Pulsating Air Flow Equipment Selection

[Ksum006]

Hi all,

I was looking for a way to oscillate airflow at a particular frequency as fed from an electrical input.

All I'm really looking for is a simple knife gate valve that opens and closes from a saw tooth (rectangular wave) input from an oscilloscope.

I was thinking a Solenoid valve from SMC would do it.

Can you guys suggest or recommend a type of valve that would give me pulsating air flow?

Thanks

 

[Q_Goest]

Hi Ksum. If you're looking for control over either pressure or flow, then I'd suggest a proper control valve with positioner. If that's too expensive, then look into other methods. But a proper control valve should always be the first choice when you need to actively control some variable like pressure or flow.

If you don't need to accurately control pressure or flow, you can try a two position (open/closed) solenoid valve, but then you'll be at the mercy of how fast it opens and closes and how it's flow varies as it's doing that. It'll be more of a step change depending on how closely you're looking at your measurement.

It would help if you could explain better what you're trying to accomplish (ie: are you controlling pressure, flow, temperature, other, and how fast - what do you want that measurement to look like over time?).

 

[Ksum006]

Ok, just quickly, I am a fourth year mechanical engineering student doing his thesis on electronic cooling.

My project is on enhansing CPU cooling through the use of pulsating impinging jets. I'm trying to set up a rig where I can do some experiments. I am planning to use a compressed air line with supply around approx. 6 to 6.5 bar. Attached to this line will be the valve that I was asking about and this valve will administer the flow to a vortex tube.

I'll have to run quite a few simulations using this rig and some IR cameras to understand and model the heat flow from the cpu during normal operation to try and set a base line. And then eventually design a cooling method to suit.

Im just not 100% certain about my valve selection at such an early stage and was looking for advice.

Thanks Q_Goest. :)