Energy-Saving for Industrial Pneumatic Actuation Systems by Exhausted Air Reuse Based on a Constant Pressure Elastic Accumulator

Abstract

Exhausted air reuse is one of the most important energy-saving methods for pneumatic actuation systems. However, traditional exhausted air storage tanks have the disadvantages of unstable pressure and low energy density. To solve these problems, this paper presents an energy-saving method by exhausted air reuse for industrial pneumatic actuation systems based on a constant pressure elastic accumulator. Employing the hyperelastic mechanical properties of rubber, a constant pressure energy storage accumulator is designed and applied to a pneumatic circuit for exhausted air recovery and energy saving. In the circuit, the accumulator recovers exhausted air from a primary cylinder and supplies it to another secondary cylinder. Then the secondary cylinder no longer needs air supply from the air compressor to achieve the purpose of energy saving. The energy-saving mathematical model of the circuit is established using air consumption, and the system operation test bed is built to verify the energy-saving efficiency. Results show that the maximum energy-saving efficiency of the system is 54.1% under given working conditions, and the stability of the cylinder can be improved.