Pneumatics

• pneu·mat·ic adjective \nu̇-ˈma-tik, nyu̇-\

• : of, relating to, or using gas (as air or wind):
• a : moved or worked by air pressure
• b (1) : adapted for holding or inflated with compressed air
• (2) : having air-filled cavities
• The word pneumatics is a derivative of the Greek
word:- pneuma

Session 7

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• Unless otherwise stated, whenever the masculine gender is used, both
men and women are included.
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Any Questions from last Session ?

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• Compressors.
• Compressors are used for compression of gases by decreasing the volume and
imparting a corresponding increase in pressure.
• There are a few different types of compressors for different uses onboard.
• Can you name a few different types of air compressors used on board a ship?
• Reciprocating air compressors.

• Rotary screw compressors.

• Centrifugal compressors.

• Rotary Sliding Vane Compressors.

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• Uses are:-
• Main air compressors used for supplying high pressure air for starting of the main
engine and auxiliary engines.
• Control air compressor for supplying control air.
• Topping air compressors for topping up and taking account of the leakages.
• Deck air compressors to give air for the use on decks.
• Medical Air Compressors for filling up the breathing air bottles.

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• An example of a 30 Bar air start system for a 3000 Kw., up to 300 mm bore, four
stroke diesel engine is shown.

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• This system uses an air motor to crank the engine up to speed.
• When the auto valve is operated, either by hand or a remote electrical signal, air
behind a piston engages the starting pinion with the flywheel ring gear.

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• The movement of the piston uncovers a port allowing air to operate a control
valve which allows air to the vane motor & turns the engine.

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• The system vents when firing speed is reached & piston disengages (Let go of air
start v/v if manual).

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 Legend
30 Bar

VENT
• Generally two pressures of air are used:
• 30 bars high pressure air used generally for starting of the engines.
• 7 bars low pressure air used for control and general service air.
• In the choice of an air compressors for applications requiring air above 7 bars, we
generally use reciprocating air compressors as it has a more positive sealing in
comparison to the other types of compressors like rotary vane, centrifugal, rotary
screw etc.

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• In reciprocating compressors the compression ratio of 1:7 is the limit due to the
rise in temperature.
• Thus to get 35 bars pressure the machine has to be a double stage compressor
with inter-cooling.
• Most of the marine compressors used are two staged reciprocating compressors
with inter-cooling and after cooling.

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• Reciprocating Air Compressors.

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Max air delivery
temp. 93 C

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• Main air compressors used forStarting of :-
• The main engines.

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• Auxiliary engines.

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• Emergency generators.

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• Diesel Driven Emergency fire pumps, etc.

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• Reciprocating air compressors are positive displacement compressors.

• This means they are taking in successive volumes of air which is confined within a
closed space and elevating this air to a higher pressure.

• The reciprocating air compressor accomplishes this by using a piston within a

cylinder as the compressing and displacing element.

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• Reciprocating Compressor.

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• Compressor valves.

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• Unloading of the Compressors
• All compressors need to be unloaded for four main reasons.
• 1. During the starting of a motor the starting current is very high, so to avoid further
overloading of the motor the compressor is started unloaded.
• When the current comes down to the running
value, the unloader is closed and the compressor
comes on load.
• 2. As the air is compressed in volume it releases
a large amount of moisture.
• This oily water mixture is incompressible and if it
is present inside the compression chamber it can
damage the piston and the valves.
• For this reason also the compressor is started
unloaded so that all the moisture present inside
is drained.

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• 3. At stopping the same is done so as to drain all the moisture inside and in
preparation for the next starting.
• 4. Intermittently the compressor is unloaded to remove the condensed water
inside which could be discharged with the air.

• Common methods used to unload an air compressor include:-

• Closing or throttling the compressor intake.

• Forcing intake valves off their seats.
• Relieving intercoolers to the atmosphere.
• Relieving the final discharge to the atmosphere (or opening a bypass from the
discharge to the intake).

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• Single and double acting compressors.
• The reciprocating air compressor is considered single acting when the
compressing is accomplished using only one side of the piston.
• A compressor using both sides of the piston is considered double acting.
• The reciprocating air compressor uses a number of automatic spring loaded
valves in each cylinder that open only when the proper differential pressure
exists across the valve.
• Inlet valves open when the pressure in the cylinder is slightly below the intake
pressure.
• Discharge valves open when the pressure in the cylinder is slightly above the
discharge pressure.
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lr67rIxOP-s

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• A compressor is considered to be single stage when the entire compression is
accomplished with a single cylinder or a group of cylinders in parallel.
• Many applications involve conditions beyond the practical capability of a single
compression stage.
• Too great a compression ratio (absolute discharge pressure/absolute intake
pressure) may cause excessive discharge temperature or other design problems.
• For practical purposes most plant air reciprocating air compressors over 70 Kw
are built as multi-stage units in which two or
more steps of compression are grouped in
series.
• The air is normally cooled between the
stages to reduce the temperature and
volume entering the following stage

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• An inter-cooler between the first and second stages removes most of the heat of
compression from the air before it enters the second stage, thus improving
efficiency and decreasing the final discharge air temperature

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• Rotary Screw Compressors

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• Rotary air compressors are positive displacement compressors.
• The most common rotary air compressor is the single stage helical or spiral lobe
oil flooded screw air compressor.
• These compressors consist of two rotors within a casing where the rotors
compress the air internally.
• There are no valves.
• These units are basically oil cooled (with air cooled or water cooled oil coolers)
where the oil seals the internal clearances.
• Since the cooling takes place right inside the compressor, the working parts never
experience extreme operating temperatures.
• The rotary compressor, therefore, is a continuous duty, air cooled or water cooled
compressor package.
• They make excellent working air compressors.

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• Because of the simple design and few wearing parts, rotary screw air
compressors are easy to maintain, operate and provide great installation
flexibility.
• Rotary air compressors can be installed on any surface that will support the static
weight.

• Oil flooded screw compressor

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• Centrifugal Compressors

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• The centrifugal air compressor is a dynamic compressor which depends on
transfer of energy from a rotating impeller to the air.
• The rotor accomplishes this by changing the momentum and pressure of the air.
• This momentum is converted to useful pressure by slowing the air down in a
stationary diffuser.

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• The centrifugal air compressor is an oil free compressor by design.
• The oil lubricated running gear is separated from the air by shaft seals and
atmospheric vents.
• The centrifugal is a continuous duty compressor, with few moving parts, that is
particularly suited to high volume applications, especially where oil free air is
required, such as control air.
• Centrifugal air compressors are water cooled and may be packaged; typically the
package includes the after-cooler and all controls.

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• Rotary Sliding Vane Compressors.

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• Like Reciprocating and Rotary Screw compressors, these are positive
displacement compressors.
• The compressor pump consists primarily of a rotor, stator, and a number of
blades.

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• The slotted rotor is eccentrically arranged within the stator providing a crescent
shaped swept area between the intake and exhaust ports.

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• As the rotor turns a single revolution, compression is achieved as the volume
goes from a maximum at the intake ports to a minimum at the exhaust port.
• The vanes are forced outward from within the rotor slots and held against the
stator wall by rotational acceleration.
• Oil is injected into the air intake and along the stator walls to cool the air,
lubricate the bearings and vanes, and provide a seal between the vanes and the
stator wall.
• After the compression cycle, the oil and air must be separated before the air can
be transferred to the air system.

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• A: Air is drawn in through the intake valve.
• B: Air is contained between the rotor and stator wall.

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• C: Air is compressed by decreasing volume. Oil is
continually injected to cool, seal and lubricate.
• D: High pressure air passes into the primary oil separator.

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• E: Remaining traces of oil are removed in a final separator element,
providing high quality air.
• F: System air passes through the aftercooler, removing most of the
condensate.

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• G: Oil is circulated by internal air pressure. It passes through an air-
blast oil cooler and filter before being returned to the compressor.
• H: Air flow is regulated by an inbuilt modulation system.

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• Hydrovane Compressor

• Hydrovane Service

• Double Acting Compressor

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• Safety Features of Marine Compressors

• Marine compressors have various safety features and cut-outs installed so that
they will trip when running in an unsafe mode.

• The compressors are usually reliable machines, but have to be maintained

properly and in the proper intervals.

• There have been cases of the cylinder heads bursting and often resulting in
fatalities.

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• Pneumatic Actuators
• What are Pneumatic Actuators?

• Dictionary.Com gives the following definition of pneumatic: operated by air or by

the pressure or exhaustion of air
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/pneumatic

• A pneumatic actuator is a transducer that converts energy (typically from

compressed air) into motion
• The motion can be rotary or linear, depending on the type of actuator.

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• Some types of pneumatic actuators include:
• Tie Rod Cylinders (linear actuators)

• Rotary Actuators (air motors)

• Grippers

• Pneumatic Control Valve

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• Tie Rod Cylinders
• Provides linear motion from compressed air
• Single or Double Action

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• Single Acting
• Spring Extend or Spring Return
• In a typical application for a single acting air cylinder, it is either the load itself, or
an internal spring, that returns or extends the air cylinder rod.

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• Double-acting air
• These type of air cylinders are so named because compressed air is used to both
extend and retract the rod - a double action.

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• Rotary Actuators (air motors)
• The purpose of a rotary-actuator is to move the machine tooling in a rotary
motion, instead of the linear motion that is provided by typical air cylinders.

Gas Turbine
Starter

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• With a combination of rotary-actuators and linear actuators then, the machine
builder can provide tooling movement similar to that of a human arm, with rotary
devices providing the wrist action, grippers to simulate fingers, and linear
actuators to provide the reach.
• Robotic Barman

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• Vane Style Rotary Actuator
• These use internal vanes to rotate a shaft that protrudes from inside the
actuator.

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• Compressed air flows into one of two air ports in the actuator's vane housing via
an air line from the control valve.
• As the compressed air moves into the vane actuator, it tries to flow from high
pressure towards atmosphere - and in so doing it rotates the vanes inside the
housing and imparts rotary motion to the shaft.

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• Vane type rotary actuators are usually double acting .
• Compressed air flows alternately to one of two air ports in the housing,
providing rotary motion in one direction when the control valve is shifted one
way, and the rotary motion in the other direction when the valve is shifted back
and air flows into the other port.

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• Rack-and-pinion type rotary actuator.
• A double-rack design is shown here.

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• When air is piped to the CW port, the output shaft turns clockwise.
• With air piped to the CCW port, the output shaft turns counterclockwise
• This design works best in pneumatic or low-pressure hydraulic applications.

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• Pneumatic Control Valve
• A simplified diagram of a pneumatic actuator is shown in Figure
• It operates by a combination of force created by air and spring force.
• The actuator positions a control valve by transmitting its motion through the stem.

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• Pneumatically controlled valve

• Many pneumatic devices use a nozzle

and flapper system to give a variation
in the compressed air signal.

• A typical pneumatic control valve is

shown here.

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• It can be considered as made up of two parts—the actuator and the valve.
• In the arrangement shown a flexible diaphragm forms a pressure tight chamber
in the upper half of the actuator and the controller signal is fed in.

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• Movement of the diaphragm results in a movement of the valve spindle and the
valve.
• The diaphragm movement is opposed by a spring and is arranged so that the
variation of controller output corresponds to full travel of the valve

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• The valve body is arranged to fit into the particular pipeline and houses the valve
and seat assembly.
• Valve operation may be direct acting where increasing pressure on the diaphragm
closes the valve.

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• Pneumatic Control Valve
• A reverse acting valve opens as pressure on the diaphragm increases.
• The diaphragm movement is opposed by a spring which will close or open the valve in the
event of air supply failure depending upon the action of the valve.

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• The valve disc or plug may be single or double seated and have any of a variety of shapes.
• The various shapes and types are chosen according to the type of control required and the
relationship between valve lift and liquid flow.

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• A non-adjustable gland arrangement is usual.
• Inverted V-ring packing (Chevron Seal) is used to minimise the friction against the moving
spindle.

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• In order to achieve accurate valve disc positioning and overcome the effects of friction and
unbalanced forces a valve positioner may be used.

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• The controller signal acts on a bellows which will move the flapper in relation to
the nozzle.
• This movement will alter the air pressure on the diaphragm which is supplied via
an orifice from a constant pressure supply.

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• The diaphragm movement will move the valve spindle and also the flapper.
• An equilibrium position will be set up when the valve disc is correctly positioned.
• This arrangement enables the use of a separate power source to actuate the valve.

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• Actuator operation
• The control signal to a correcting unit may be pneumatic, electric or hydraulic.
• The actuating power may also be any one of these three and not necessarily the
same as the control medium.
• Electrical control signals are usually of small voltage or current values which are
unable to effect actuator movement.
• Pneumatic or hydraulic power would then be used for actuator operation.
• P + I Control

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• Pipe work design

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• The purpose of the compressed air piping system is to deliver compressed air to
the points of usage.

• The compressed air needs to be delivered with enough volume, appropriate

quality, and pressure to properly power the components that use the
compressed air.

• Compressed air is costly to manufacture.

• A poorly designed compressed air system can increase energy costs, promote
equipment failure, reduce production efficiencies, and increase maintenance
requirements.

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• Fittings, Couplers & valves.

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“JUDGE A MAN BY HIS QUESTIONS RATHER THAN BY HIS
ANSWERS”.
Voltaire
Any Questions ?

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