Pneumatic Conveying Circuit With Confined Negative-Pressure Reuse
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional pneumatic circuits for conveying apparatuses consume excessive energy due to the need to maintain negative pressure in conduit lines during each operation, especially when the length of the conduit lines is significant.
Innovation Solution
A pneumatic circuit with a control valve mechanism that includes control valves to form a negative pressure confining section, storing part of the generated negative pressure for reuse in subsequent operations, combining it with newly generated pressure to reduce energy consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If negative pressure is maintained in the entire conduit line during each operation, then reliable suction is achieved, but energy consumption increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The conduit line is divided into two distinct sections: a front conduit section connected to the suction pad and a rear conduit section connected to the vacuum generator. During releasing operation, only the front section is opened to atmosphere while the rear section maintains negative pressure. This segmentation allows selective pressure control that reduces energy consumption while maintaining suction reliability when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
Different pressure conditions are applied to different parts of the system based on operational requirements. The front conduit section experiences atmospheric pressure during releasing operation, while the rear conduit section maintains negative pressure. This local differentiation optimizes energy usage by maintaining negative pressure only where necessary for subsequent suction operations.
2Ease of operation
If the conduit line is opened to atmosphere during releasing operation, then product release is achieved, but negative pressure must be regenerated completely in the next operation
Solution Approach 1:
The rear conduit section is prepared in advance by maintaining negative pressure during the releasing operation. This preliminary maintenance of negative pressure in the rear section means that when the next suction operation begins, the system does not need to regenerate negative pressure from scratch, reducing energy consumption and operation time.
Solution Approach 2:
The system discards atmospheric pressure in the front conduit section for product release, then recovers and retains negative pressure in the rear conduit section for reuse. This selective discarding and recovering of pressure states reduces the energy required for each subsequent suction operation.
3Ease of operation
If two-port valves are used to control pressure in the conduit line, then pressure control is achieved, but the number of valves increases system complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The three-port valve performs multiple functions that would otherwise require separate valves. It controls both the connection between the front and rear conduit sections and the connection to atmosphere, replacing what would traditionally require two separate two-port valves. This multi-functionality reduces component count while maintaining pressure control capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The functions of controlling front-rear section pressure and atmospheric venting are merged into a single three-port valve. This consolidation simplifies the valve mechanism and reduces the total number of components needed in the system while achieving the same pressure control objectives.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution reduces energy consumption by reusing stored negative pressure, minimizing the need for continuous generation, thus optimizing energy use in conveying operations.
Implementation Method 1
a vacuum generator (4), and a control valve mechanism (6) arranged in the conduit line (5), supplying negative pressure generated by the vacuum generator (4) to the one or more suction pads (2)
Implementation Method 2
opening inside of the one or more suction pads (2) to the atmosphere
Data Source
AI summary
A control valve mechanism includes a three-port valve provided at a front conduit section of a conduit line and a two-port valve provided at a rear conduit section of the conduit line, the two-port valve is controlled to be in an opened state during the suctioning operation and to be in a closed state during the releasing operation. The three-port valve is controlled to be in a first state in which negative pressure generated by a vacuum generator is supplied to one or more suction pads during the suctioning operation, and to be in a second state in which the supply of the negative pressure generated by the vacuum generator is blocked form a negative pressure confining section arranged between the three-port valve and the two-port valve and to open the inside of the one or more suction pads to the atmosphere during the releasing operation.