A reciprocating gas compressor valve having a plurality of clusters of kidney shaped holes positioned along a common circular or annular locus in the main body and a sealing element with a top portion, a bottom portion and a tubular section. The tubular section is integrally connected to the top portion and bottom portion. In an open position, a flow pathway is provided through the clusters of kidney shaped holes and the tubular section and the bottom profile abuts a stop surface of the valve. In a closed position, the top profile abuts the seat for sealing gas flow within the valve.

A magnetically damped check valve having a non-magnetic metal sleeve and a spring-biased poppet disposed within the check valve. The spring-biased poppet is operably supported by the sleeve. A poppet guide is attached to the sleeve. The poppet includes a shaft that is slidably attached to the poppet guide. A portion of the shaft extends into the sleeve. At least one magnet is attached to the portion of the shaft that extends into the sleeve. The magnet therefore moves with the shaft as the poppet moves in response to changes in differential pressure across the check valve. The magnet produces a magnetic field. As the magnet moves within the sleeve, the magnetic field changes thereby inducing an electrical current in the sleeve which produces another magnetic field that opposes the magnetic field of the magnet thereby damping the movement of the magnet and hence, damping the movement of the poppet.

A reciprocating gas compressor valve having a plurality of clusters of kidney shaped holes positioned along a common circular or annular locus in the main body and a sealing element with a top portion, a bottom portion and a tubular section. The tubular section is integrally connected to the top portion and bottom portion. In an open position, a flow pathway is provided through the clusters of kidney shaped holes and the tubular section and the bottom profile abuts a stop surface of the valve. In a closed position, the top profile abuts the seat for sealing gas flow within the valve.

An economizer control system includes a compressor including a compression area, a piston chamber, and an economizer inlet configured to receive economizer vapor into the compression area via a flow path that extends between the economizer inlet and the compression area. At least a portion of the flow path traverses the piston chamber. The economizer control system also includes a piston disposed within the piston chamber and configured to contact the economizer vapor. The piston is moveable between an open position that opens the flow path and a closed position that closes the flow path. Additionally, the economizer control system includes a biasing system configured to apply force to the piston to bias the piston toward the closed position.

A fluid pump apparatus for an artificial lift system has a barrel, a standing valve positioned at a lower end of the barrel so as to be movable between an open position and a closed position, a plunger reciprocatingly mounted in the barrel, a traveling valve positioned in an interior of the plunger so as to control fluid flow through the plunger, and a pilot slidably positioned in the plunger. The plunger has a first aperture at an upper portion thereof and a second aperture extending through a wall of the plunger so as to open to a channel extending through the channel. The traveling valve is slidably movable within an interior of the plunger. The plunger has a seat that is cooperative with a surface of the traveling valve. The pilot is cooperative at the surface of the traveling valve so as to move the traveling valve.

A thermally compensated bore guide system for a shaft, the shaft configured to translate along a longitudinal axis, is provided. The thermally compensated bore guide system includes an inner bore defined within a component. The inner bore is configured to circumferentially surround at least a portion of the shaft, wherein the inner bore is non-linear in response to the thermally compensated bore guide system being at a first thermal condition and wherein the inner bore is configured to be linear and to define a bore axis substantially aligned with the longitudinal axis in response to the thermally compensated bore guide system being at a second thermal condition.

Poppet valve for a piston compressor, having a valve body with a plurality of inlet ducts, wherein each inlet duct has an inlet section and an outlet section. The outlet section opens into a valve seat, wherein each inlet duct is assigned a closing element and a spring. The closing element can be moved in an axial direction (A) in such a way that the valve seat can be closed by way of the closing element. The spring has a first spring end section and a second spring end section, wherein the spring is arranged in the inlet duct and bears with the first spring end section against and is held on the inlet section of the inlet duct. The second spring end section is connected to the closing element, to bring about a pre-stressing force on the closing element, which pre-stressing force is oriented towards the valve seat.

The present disclosure relates to a pneumatically driven fluid pump apparatus having an outer pump housing for collecting liquid to be pumped, and a valve assembly in communication with liquid admitted through an inlet end of the outer pump housing and collecting within the outer pump housing. The valve assembly includes a housing assembly and a poppet valve assembly disposed within the housing assembly to act as a one-way check valve when pumping collected liquid out from the outer pump housing. The poppet valve assembly includes a poppet valve component including a relief area that helps to depressurize an interior area of the valve assembly, to facilitate rapid movement of the poppet valve element from an open position toward a closed position, when only a pressurized fluid flow being used to eject the collected liquid is flowing past the poppet valve component.

Pumps for noncontact tonometry are provided. In one embodiment, a pump for noncontact tonometry includes a compression pump, a compression chamber, a first pressure sensor in communication with the compression chamber, a surge chamber, and a valve separating the compression chamber and surge chamber. The compression pump compresses a first volume of gas into the compression chamber. When the first pressure sensor detects a threshold pressure in the compression chamber, the valve opens and releases the gas into a surge chamber, where it combines with a gas residing in the surge chamber to form a puff of gas that escapes from the surge chamber through a flow-limiting nozzle. The components of the pump, which relies on passive rather than active components to create the controlled puff, can be assembled to have a profile that is portable and fit for home use.

A compressor valve may include a guard and a seat affixed thereto. The seat may have an inlet surface and an outlet surface opposite the inlet surface. A reconditioning limit indicator may be defined by or adjacent the outlet surface. The reconditioning limit indicator may be indicative of a maximum amount of material of the seat removable from the outlet surface during reconditioning of the seat. The reconditioning limit indicator may be a groove defined by the outer cylindrical surface of the seat, a portion of the outer cylindrical surface of the seat adjacent the outlet surface and having an outer diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the seat, or a predetermined shape of a predetermined depth machined on the outlet surface of the seat.