Experimental and Numerical Investigating of Failure Factors in One-Way Ring Valves in Reciprocating Compressors

The ring inside the one-way valve has an important role in the reciprocating compressor. In this article, two different materials for rings were considered; stainless steel with the material number 1.5022 and sign 38si6, and carbon-peek composite. These two rings were prepared in valves with identical conditions in design and manufacturing and were used in reciprocating compressors with the same applications. The results of this experiment showed that the life of the valve with a steel ring was 145 days, while the valve with a carbon-peek ring was intact after 210 days. The most important reason for early failure in the steel ring is an inappropriate distribution of forces due to the springs below the ring. Another common cause of failure in these valves is the stresses on walls in the location of springs. Therefore, in this paper, the stresses in the chamber of springs, which are critical points in the design and construction of the valves, are also discussed. By using robust business codes like Abaqus software, the design and analysis stages of the valve are carried out in quasi-static conditions. The stresses and tensions on the chamber of spring and the ring are much stronger in the steel ring than the carbon-peek composite ring. The results obtained from numerical simulations are consistent with experimental observations. In addition, accurate thickness for the ring was determined by use of flow relations.