Energy-saving and performance-enhancing of a high speed on/off solenoid valve

Abstract

High-speed on/off solenoid valves (HSVs) are digital vales commonly used in hydraulic power systems. These valves are usually used in pressure and flow control which requires high dynamic and energy performance to improve the control accuracy. This paper aims to propose a new control method used to improve the dynamic and energy performance of HSVs. The proposed method is based on the pulse width modulation (PWM) technique implemented by LabVIEW software and NI myRIO. Based on that, NI myRIO has a real-time module; no feedback is needed. A mathematical model of the HSV is introduced, describing each subsystem of the vale and its interactions with each other. The proposed method is validated under different operating conditions. The results show that applying the proposed control method on the HSV will reduce the valve spool closing time by 72% and reduce energy consumption by 94% compared to the traditional on/off control method.