An Overview of How Pneumatic Systems Work

A pneumatic system is made up of a combination of many components. Not every pneumatic system uses the same components. Depending on the conditions of use, components with different characteristics are preferred. For this reason, the most accurate approach is to break the system down into sections. The sections that make up a pneumatic system are as follows:

Generating and Preparing Compressed Air

Machines that generate compressed air are called compressors. Compressors are machines that generate compressed air by compressing atmospheric air, much like a spring.

Components such as dryers and air receivers are used in preparing compressed air. So what does “preparing the air” mean? Atmospheric air contains a certain amount of moisture, depending on its relative humidity (RH) and air temperature. As temperature rises, the air’s moisture content increases.

Moisture in the air causes contamination in the pneumatic system, leading to rust and blockages. It reduces quality in painting operations. In industries such as chemistry and electronics, it causes product damage. For this reason, moisture must be removed from the system. This is exactly the role a dryer plays in preparing the air.

Compressors have a specific, fixed capacity. However, a pneumatic system’s air consumption is variable. When air consumption exceeds the compressor’s capacity, compressors can’t meet the required air demand, and excessive pressure drops occur in the system. Air receivers supply the excess compressed air needed during periods of low consumption and prevent excessive pressure drops.

Distributing Compressed Air

Distributing the air (the distribution line) takes up very little space in the figure above. Yet it takes up the most space among the sections of a pneumatic system. The distribution line used in small businesses isn’t very long. Distribution lines used in medium and large businesses can be hundreds of meters long. The distribution line is one of the most important parts of the system.

Even though we use a dryer to remove moisture from the air, it’s not possible to remove all of it. Some of the moisture remaining in the air condenses in the piping as the air cools, and reaches the users. For this reason, certain precautions are taken in the distribution line to remove moisture from the air and prevent condensed moist air from reaching the machines in the form of water.

Conditioning Compressed Air

The air service unit (conditioner) gets the air ready for working conditions before it’s used. The conditioner uses three components: a filter, a pressure regulator, and a lubricator. This number can vary depending on the characteristics of the pneumatic circuit.

What conditions does the conditioner ensure for the air?
Thanks to the filter inside the conditioner, the air is filtered; thanks to the pressure regulator, air is delivered to users at a steady pressure.

The lubricator, on the other hand, mixes oil into the air in the form of fine droplets. Lubricating the air is necessary so that moisture in the air doesn’t damage circuit components, to reduce friction forces in circuit components, and to prevent leaks.

Using Compressed Air

Hundreds of different types of components (mufflers, directional control valves, pressure gauges, cylinders, etc.) are used to put air to use in pneumatic systems, but not all of these components appear in the same circuit — it depends on the circuit’s characteristics and needs.

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