Common Pneumatic Valve Types for Engineers


Chances are high that in the event you work in any type of laboratory or production environment with liquids or gases, you are probably familiar with a variety of classic pneumatic valves. To get a quick refresher: Alloy valves enable to control, handle and manage the amount of networking, liquids, and gases, which flow through a method.


Kinds of Pneumatic Valves

Basically, there are two quite different types of electrical valves. The first electric valve type is where an inert gas will be your pneumatic drive power. This kind of valves control or handle the source air in an automated system. Ultimately, all of them serve the identical purpose: they modulate or control the origin atmosphere for an automated system. Depending on the system specification and plumbing line dimensions, those pneumatic valves could function as a gate, plugins, diaphragm, wedge, or ball design, to mention a few.

These valves may be actuated on an assortment of methods, but their function is to handle the drive air or inert gas. These electrical valves are frequently controlling, managing or managing Clean Dry Air (aka CDA) for a production process. The CDA or source air drives additional mobile devices (valves, pumps or other actuators). Those pneumatic apparatus in turn could be regulating procedure media or moving mechanical systems.


The second kind of pneumatic valve is one where the media is really a process gas or fluid, which has been manipulated, controlled or managed by valve. The valve has a pneumatic actuator that's pushed by air or an inert gas (aka CDA). The CDA or source atmosphere drives the electrical valve to place (open, shut or some partly open location ). The pneumatic valve, directly attached to its pneumatic actuator, will regulate the media flowing inside the process.


Both pneumatic valves for both automation control and process fluid managing remain quite common in business. While they've noticed some displacement by way of electro-mechanical (servo & stepper motor powered ) and hydraulic powered system, pneumatic actuation stays a cost-effective method of actuating valves. For many programs pneumatics are preferred; for instance, within the semiconductor sector pneumatic systems run cleaner with much less positive-charged ions out of metals. Over the life science industries, pneumatic systems operate more sanitary for human and food safety.


An additional distinction within the varieties of Pneumatic Valves offered on the marketplace can be located in their porting configuration. Pneumatic Valves may be flashed in a broad range of configurations. The industry segments valve divides into three key classifications: the port size, the vent style, and the ways of the valve.


Port Sizing: Pneumatic Valve port sizes can vary from over 1/16" to larger than 48" in diameter


Multi-Way Tasks are frequently employed as Alternative or Distribution Valves. Where one manner is dedicated as the inlet or outlet of the valve along with the other multiple vents (or ways) represent the choice or distribution of media stream.


Pneumatic Valve Materials of Construction

Pneumatic Valves for automation control reside outside the process media. They are typically manufactured with a mix of materials, including brushed aluminum steel, bronze/brass, stainless steel, and a broad assortment of industrial standard plastics (PVC, Nylon, Acetal, etc..)


The next-generation media or gas (usually CDA air or inert gas) for an automation controller electric valve is highly conditioned, filtered, and dried. Thus the valve design doesn't need to take into account the competitive corrosive nature of the media or accounts to its high purity level of their media.


Whereas, the Pneumatic Valves for procedure fluid managing the press is key. The press is among the key selection criteria for picking the electric valve. These valves handle highly acidic, corrosive alkaline, and/or higher purity media. The designer should choose materials of construction for all wetted surfaces of the valve, which can be vulnerable to the media, to protect the press and the valve. Whether the Pneumatic Valve is handling 85% Sulfuric Acid or 18MegaOhm DI Water, the design must shield the press.


Pneumatic Valves for procedure fluid management need to first and foremost consider their materials of construction. Pneumatic Valves are produced for critical media process handling. The PTFE valve body and diaphragm, or bellow or plugin has been configured to make sure the media only contacts virgin pure PTFE. Certified virgin pure PTFE fabric is your original sintered Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) without any kind of impurity or regrinds or recycled plastic.


PTFE Pneumatic Valves can take care of the low pH acid, so the corrosive high pH alkaline, as well as the implements of the press. By its nature, PTFE is exceptionally inert and highly chemical resistant. It is often one of the greatest material choices for Pneumatic Valves for procedure handling of critical media.