Republic of the Philippines

CAMARINES NORTE STATE COLLEGE

F. Pimentel Avenue, Brgy. 2, Daet, Camarines Norte – 4600, Philippines

College of Engineering

College of Engineering
Daet, Camarines Norte

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Electro-Pneumatic
Module 1
Pneumatics System
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Pneumatic Systems
Pneumatic technology deals with the study of behavior and applications of
compressed air in our daily life in general and manufacturing automation in
particular.

Pneumatic systems use air as the medium which is abundantly available and can be
exhausted into the atmosphere after completion of the assigned task.

Basic Components of Pneumatic System:

Fig. 1
Important components of a pneumatic system are shown in fig.1.

a) Air filters: These are used to filter out the contaminants from the air.

b) Compressor: Compressed air is generated by using air compressors. Air

compressors are either diesel or electrically operated. Based on the requirement
of compressed air, suitable capacity compressors may be used.
c) Air cooler: During compression operation, air temperature increases.
Therefore coolers are used to reduce the temperature of the compressed air.

d) Dryer: The water vapor or moisture in the air is separated from the air by using
a dryer.

e) Control Valves: Control valves are used to regulate, control and monitor for
control of direction flow, pressure etc.

f) Air Actuator: Air cylinders and motors are used to obtain the required
movements of mechanical elements of pneumatic system.

g) Electric Motor: Transforms electrical energy into mechanical energy. It is used

to drive the compressor.

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 h) Receiver tank: The compressed air coming from the compressor is stored in
the air receiver.

Receiver tank

The air is compressed slowly in the compressor. But since the pneumatic system needs
continuous supply of air, this compressed air has to be stored. The compressed air is
stored in an air receiver as shown in Figure 2. The air receiver smoothens the pulsating
flow from the compressor. It also helps the air to cool and condense the moisture
present. The air receiver should be large enough to hold all the air delivered by the
compressor. The pressure in the receiver is held higher than the system operating
pressure to compensate pressure loss in the pipes. Also, the large surface area of the
receiver helps in dissipating the heat from the compressed air. Generally, the size of
receiver depends on,
• Delivery volume of compressor.
• Air consumption.
• Pipeline network
• Type and nature of on-off regulation
• Permissible pressure difference in the pipelines

Fig. 2 Air Receiver Tank

Compressor:

It is a mechanical device which converts mechanical energy into fluid energy. The
compressor increases the air pressure by reducing its volume which also increases the
temperature of the compressed air. The compressor is selected based on the pressure
it needs to operate and the delivery volume.
The compressor can be classified into two main types;
a. Positive displacement compressors and
b. Dynamic displacement compressor

Positive displacement compressors include piston type, vane type, diaphragm type
and screw type.

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Piston compressors

Fig. 3 Single acting piston compressor

Piston compressors are commonly used in pneumatic systems. The simplest form is
single cylinder compressor (Fig. 3). It produces one pulse of air per piston stroke. As
the piston moves down during the inlet stroke the inlet valve opens and air is drawn
into the cylinder. As the piston moves up the inlet valve closes and the exhaust valve
opens which allows the air to be expelled. The valves are spring loaded. The single
cylinder compressor gives significant amount of pressure pulses at the outlet port. The
pressure developed is about 3-40 bar.

Double acting compressor

Fig. 4
The pulsation of air can be reduced by using double acting compressor as shown in
Figure 4. It has two sets of valves and a crosshead. As the piston moves, the air is
compressed on one side whilst on the other side of the piston, the air is sucked in.
Due to the reciprocating action of the piston, the air is compressed and delivered
twice in one piston stroke. Pressure higher than 30 bar can be produced.

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Multistage compressor

Fig. 4

As the pressure of the air increases, its temperature rises. It is essential to reduce the
air temperature to avoid damage of compressor and other mechanical elements. The
multistage compressor with intercooler in-between is shown in Figure 4. It is used to
reduce the temperature of compressed air during the compression stages. The inter-
cooling reduces the volume of air which used to increase due to heat. The compressed
air from the first stage enters the intercooler where it is cooled. This air is given as
input to the second stage where it is compressed again. The multistage compressor
can develop a pressure of around 50bar.

Combined two stage compressors

Fig. 5
In this type, two-stage compression is carried out by using the same piston (Fig.
5). Initially when the piston moves down, air is sucked in through the inlet valve.
During the compression process, the air moves out of the exhaust valve into the
intercooler. As the piston moves further the stepped head provided on the piston
moves into the cavity thus causing the compression of air. Then, this is let out by the
exhaust port.

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Air Treatment and Pressure Regulation
Air treatment stages

For satisfactory operation of the pneumatic system the compressed air needs to
be cleaned and dried. Atmospheric air is contaminated with dust, smoke and is humid.
These particles can cause wear of the system components and presence of moisture
may cause corrosion. Hence it is essential to treat the air to get rid of these impurities.
The air treatment can be divided into three stages as shown in Figure 1.

Fig. 1
Stages of air treatment

In the first stage, the large sized particles are prevented from entering the
compressor by an intake filter. The air leaving the compressor may be humid and may
be at high temperature. The air from the compressor is treated in the second stage.
In this stage temperature of the compressed air is lowered using a cooler and the air
is dried using a dryer. Also an inline filter is provided to remove any contaminant
particles present. This treatment is called primary air treatment. In the third stage
which is the secondary air treatment process, further filtering is carried out. A
lubricator introduces a fine mist of oil into the compressed air. This will help in
lubrication of the moving components of the system to which the compressed air will
be applied.

Filters

To prevent any damage to the compressor, the contaminants present in the air
need to be filtered out. This is done by using inlet filters. These can be dry or wet
filters. Dry filters use disposable cartridges. In the wet filter, the incoming air is
passed through an oil bath and then through a fine wire mesh filter. Dirt particles
cling to the oil drops during bubbling and are removed by wire mesh as they pass
through it. In the dry filter the cartridges are replaced during servicing. The wet
filters are cleaned using detergent solution.

Cooler

As the air is compressed, the temperature of the air increases. Therefore, the air
needs to be cooled. This is done by using a cooler. It is a type of heat exchanger.
There are two types of coolers commonly employed viz. air cooled and water cooled.
In the air-cooled type, ambient air is used to cool the high temperature compressed

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air, whereas in the water-cooled type, water is used as cooling medium. These are
counter flow type coolers where the cooling medium flows in the direction opposite
to the compressed air. During cooling, the water vapor present will condense which
can be drained away later.

Main line filter

These filters are used to remove the water vapors or solid contaminants present in
the pneumatic systems main lines. These filters are discussed in detail as follows.

Air filter and water trap

Air filter and water trap is used to

• prevent any solid contaminants from entering in the system.
• condense and remove water vapor that is present in the compressed air.

Fig. 2 Air filter and water trap

The filter cartridge is made of sintered brass. The schematic of the filter is shown
in Fig. 2. The thickness of sintered cartridge provides random zigzag passage for the
air to flow-in which helps in arresting the solid particles. The air entering the filter
swirls around due to the deflector cone. The centrifugal action causes the large
contaminants and water vapor to be flung out, which hit the glass bowl and get
collected at the bottom. A baffle plate is provided to prevent the turbulent air from
splashing the water into the filter cartridge. At the bottom of the filter bowl there is a
drain plug which can be opened manually to drain off the settled water and solid
particles.

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Refrigerated dryers

Fig. 3 Refrigerated dryers

It consists of two heat exchangers, refrigerant compressor and a separator. The

system circuitry is shown in Figure 3. The dryer chills the air just above 0 °C which
condenses the water vapor. The condensate is collected by the separator. However,
such low temperature air may not be needed at the application. Therefore, this chilled
air is used to cool the high temperature air coming out from the compressor at heat
exchanger 2. The moderate temperature dry air coming out from the heat exchanger
2 is then used for actual application; whilst the reduced temperature air from
compressor will further be cooled at heat exchanger 1. Thus, the efficiency of the
system is increased by employing a second heat exchanger.

Chemical dryers

When absolute dry air is needed chemical dryers are used. These dryers are of two
types viz. adsorption dryer and absorption dryer.

Adsorption dryers

Fig. 4 Adsorption dryer

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 In Adsorption dryers, the moisture collects on the sharp edges of the granular
material. The adsorbing materials can be silicon dioxide (silica gel) or other materials
which exist in hydrated and dehydrated state (copper sulphate, activated alumina).
Moisture from the adsorbing material can be released by heating in the column as
shown in Fig. 4. At a given time, one column will dry the air while the other column
will regenerate the adsorption material by heating and passing low purge air. The
column B dries the air and column C regenerates. The rotary valves are opened using
time clock at regular interval to reverse the process. These dryers are also called
regenerative dryers.

Absorption dryers

These are also called as deliquescent dryers. Figure 5 shows a schematic of the
same. It uses chemical agents like phosphoric pentoxide or calcium chloride as drying
agents. The moisture in the compressed air chemically reacts with the drying agent.
The agent dissolves to form a liquid compound which collects at the bottom of the
dryer where it can be drained out. The deliquescent agent has to be replenished
regularly as it gets consumed during the drying process.

Fig. 5 Absorption dryer

Fig. 6 Air lubricator

Lubricators

The compressed air is first filtered and then passed through a lubricator in order
to form a mist of oil and air to provide lubrication to the mating components. Figure 6
shows the schematic of a typical lubricator. The principle of working of venturi meter
is followed in the operation of lubricator. The compressed air from the dryer enters in
the lubricator. Its velocity increases due to a pressure differential between the upper
and lower changer (oil reservoir). Due to the low pressure in the upper chamber the
oil is pushed into the upper chamber from the oil reservoir through a siphon tube with
check valve. The main function of the valve is to control the amount of oil passing

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through it. The oil drops inside the throttled zone where the velocity of air is much
higher and this high velocity air breaks the oil drops into tiny particles. Thus, a mist
of air and oil is generated. The pressure differential across chambers is adjusted by a
needle valve. It is difficult to hold an oil mixed air in the air receiver as oil may settle
down. Thus, air is lubricated during secondary air treatment process. Low viscosity oil
forms better mist than high viscosity oil and hence ensures that oil is always present
in the air.

Pressure regulation

In pneumatic systems, during high velocity compressed air flow, there is flow
dependent Pressure drop between the receiver and load (application). Therefore, the
pressure in the receiver is always kept higher than the system pressure. At the
application site, the pressure is regulated to keep it constant. There are three ways to
control the local pressure, these are shown in Figure 7.

Fig. 7 Types of pressure regulation

• In the first method, load X vents the air into atmosphere continuously. The
pressure regulator restricts the air flow to the load, thus controlling the air
pressure. In this type of pressure regulation, some minimum flow is required to
operate the regulator. If the load is a dead-end type which draws no air, the
pressure in the receiver will rise to the manifold pressure. This type of regulators
is called as ‘non-relieving regulators’, since the air must pass through the load.
• In the second type, load Y is a dead-end load. However, the regulator vents the
air into atmosphere to reduce the pressure. This type of regulator is called as
‘relieving regulator’.
• The third type of regulator has a very large load Z. Therefore, its requirement
of air volume is very high and can’t be fulfilled by using a simple regulator. In
such cases, a control loop comprising of pressure transducer, controller and vent
valve is used. Due to large load the system pressure may rise above its critical
value. It is detected by a transducer. Then the signal will be processed by the

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 controller which will direct the valve to be opened to vent out the air. This
technique can be also be used when it is difficult to mount the pressure
regulating valve close to the point where pressure regulation is needed.

Fig. 8 Relief valve

Relief valve

Relief valve is the simplest type of pressure regulating device. The schematic of
its construction and working is shown in the Figure 8. It is used as a backup device if
the main pressure control fails. It consists of ball type valve held on to the valve seat
by a spring in tension. The spring tension can be adjusted by using the adjusting cap.
When the air pressure exceeds the spring tension pressure the ball is displaced from
its seat, thus releasing the air and reducing the pressure. A relief is specified by its
span of pressure between the cracking and full flow, pressure range and flow rate.
Once the valve opens (cracking pressure), flow rate depends on the excess pressure.
Once the pressure falls below the cracking pressure, the valve seals itself.

Service units

During the preparation of compressed air, various processes such as filtration,

regulation and lubrication are carried out by individual components. The individual
components are: separator/filter, pressure regulator and lubricator.

Preparatory functions can be combined into one unit which is called as ‘service unit’.
Figure 9 shows symbolic representation of various processes involved in air
preparation and the service unit.

Fig. 9 (a) Service unit components (b) Service unit symbol

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