Simulation and experimental investigation of high-pressure pneumatic pilot-driven on/off valve with high transient performances for compressed air ejection

A high-pressure pneumatic pilot-driven on/off valve (HPPV) that quickly switches an air inlet line on and off was designed to meet the requirements of a compressed air ejection device with high pressure, high flow rate, and continuous ejection. An HPPV multi-physics field simulation model was established using AMESim simulation software based on the bond graph modeling approach that considered mechanical, gas flow, pipe heat exchange, and pilot valve operation, and experiments were conducted to check the simulation model accuracy. The effects of real gas thermodynamics, pipeline heat exchange, and pilot valve operation on the simulation model accuracy and those of different initial parameter conditions on the dynamic characteristics of the HPPV were investigated in the validated simulation model. The results indicated that the tolerance between simulation and experiment was less than 7.3%, so the simulation model was realistic and reliable. In addition, among the different influencing factors, the pipeline heat transfer significantly affected the simulation model accuracy, and the tolerance between the simulation results without considering the pipeline heat exchange and the experimental results exceeded 10%. The real gas thermal effect slightly affected the simulation model accuracy, and the tolerance between the simulation results under the action of each gas state equation was less than 3%. The pilot valve operation affected only the opening and closing moments of the HPPV and had no effect on the simulation model accuracy. The dynamic characteristics of the HPPV were stable and reliable under different initial parameter conditions.