Methods for Enhancing the Energy Efficiency of Pneumatic Drives
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.20535/2521-1943.2025.9.1(104).310948Keywords:
positional pneumatic drive, recuperation, energy efficiency, compressed air, pneumatic circuitAbstract
This paper investigates various methods of increasing energy efficiency and energy recovery in pneumatic systems, namely reducing the amount of compressed air used by a pneumatic drive.
The low energy efficiency of pneumatic systems is a significant challenge for their development, as pneumatic systems are widely used in industry for various tasks, including equipment control, automation of manufacturing processes, and material transportation. The low energy efficiency of these systems leads to significant energy losses, which increases operating costs and reduces overall productivity.
As a result of the analysis of existing methods, tables of investment and operating costs, and schedules of the payback period for each of the methods were developed. The main researched methods include parameter optimization, exhaust air storage in the receiver, combination of parameter optimization and exhaust air storage in the receiver, quantitative air intake method, and air intake and exhaust optimization.
The obtained results showed that the greatest savings and efficiency are achieved when using methods that use compressed gas expansion. This is due to the possibility of reducing air costs and increasing the payback period of investments due to the reduction of energy losses, due to the use of a small amount of gas to move the pneumatic cylinder piston.
The field of practical application of the results covers industrial enterprises that use pneumatic systems. Implementation conditions include the need for initial investments and analysis of current system parameters to select the optimal energy efficiency improvement strategy. According to the results of the work, the possibility of reducing energy consumption by 43 to 76 percent was found.
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