DESIGN OF PNEUMATIC AND

ELECTRO-PNEUMATIC CIRCUITS

Name : A.M.T.S.Bandara
Index No : 2013004CL1
Field : ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING
Date of performance : 19.02.2017
Date of submission : 18.03.2017
INTRODUCTON

Pneumatics systems are being widely used in industrial automation mainly due to its
simplicity in installation and maintenance, fast operation, environmental friendliness even in
case of leakage, low operational and maintenance cost.

In pneumatic systems compressed air is produced in a compressor and stored in a

receiver. From here it is routed to valves which control the direction of fluid flow, flow control
valves which control the amount of power produced by the cylinders which converts the
potential energy of the compressed air into kinetic energy at the output.

EXPERIMENT

Design of pneumatic and electro-pneumatic circuits

OBJECTIVES

To be familiar with basic pneumatic and electro-pneumatic components

commonly found in the industry.
To be familiar with common pneumatic symbol.
To get a basic knowledge and experience on pneumatic circuit design and
simulation.
To be familiar with real world control circuit design with pneumatic and electro-
pneumatics.
To get an overall idea about compressed air systems.

OUTCOMES

Identify different standard pneumatic symbol.

Design small scale control circuit using pneumatic and electro-pneumatic devices.
Describe the operation of basic pneumatic components.
PROCEDURE

A pneumatic control system was designed and simulated using FluidSIM software and made the
designed system using actual components. The design considerations of the system were as follow.

At the initial position, both cylinders were in the retracted state. Therefore, two limit switches,
1S1 and 2S1 are activated.
To start the cycle, both 2S1 and push button valve must be activated.
When the cycle starts, piston of C1 advanced slowly and when it came to the position of 1S2, the
piston of C2 started advancing.
When the piston of C2 reached 2S2, piston C1 retraced quickly back to the initial position of it.
When the piston of C1 reaches back to 1S1 position, C2 also retraced back to its initial position.
Then the cycle could be repeated with the press of the push button.

2S12S2

. C2

1S1 1S2

C1

The same circuit was redesigned using electro-pneumatic valves whenever possible and
implement it on the demonstration panel.
Discussion

Main types of compressors used in industrial refrigeration are screw, piston, centrifugal and
rotary vane. Another type, which is produced in large quantities, a scroll compressor, but still
these compressors are not available in the amount normally encountered in industrial
refrigeration.

Piston Compressors

Piston compressors are one of the most widely used types of refrigeration compressors. They
piston and cylinder as the location of the car engine. Reciprocating motion of the piston due to
external forces compresses the refrigerant inside the cylinder. There are three types of piston
compressors: hermetic, semi-hermetically closed and open-ended. Open piston compressors can
be of the same type cylinder or multi-cylinder type.

Screw Compressors

piston compressors and used widely. It can be used as refrigerants R12, R22, and others.
Rotary Compressors

rotary compressors has two rotating elements, like gears, between which the refrigerant is
compressed. These compressors can pump refrigerant below or moderate the pressure of
condensation. Because they can handle small amounts of gas, and produce less pressure, they
are used in fewer applications.

Centrifugal Compressor

The centrifugal compressor impeller or blower, which can handle large volumes of gas, but at a
relatively low pressure of condensation. It is suitable for work with refrigerants such as R-11, R-
113 and other

spiral Compressors

Scroll compressor consists of two interleaved scrolls, one of which is fixed and the other to the
eccentricity of the orbit without rotation. During its motion with small gaps are created between
the scrolls, where the refrigerant is compressed. Scrolls can have different shape, as involute,
Archimedean spiral, or hybrid curve. In other arrangement scrolls can turn its beating to
recompress.
A pneumatic lubricator injects an aerosolized stream of oil into an air line to provide
lubrication to the internal working parts of pneumatic tools, and to other devices such as
actuating cylinders, valves and motors.

Compressed air enters the inlet port and passes over a needle valve orifice attached to a pick-up
tube. This tube - often equipped with a sintered bronze filter - is submerged into a reservoir bowl
filled with light machine oil. Oil is pulled up by the venturi effect, and emitted as an aerosol at
the outlet port. The needle valve is typically situated within a clear polycarbonate or nylon
housing to aid in oil flow rate adjustment. Some Compressor oils and external chemicals can
cause polycarbonate and/or nylon sight glass to be degraded and create a safety hazard

A lubricator should always be the last element in an FRL (Filter-Regulator-Lubricator) unit. If an

FRL is connected "backwards" with incoming air connected to the lubricator, oil-laden air
interferes with pressure regulator operation, oil is separated from the air stream and drained by
the filter, and very little or none is delivered to connected equipment.

pressure regulator's Operation

A pressure regulator's primary function is to match the flow of gas through the regulator to the
demand for gas placed upon it, whilst maintaining a constant output pressure.

If the load flow decreases, then the regulator flow must decrease also. If the load flow increases,
then the regulator flow must increase in order to keep the controlled pressure from decreasing
due to a shortage of gas in the pressure system.

A pressure regulator includes a restricting element, a loading element, and a measuring element:

The restricting element is a valve that can provide a variable restriction to the flow, such
as a globe valve, butterfly valve, poppet valve, etc.
The loading element is a part that can apply the needed force to the restricting element.
This loading can be provided by a weight, a spring, a piston actuator, or the diaphragm
actuator in combination with a spring.
The measuring element functions to determine when the inlet flow is equal to the outlet
flow. The diaphragm itself is often used as a measuring element; it can serve as a
combined element.

In the pictured single-stage regulator, a force balance is used on the diaphragm to control a
poppet valve in order to regulate pressure. With no inlet pressure, the spring above the
diaphragm pushes it down on the poppet valve, holding it open. Once inlet pressure is
introduced, the open poppet allows flow to the diaphragm and pressure in the upper chamber
increases, until the diaphragm is pushed upward against the spring, causing the poppet to reduce
flow, finally stopping further increase of pressure. By adjusting the top screw, the downward
pressure on the diaphragm can be increased, requiring more pressure in the upper chamber to
maintain equilibrium. In this way, the outlet pressure of the regulator is controlled
How to Remove Moisture from Compressed Air
In order for compressed air systems to perform properly, the air must be dry. More specifically,
the air must not contain liquid moisture and should be at a relative humidity of less than 50
percent to prevent corrosion.

Bulk liquid in compressed air systems can cause the following issues:

It can block control air lines and prevent instruments from reading or actuating properly;
It can damage air tools by preventing proper lubrication;
It can cause water hammer events that damage equipment and piping; and
Processes can be directly impacted when water enters from the air stream.

Removing moisture for corrosion protection is also important for the equipment using the air and
the air system itself. Particulate created from rust and scale can foul lines and damage
components of the air system. In the worst case, corrosion could lead to failure in the pipe work,
creating leaks and preventing air from reaching the process where it is needed.

Most manufacturers use compressed air dryers as one of the methods for removing moisture. Air
exiting a compressor is heated and 100 percent saturated with water. As the air cools, liquid
water begins to condense. Because the air typically gets cooler the further it gets into the system
(air systems also often pass through cold areas like the outdoors before reaching the process), it
is much more effective to dry the air prior to putting it into the air net.

While filters and separators are able to remove liquid moisture droplets from a system, they are
unable to remove water vapor. In order remove water vapor, you must use a dryer.

There are five techniques for removing moisture from compressed air:

Cooling plus separation is exactly how it sounds. The hot compressed air is cooled,
which allows a large amount of water to condense. Once the water is condensed it can
then be separated from the air.
Over-compression involves the compression of air to a higher pressure than the intended
working pressure; after separation, the air is allowed to expand to the working pressure so
it can be used in the intended process.
Membrane drying uses the process of selective permeation of the gas components in the
air to separate the water vapor out.
Absorption drying is a chemical process in which water vapor is bound to an absorption
material such as sodium chloride or sulfuric acid.
Adsorption drying involves the flow of moist air over a hygroscopic material or
desiccant to be dried. Typical materials used are silica gel, molecular sieves and
activated alumina.

If you would like to learn more about Atlas Copcos air treatment products, contact us or visit the
air and gas treatment page of our website.

You may also be interested in the following related articles:

Dryer Series: Twin Tower Desiccant Dryers (Parts I-III)

Designing an Efficient Compressor Room: Three Ways to Prepare for Cold Temperatures