Properties of Compressed Air
• Availability
• Easily stored in large volumes
• Simplicity in design and control
• Provides linear and rotary movement
• Installation
• Low system cost due to low component cost
• Components have long working life resulting in longer system reliability
• Environmentally friendly
• Safety issues are minimized e.g.. Fire hazards; unaffected by overloads (actuators stall or slip)
• Pneumatic actuators in a system do not produce heat (except for friction)
Properties of Compressed Air
Pressure Switch
Compressor DrainCheck Valve
A Basic Pneumatic SystemAir Production and Distribution System
MotorTank
Pressure GaugeRefrigerated Air Dryer
Line Filter
Directional Valve
A Basic Pneumatic SystemAir Consumption System
Air Line Take-off Drain Conditioning Unit
Actuator
Air Receiver
A pressure Vessel (Tank) normally made of metal and installed either horizontally or vertically. This vessel provides a volume of airto be utilized by the system and reduced the loading and unloadingof the compressor.
Air Receiver (Tank)
Air Treatment
All atmospheric air carries both moisture and dust
Inlet Filter •Used to remove large particle dirt from entering the system.
•Used to prevent excessive wear of cylinder, piston rings and other moving parts in the initial stage of the system
Air DryerCompressed air cannot hold the same amount of moisture as non compressed air. Once the air is compressed, some of the moisture condenses in the tank and is removed through a drain valve. The remaining moisture will rust internal components of the system and must be removed. One way this is done by sending the air through an air conditioned chamber which will condense more of the moisture which is present.
Regulating and Conditioning
The compressed air to be used in a system needs to be treated because of contamination inside the system. An example of this could be the scaling of piped or worn seal material. A line filter is used to collect water and solid impurities. A Lubricator is used to vaporize oil into the air stream to lubricate moving parts in the system such as air tools
A regulator is used to adjust the line pressure to a lower usable pressure needed for some tool applications.