Balancing Cost, Performance and Reliability When

Choosing Solenoid Valves

This webinar will be available afterwards at designworldonline.com & email

Q&A at the end of the presentation

Hashtag for this webinar: #DWwebinar

Before We Start

Moderator

Paul HeneyDesign World

Presenter

Richard RonzelloPeter Paul Electronics

Balancing Cost, Performance and Reliability when

Choosing Solenoid Valves

November 20, 2013

Webinar Overview• Key Attributes of Valves• Demonstrate How to Sort Out Differences• How to Select the Best Product for an Application and/or

Industry• Topics range from performance issues like maximum

operating pressure differentials to manufacturing techniques, Kanban, Passivation as well as testing and certification

• What makes one valve operate efficiently for the life of an application while others require more power and suffer premature failure

KEY ATTRIBUTES OF A VALVE

Key Attributes of a Valve

• Anatomy of a Valve• Mechanical Characteristics• Electrical Characteristics• Operating Conditions• Valve Temperature Range• Maximum Operating Pressure Differentials• Valve Functionality

ANATOMY OF A VALVE

Anatomy of a Valve

Valve Body• Houses orifice and

inlet and outlet media ports, contains two drill and tapped holes for mounting

• Typically made of Stainless Steelo Brass, Aluminum and

Plastic available

Flange Seal

• Flange Seals are the O rings used to seal between the sleeve assembly and the body.

Flange Seal

Sleeve Assembly• Attaches to body and

houses the plunger allowing the plunger to travel

• Sleeve assembly is comprised of a non-magnetic metal tube, a magnetic metal flange and magnetic metal end stop. These pieces welded together make up the sleeve assembly

Plunger• Travels up and down to

seal the orifice, either starting or stopping flow of the media

• The plunger seal is inserted into a cavity in the end of the plunger

• The plunger seal insert material comes in contact with the orifice to seal it

Plunger Return Spring

• A valve spring attached to the plunger returns the plunger to it’s original position when the solenoid is switched off.

Coil

• Electric current passes through a wire wound around a bobbin to create an electromagnetic field which draws the plunger upward.

Housing

• Housing is used to carry the magnetic flux around the outside of the coil, allowing for an efficient electromagnet.

Housing

Top Nut

• Screws on to sleeve assembly to secure housing and body together, also assists in carrying magnetic flux.

MECHANICAL CHARACTERISTICS

Orifice• Used to control flow, orifice

size is directly proportional to the amount of flow.

• As you increase the diameter of the orifice, you increase the amount of flow.

• As you increase the orifice size, you decrease the pressure rating.

Ports

• Threaded holes that allow connection of pipes or other components to the valve.

• Ports can vary in size and thread type.

ELECTRICAL CHARACTERISTICS

Power Requirements• Coil Voltage: PeterPaul manufactures it’s own

coils which range in voltages from 2 to 1040 VAC 50 or 60 HZ. – 1.8 to 300 V DC

• Coil Wattage: PeterPaul designs coils for optimal pulling force ranging from .5 watts to 18 watts.

• Maximum coil heat rise in our standard valves is 85°C

Typical Response Time on Air

• Indicates plunger travel of one complete cycle, open to close. It takes 4 to 16 milliseconds to open and 4 to 16 milliseconds to close

OPERATING CONDITIONS

Media• Air water and other fluids

compatible with standard Buna seals. Hot water, gasoline and many oils require special seal materials.

Valve Temperature Range

• Standard Valves o 0°F (-18°C) to 104°F (40°C) ambient o 0°F (-18°C) to 150°F (65°C) media

• Coil can be designed to tolerate much higher or much lower ambient and media temperatures.

• Seal material must be considered when temperatures exceed above conditions

Maximum Operating Pressure Differentials

• The maximum difference in pressure between the inlet and outlet ports which the valve can be safely operated by the solenoid

Burst Pressure

• The maximum pressure, which can be applied to the valve without it rupturing.

• Stainless steel valves typically have a burst pressure rating above 10,000 P.S.I.

Leakage• Internal leakage; the amount

of media that passes between the orifice and the plunger seal when tested at pressure.

• External leakage; leakage between the internal parts of the valve and external parts of the valve.

• Typically valves are tested for allowable leakage per UL specifications and are bubble tight at rated pressure.

Vacuum• Vacuum at 30 inches of

mercury is equal to 15 P.S.I of forward pressure.

• Higher vacuum levels (over 18 inches of mercury) may require seals other than standard Buna

Certifications/Registrations

Typical Certifications for Valve Include:

• UL Listed/Recognized• CSA Listed/Recognized • NSF Approval• CE Approval• ATEX Certification• ISO 9000

VALVE FUNCTIONALITY

2 Way Normally Open• A valve in which the orifice

is open in the de-energized position and flow exists between the inlet and outlet ports.

• In the energized position

the plunger lifts and seals the top orifice, shutting off flow between the inlet and outlet ports.

2 Way Normally Closed• A valve in which the

orifice is closed in the de-energized position and no flow can exist between the inlet and outlet ports. (no electrical current to coil)

• In the energized position the plunger lifts off the seat allowing flow between the inlet and outlet ports. (electrical current to the coil)

3 Way Valves• A valve that has two orifices and three ports.

• One orifice is always open when the other is closed and one port is always open to one of the other two ports.

• Flow is controlled by opening or closing either of the two orifices.

3 Way Normally

Open• A valve in which the inlet

orifice is open and the exhaust orifice is closed in the de-energized position.

• Full flow can exist between the inlet and cylinder ports.

3 Way Normally Closed

• A valve in which the inlet orifice is closed and the exhaust orifice is open in the de-energized position.

• Can be configured to exhaust to atmosphere or pipe exhaust.

3 Way Directional

Control• A valve in which the inlet is

open to the normally open port when the coil is de-energized and open to the normally closed port when the coil is energized.

3 Way Multi-

Purpose• A valve which will function

as 3 way normally open, as 3 way normally closed, and 3 way directional control, depending on the piping.

• The valve can have two inlets and one outlet.  (This is the inverse of a directional control which has one inlet that can flow to one of two outlets.)

VALVE TYPES

General Purpose (Direct-Acting)

• General purpose valves range in port size from 10-32 ports to ¼ inch NPT ports.

• Typically utilized for water and air and other media compatible with standard Buna seals.

Explosion Proof• A solenoid valve constructed to

meet the specifications of UL and CSA for operation in hazardous locations (locations in which combustible dusts, fibers or gases may be present in the atmosphere around the valve.)

• These valves are designed to either completely segregate the combustible atmosphere from the electrical coil (encapsulated coil technique) or contain a potential explosion inside a very substantial housing structure surrounding the coil (flameproof technique using machined metal housings.)

High Pressure• Typically having a

maximum pressure rating between 1000 and 5000 P.S.I.

• Constructed as impact valves, utilizing a pin which functions as a sealing element. The plunger accelerates a short distance before impacting the pin, opening the orifice.

High Flow• Valves that are

typically pilot operated to allow for larger main orifices and therefore higher flow rates.

DEMONSTRATION: HOW TO SORT OUT VALVE

DIFFERENCES

Considering all the Variables

• Flowo Liquido Gaso CV Rating

• Pressureo Vacuumo Up to 5,000 psi

• Connectionso NPT, British Pipe Thread, etc.

• Valve Functiono 2Way, 3 Way etc.

• Environmento Hot, cold, extreme,o Water resistanto Hazardous

• Sizeo Packaging

• Energyo Power Requirements

• Mediao Liquid, gas, etc.o Temperature

HOW TO SELECT THE BEST

PRODUCT FOR AN

APPLICATION AND/OR

INDUSTRY

6 QUESTIONS TO GET TO THE BASE VALVE

VALVE SPECIFICATION

1. Pipe Port SizeQ: What size port connections are appropriate for

your application?

• Specifying a pipe port size will eliminate any series that does not contain that particular size port.

2. FunctionQ: How you would like the valve to function?

• Specifying a function will determine type of valve, 2 way, 3 way, normally open, normally closed etc.

• If the answer is “I don’t know”, refer to the graphic for flow configuration.

3. VoltageQ: What is the actual voltage & frequency the

valve needs to function at?

• Valves are designed to operate at +/- 10% of the nameplate voltage.

4. Maximum Operating Pressure Differential

• Q: What is the maximum pressure the valve will see? o i.e.: 25 PSI., 100 PSI., 500 PSI. etc.

300 PSIValve actually sees 200 PSI

Never drops below 100 PSI

5. Flow RateQ: What is the required flow?• Flow rate and CV questions pertain to flow

characteristics.• Flow rate is a function of inlet vs. outlet pressure and

orifice size, not just inlet pressure.• CV factor is the quantity of 60 degrees F. water

expressed in gallons per minute which will flow through the valve at 1 PSI pressure drop.

• Orifice size is dictated by either the flow rate or the CV factor.

6. Electrical Connection/ HousingQ: What is the required electrical

connection?

• Here are 2 most typical housings available for electrical connections:

• Conduit: Coil enclosure that allows conduit pipe to be attached to the valve therefore covering exposed lead wires.

• Grommet: Coil enclosure with two exposed lead wires.

PERFORMANCE ISSUES

Cycle Life

Cycle Life• This depends on the application but 10’s of

millions of cycles on lubricated media is typical

• One extreme application, a product was developed to reach 1 billion cycles

MANUFACTURING TECHNIQUES

Kanban, Passivation and Testing

KanbanKanban is a lean concept of controlling inventory

Customer Experiences•Short lead times•Reduced inventory levels (higher inventory turns – synchronize your production more closely with the purchased material receipts)•Increased flexibility as product demand fluctuates•Improved supplier performance

Supplier Experiences•Leveled Demand resulting in:

o Improved Quality & Delivery performance to the customero Right sized & planned inventories creates smoother production flow & improved cash flowo Increased communication (Kanban signals) enhances flexibility & enables faster reaction to

changes in demand

Part Finishing/Passivation•   Passivation Method

o This proprietary method is applied to the various stainless steel components of the valve. This ensures a highly corrosive resistance surface condition.

•   Part Finish

o The orifice geometry and finish help ensure a bubble tight seal.

R&D / TestingComprehensive valve solutions

entail:Valve Design • 3D Modeling• Application Engineering• In-house Prototyping/Sampling• In-house Validation Testing

o Thermal (Hot and Cold) Environmental

o Moisture (Humidity)o Vacuum to 5000 PSI Gaso Hydraulic Oil Stand to 3500

PSIo Vibration

• Pre-Production/Pilot Run (3P)• Plastics Design/Molding• Magnetic Analysis• Electro-Mechanical DesignTo produce cost effective &

reliable product

Modeling/Prototyping

FAE Analysis

Manufacturing Capabilities• Machining

• Boring• Broaching• Drilling• Facing• Filing• Finish Machining• Grinding• Grooving• Honing• Knurling• Lapping• Mechanical Milling• Milling• Reaming• Rough Machining• Sawing• Shaping• Swiss Screw Machining • Tapping• Thread Milling• Turning

• Molding• Injection Molding• Insert Molding• Polymer Molding• Pour Molding

• Fabrication• Bending• Bonding• Conventional Spinning• Forming• Piercing• Plasma Cutting• Punching• Shearing• Sheet Metal Fabrication• Slitting• Stretch Forming• Thread Forming

At PeterPaul 85% of solenoid valves are manufactured in-house

THANK YOU

WATCH THE WEBINARBY CLICKING THE LINK BELOW

http://www.designworldonline.com/webinar-balancing-cost-performance-reliability-choosing-solenoid-valves/

Questions?

Design WorldPaul Heneypheney@wtwhmedia.comPhone: 440.234.4531Twitter: @DW_Editor

Peter Paul ElectronicsRichard Ronzellorichard.ronzello@peterpaul.comPhone: 860.229.4884

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