the cooling system and simultaneously increasing the pressure of the fluid in the compressor passage between the low- and high-pressure lines. The most common types of compressors isolate portions of the working fluid in a variable-volume chamber. Reducing the volume by the same percentage of mass results in an increase in pressure; this is the compression process. The reciprocating compressor, as shown in Figure 1 of this application, is one of the most widespread designs. The variable-volume chamber is constructed using a piston and cylinder arrangement. The piston alternates its position between a downward stroke, which increases the chamber volume, and an upward stroke, which reduces the chamber volume—hence the term "reciprocating compressor." Automatic vane valves are used to control the suction and discharge flows. These are typically constructed of thin steel plates and function as embedded beams, with the moving end mounted in a gas flow passage. They utilize actuating devices that respond to variations in gas pressure and flow. At least one valve and orifice assembly is required for the intake process and another for the exhaust process. The first step of the compression cycle is called intake and occurs with the downward movement of the piston, which reduces the pressure in the cylinder chamber. When this pressure drops below the low-pressure line, a positive pressure differential is generated across the valve, causing it to open and allowing gas to enter the cylinder chamber. The gas flow also helps maintain the valve opening. This process continues until the piston reaches its maximum stroke position, also known as bottom dead center. At this point, the flow ceases, and the valve returns to its rest position. The second step proceeds with the upward movement of the piston, where compression actually occurs. In this step, both the intake and exhaust valves are in their rest positions, isolating the cylinder chamber.The compression process ends when the cylinder pressure reaches the high line pressure. This creates a positive pressure differential across the wastegate valve, which opens, allowing gas to flow out. The exhaust process then ends when the piston reaches the peak of its upward stroke, also known as top dead center. At this point, the gas flow holding the valve open ceases, and the valve returns to its rest position. This marks the end of one compression cycle, and a new cycle begins with the downward stroke. The gas passages are constructed with rigid plates called valve plates, upon which the intake and exhaust valves are mounted. An opening limiter, called a valve stop, is mounted on the exhaust valve. Above the exhaust valve and the stop is a chamber for receiving the discharged gas at high pressure, called the cylinder head. The assembly of the aforementioned components is called the cylinder head, which is typically mounted in a stacked configuration within the piston cylinder arrangement. Additionally, sealing elements called gaskets or seals are used at the interfaces between the cylinder head and the valve plate. The compressor is subjected to long operating periods and a wide range of operating conditions, resulting in repetitive and prolonged stress on the dynamically actuated valves. Therefore, these components have specific reliability requirements, including wear resistance. The stacked arrangement of the components, combined with a cyclical opening and closing motion, generates localized friction in the valve's blocking region. This wears down the material and, combined with bending fatigue, leads to valve breakage. Once a valve breaks, it ceases to seal the gas passage orifice, thus preventing the isolation of the gas containers within the cylinder chamber and ultimately halting the compression process. Valve failure represents a complete failure of the compressor drive.Therefore, the valves are developed to eliminate the wear process and guarantee the compressor's life cycle. The current state of the art consists of the valve arrangement for reciprocating compressors presented in US patent 10174756. This arrangement comprises at least one discharge valve, at least one auxiliary discharge valve, and at least one valve stop. The discharge valve comprises at least one clamping end, at least one handling end, and at least one flexing area, where the valve stop comprises at least one support area bounded by at least one end.According to the technical proposal of US Patent 10174756, the flexural area of ​​the main valve and the end of the valve stop's support area are longitudinally misaligned, and the dimension related to the extension defined between the beginning of the mounting base and the beginning of the flexural area of ​​the main valve is greater than the dimension related to the extension defined between the beginning of the support area and the end of the valve stop. Furthermore, according to the technical proposal of US Patent 10174756, the auxiliary valve is arranged between the main valve and the valve stop, such that the main valve acts as an additional rigidity during the valve opening and closing process, in which this same auxiliary valve, which provides a rigid interface in the mounting region, engages the discharge valve and the valve stop.Thus, it can be observed that, although the end that fixes the main valve, the fixing end of the auxiliary valve and the support area of ​​the valve stop are juxtaposed, the flexing area of ​​the main valve and the flexing area of ​​the auxiliary valve are longitudinally misaligned. The arrangement of the valves of the reciprocating compressor presented in US patent US10174756 is illustrated in Figures 2 and 3 of the present invention. Although the reciprocating compressor valve arrangement described in US Patent 10174756 achieves all the proposed objectives, it was found that the main valve, once secured to the upper surface by the valve stop or the auxiliary valve, tends to experience friction in its flex area. This friction occurs because the locking interface of the main valve with either the valve stop or the auxiliary valve is particularly detrimental during extended cycles of high-frequency compressor operation, as these cycles subject the main valve to repeated friction that accelerates wear in its flex area. Furthermore, the appearance of wear in the flexing area of ​​the main valve of the reciprocating compressor valve arrangement presented in US Patent 10174756 is also associated with variability in the clamping force in the locking region. Applying insufficient or excessive force in the main valve's locking region results in a high coefficient of friction between the components, as well as a local increase in stress due to the combined clamping and flexing stresses of the main valve. Consequently, for the service life of the reciprocating compressor valve arrangement presented in US Patent 10174756 to be extended, the force in the main valve's locking region must be within a suitable range with low variability.However, the dimensioning of this force in the blocking process is subject to variations in the machinery, and is therefore subject to the application of a highly variable force. Although the valve arrangement of the reciprocating compressor presented in US patent US10174756 comprises modular components and is not associated with the means of fixing the head, it is verified that the same aspects of improvement identified also apply to the modalities that use integral components, which are directly associated with the means of fixing the head This means that the same areas for improvement identified in the reciprocating compressor valve arrangement presented in US patent 10174756 are also observed in the reciprocating compressor valve arrangement presented in US patent 6929456, which comprises components (main valve and valve stop) directly associated with the means for securing the reciprocating compressor head. For quick reference, the reciprocating compressor valve arrangement presented in US patent 6929456 is illustrated in Figure 4 of this document. OBJECTIVES OF THE INVENTION In relation to this, given the problems arising from the rigidity of the interfaces between the main valves and their fixing means (auxiliary valve, valve stop or others), observed in the reciprocating compressor valve arrangements presented in the prior art, the invention in question arises with the main objective of demonstrating a reciprocating compressor head arrangement capable of eliminating the occurrence of friction wear in the flexing area of ​​the discharge valve. Furthermore, it is an additional objective of the invention to present a reciprocating compressor head arrangement whose overall fixing between the components is simplified and occurs through the same component alignment reference system. However, two alternative methods are presented, with the aim of also eliminating the occurrence of wear on the main and auxiliary valve when the auxiliary valve is used. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The reciprocating compressor head arrangement of the present invention comprises at least one valve plate provided with at least one actuating hole, at least one discharge valve plate provided with at least one actuating valve, at least one mounting hole, at least one stop plate provided with at least one valve stop and at least one mounting hole, at least one cylinder cap provided with at least one flange capable of receiving at least one mounting component, and at least one suction valve plate pQRRnn / zznz / E / YiAi provided with at least one actuating valve and at least one mounting hole. Furthermore, said actuating valve comprises a static end, a dynamic end, and a flex area arranged between said static end and said dynamic end. According to a preferred embodiment, at least one interconnecting sheet with at least one mounting hole is additionally provided. The interconnecting plate, made of flexible material, is arranged between the discharge valve plate and the stop plate. This interconnecting plate comprises at least a large portion coinciding with the static end of the discharge valve plate actuator and at least a hollow portion coinciding with the dynamic end and flexural area of ​​the discharge valve plate actuator. The mounting holes for the valve plate, interconnecting plate, and stop plate are subject to mutual alignment by means of at least one mounting component. Furthermore, the interface between the static end of the discharge valve actuator and the valve stop of the stop plate is formed entirely by the interconnecting plate, and more specifically, the interface between the static end of the discharge valve actuator and the valve stop of the stop plate is formed entirely by a large portion of the interconnecting plate. Additionally, it is also verified that the flexural area of ​​the discharge valve actuator is free from contact with the stop plate. According to an alternative embodiment, the alternative compressor head arrangement comprises, in addition to the components present in the preferred embodiment, at least one auxiliary valve plate provided with at least one auxiliary actuating valve and at least one mounting hole, wherein the auxiliary actuating valve comprises a static end, a dynamic end, and a deflection area disposed between said static end and said dynamic end. In this alternative embodiment, at least one interconnecting plate with at least one mounting hole is also provided. This interconnecting plate, made of flexible material, is arranged between the discharge valve plate and the auxiliary valve plate. Furthermore, it is also verified that the interconnecting plate comprises at least one solid portion coinciding with the static end of the auxiliary valve plate of the auxiliary actuating valve, and at least one hollow portion coinciding with the dynamic end and flexure area of ​​the auxiliary actuating valve. The mounting holes of the discharge valve plate, the interconnecting plate, the stop plate, and the auxiliary valve plate are subject to mutual alignment by means of at least one mounting component. Furthermore, it is also observed that the interface between the static end of the discharge valve's actuating valve and the static end of the auxiliary valve's actuating valve is entirely formed by the interconnecting plate, and more specifically, the interface between the static end of the discharge valve's actuating valve and the static end of the auxiliary valve's actuating valve is entirely formed by a solid portion of the interconnecting plate. Additionally, it is also verified that the flexing area of ​​the discharge valve's actuating valve is free from contact with the auxiliary valve plate. According to a second alternative embodiment of the invention in question, the alternative compressor head arrangement comprises, in addition to the components present in the first alternative embodiment, at least one interconnecting plate provided with at least one mounting hole and at least one additional interconnecting plate provided with at least one mounting hole, and said interconnecting plate is arranged between said discharge valve plate and said auxiliary valve plate and said additional interconnecting plate is arranged between said auxiliary valve plate and said stop plate. In this alternative embodiment, it can be observed that the interconnecting plate and the additional interconnecting plate are both made of flexible material, where the interconnecting plate comprises at least one solid portion coinciding with the static end of the discharge valve plate actuator and at least one hollow portion coinciding with the dynamic end and deflection area of ​​the discharge valve plate actuator. In turn, the additional interconnecting plate comprises at least one solid portion coinciding with the static end of the auxiliary valve plate actuator and at least one hollow portion coinciding with the dynamic end and deflection area of ​​the auxiliary valve plate actuator.In addition, the mounting holes for the discharge valve plate, interconnecting plate, additional interconnecting plate, stop plate, and auxiliary valve plate are subject to mutual alignment by means of at least one mounting component. In accordance with this alternative modality, it is verified that the interface between the static end of the discharge valve actuator valve and the static end of the auxiliary valve actuator valve is formed entirely by the interconnecting plate, and, more specifically, that the interface between the static end of the discharge valve actuator valve and the auxiliary valve actuator valve is formed entirely by a solid portion of the interconnecting plate. Furthermore, it is also verified that the flexural area of ​​the discharge valve actuator valve is free from contact with the auxiliary valve actuator valve. Furthermore, according to this alternative modality, it is verified that the interface between the static end of the auxiliary actuating valve and the valve stop of the stop plate is formed entirely by the additional interconnecting plate, and, more specifically, that the interface between the static end of the auxiliary actuating valve and the valve stop of the stop plate is formed entirely by a solid portion of the additional interconnecting plate. Additionally, the flexing area of ​​the auxiliary actuating valve of the auxiliary valve plate is free from contact with the stop plate. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The objectives and advantages of the present invention will become clearer through the following detailed description of the example and the non-limiting drawings presented at the end of this document: Figure 1 is a schematic representation of a reciprocating compressor and its main components; Figures 2, 3, and 4 comprise slightly edited reproductions (removal of the original numerical references) of the figures contained in US patents US10174756 and LJS6929456. More specifically, Figures 2 and 3 refer to the figures in US patent US10174756, and Figure 4 refers to a figure in US patent US6929456. Figure 5 illustrates, in an exploded view, the preferred embodiment of the reciprocating compressor head arrangement according to the invention in question; Figure 6 illustrates, in an enlarged exploded perspective, the construction details of the actuating valve, the interface element and the valve stop that make up the preferred embodiment of the reciprocating compressor head arrangement according to the invention in question; Figure 7 illustrates, in a schematic side cut, the assembly of part of the components that make up the preferred modality of the reciprocating compressor head arrangement in accordance with the invention in question; Figure 8 illustrates, in an enlarged exploded perspective, construction details of the actuating valve, the interface element and the valve stop that make up a first alternative modality of the reciprocating compressor head arrangement in accordance with the invention in question; pQRRnn / zznz / E / YiAi Figure 9 illustrates, in a schematic side cut, the assembly of part of the components that make up the first alternative modality of the alternative compressor head arrangement in accordance with the invention in question; Figure 10 illustrates, in an enlarged exploded view, construction details of the actuating valve, the interface element, and the valve stop that comprise a second alternative modality of the reciprocating compressor head arrangement according to the invention in question; and Figure 11 illustrates, in a schematic side cut, the assembly of part of the components that make up the second alternative mode of the arrangement of the alternative compressor head in accordance with the invention in question. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION In view of the objectives of the invention in question, an arrangement of an alternative compressor head is disclosed, the preferred embodiment of which is illustrated in Figures 5, 6 and 7. According to this preferred embodiment, the reciprocating compressor head arrangement consists of a valve plate (1), a discharge valve plate (2), an interconnecting plate (3), a stop plate (4), a cylinder head (5), assembly components (6), and a suction valve plate (7). Preferably, the reciprocating compressor head arrangement disclosed herein may also include at least one union gasket. Thus, the valve plate (1) comprises a rigid, quadrangular plate used to close the free end of the (unpolished) compression cylinder of the (unpolished) reciprocating compressor. Furthermore, said valve plate (1) comprises four actuation ports (11) (two discharge and two suction) arranged within its area, and comprises four mounting holes (12), each arranged at one of its ends. Furthermore, the discharge valve plate (2) has a thin, quadrangular metal plate comprising two actuating valves (21) and four mounting holes (22). As in traditional valve plates, each actuating valve (21) comprises a static end (211), a dynamic end (212), and a flexing area (213) located between the static end (211) and the dynamic end (212). Also, as in traditional valve plates, the mounting holes (22) are located at the ends of the overall area of ​​the discharge valve plate (2). Also in this same direction, the stop plate (4) comprises a square metal sheet of intermediate thickness, typically between 1 mm and 3 mm, between the thickness of the valve plate (1), between 1.9 mm and 4 mm, and the thickness of the pQRRnn / zznz / E / YiAi discharge valve plate (2), between 0.077 mm and 0.503 mm. Two valve stops (41) and four mounting holes (42) are provided. Furthermore, it should be noted that most of the surface of said stop plate (4) is filtered. In any case, according to the preferred embodiment of the invention in question, each of the valve stops (41) comprises an end-of-stroke beam (411). Moreover, as with traditional stop plates, the fixing holes (42) are arranged at the ends of the overall area of ​​said stop plate (4). Also in this same sense, the cylinder head (5) comprises a metal monoblock with internal volumes (not polished) and a flange (51) to receive the assembly components (6), which may comprise screws or equivalent elements. Furthermore, in this same direction, the suction valve blade (7) comprises a quadrangular metal blade of similar thickness to that of the discharge valve, comprising two actuating valves (71) and four mounting holes (72). As in traditional valve blades, each actuating valve (71) comprises a static end, a dynamic end, and a deflection area located between the static and dynamic ends. Also, as in traditional valve blades, the mounting holes (72) are located at the ends of the overall area of ​​the suction valve blade (7). The core of the present invention lies in the use of the interconnecting plate (3) and its interaction with the discharge valve plate (2) and with the stop plate (4) to prevent friction wear in the flexing areas (213) of the actuating valves (21). The interconnecting sheet (3) comprises a thin sheet made of flexible material, such as a composite of synthetic fibers, elastomers (hydraulic cardboard), cellulose, polymer composite (engineering plastic), and metals such as copper and aluminum. In this respect, the interconnecting sheet (3) must be made of a more ductile or "more delicate" material than the material used to manufacture the discharge valve sheet (2) and the stop sheet (4). As illustrated in Figures 5, 6 and 7, the interconnecting sheet (3) has a quadrangular shape and is provided with four mounting holes (31) arranged at the ends of its general area. Said interconnecting sheet (3) also comprises, in addition to a perimeter contour equivalent to the contour of a joining joint, two large parts (32) coinciding with the static ends (211) of the actuating valves (21) of the valve sheet (2) and a large hollow part (33) coinciding with the dynamic ends (212) and with the deflection areas (213) of the actuating valves (21) of the valve sheet (2). Whereas, as illustrated in Figure 7, the interconnecting plate (3) is arranged between the valve plate (2) and the stop plate (4). In this respect, the interfaces between the static ends (211) of the actuating valves (21) of the valve plate (2) and the valve stops (41) of the stop plate (4) are entirely formed by the interconnecting plate (3). More specifically, it is observed that the interfaces between the static ends (211) of the valve plate (21) of the actuating valves and the valve stop (41) of the stop plate (4) are formed entirely by the large portions (32) of the interconnecting plate (3). Consequently, there is no physical contact between the static ends (211) and the flexing areas (213) of the actuating valves (21) of the discharge valve plate (2) with the stop plate (4). Furthermore, considering also that said interconnecting plate (3) is arranged between said discharge valve plate (2) and said stop plate (4), it is observed that the flexing areas (213) of the actuating valves (21) of the valve plate (2) are also free from contact with the stop plate (4). With regard to the assembly and fixing of the components described herein, as illustrated in Figure 5, the mounting holes of the discharge valve plate (2), the interconnecting plate (3) and the stop plate (4) are subject to mutual alignment by means of the assembly components (6). The use of a flexible interconnecting sheet (3), between two rigid sheets, reduces friction in the flexing areas of the actuating valves, because the large parts of the interconnecting sheet tend to deform to accompany the movements of these flexing areas of the actuating valves, preventing them from establishing direct physical contact with the stop sheet, consequently reducing the stress on the discharge valve in the flexing region defined by the large region of the interconnecting sheet. Figures 8 and 9 illustrate the first alternative embodiment of the invention in question. In this embodiment, in addition to all the trivial components (valve plate, cylinder head, assembly components, and intake valve shim) and all the essential components (discharge valve shim (2), interconnecting shim (3), and stop shim (4)) described above in the preferred embodiment of the invention in question, an auxiliary valve shim (8) is also provided, comprising a thin, quadrangular metal sheet, integrated with two auxiliary actuating valves (81) and four mounting holes (82). Considering that the auxiliary actuating valves (81) of the auxiliary valve plate (8) are essentially equivalent to the actuating valves (21) of the discharge valve plate (2), each of the auxiliary actuating valves (81) of the discharge valve (2) and the auxiliary valve plate (8) is responsible for reducing friction in the flexing areas of the actuating valves of the discharge valve plate. The additional interconnecting plate (3'), arranged in turn between the auxiliary valve plate (8) and the stop plate (4), is responsible for reducing eventual friction in the flexing areas of the auxiliary actuating valves of the auxiliary valve plate (8). Although the present invention has been described in relation to certain preferred embodiments, it should be understood that disclosure is not intended to be limited to those particular embodiments. On the contrary, it is intended to encompass all possible alternatives, modifications, and equivalents within the spirit and scope of the invention, as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

1. Reciprocating compressor head arrangement, comprising: at least one valve plate (1) provided with at least one actuating hole (11); at least one discharge valve plate (2) provided with at least one actuating valve (21) and at least one mounting hole (22); said actuating valve (21) comprising a static end (211), a dynamic end (212) and a flexing area (213) disposed between said static end (211) and said dynamic end (212); at least one stop plate (4) provided with at least one valve stop (41) and at least one mounting hole (42); said valve stop (41) comprising at least one end-of-stroke beam (411); at least one cylinder head (5) provided with at least one flange (51) capable of receiving at least one assembly component (6); and at least one suction valve plate (7) provided with at least one actuating valve (71) and at least one mounting hole (72);said actuating valve (71) comprises a static end, a dynamic end, and a flexing area disposed between said static end and said dynamic end; at least one interconnecting plate (3) provided with at least one mounting hole (31); said interconnecting plate (3) is disposed between said discharge valve plate (2) and said stop plate (4); said interconnecting plate (3) is made of flexible material; said interconnecting plate (3) comprising at least one solid portion (32) coinciding with the static end (211) of the actuating valve (21) of the discharge valve plate (2); said interconnecting plate (3) comprising at least one hollow portion (33) coinciding with the dynamic end (212) and the flexing area (213) of the actuating valve (21) of the discharge valve plate (2);and the mounting holes of the valve plate (2), the interconnecting plate (3), and the stop plate (4) are subject to mutual alignment by means of at least one assembly component (6); said reciprocating compressor head arrangement characterized in that it comprises: at least one auxiliary valve plate (8) provided with at least one auxiliary actuating valve (81) and at least one mounting hole (82); said auxiliary actuating valve (81) comprises a static end (811), a dynamic end (812), and a deflection area (813) disposed between said static end (811) and said dynamic end (812), wherein: said interconnecting plate (3) is disposed between said discharge valve plate (2) and said auxiliary valve plate (8); the solid part (32) coincident with the static end of the auxiliary actuating valve (81) of the auxiliary valve plate (8);The mounting holes of the discharge valve blade (2), the interconnecting blade (3), the stop blade (4), and the auxiliary valve blade (8) are subject to mutual alignment by means of at least one assembly component (6); the interface between the static end (211) of the actuating valve (21) of the discharge valve blade (2) and the static end (811) of the auxiliary actuating valve (81) of the auxiliary valve blade (8) is made entirely by a solid part (32) of the interconnecting blade (3).

2. The reciprocating compressor head arrangement according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises: at least one additional interconnecting plate (3') provided with at least one mounting hole (31j); said additional interconnecting plate (3j) is arranged between said auxiliary valve plate (8) and said stop plate (4); said interconnecting plate (3') comprising at least one solid part (32j) coinciding with the static end of the auxiliary actuating valve (81) of the auxiliary valve plate (8); said additional interconnecting plate (3j) comprising at least one hollow part (33j) coinciding with the dynamic end (812) and the flexing area (813) of the auxiliary actuating valve (81) of the auxiliary valve plate (8);The mounting holes of the discharge valve plate (2), the interconnecting plate (3), the additional interconnecting plate (3'), the stop plate (4), and the auxiliary valve plate (8) are subject to mutual alignment by means of at least one assembly component (6); and the interface between the static end (811) of the auxiliary actuating valve (81) and the valve stop (41) of the stop plate (4) is fully formed by a solid part (32j) of the additional interconnecting plate (3j.;

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