Solenoid Valve

Solenoid valve
A solenoid valve is an electromechanical valve for

use with liquid or gas. The valve is controlled by an
electric current through a solenoid coil. Solenoid
valves may have two or more ports: in the case of a
two-port valve the flow is switched on or off; in the
case of a three-port valve, the outflow is switched
between the two outlet ports. Multiple solenoid
valves can be placed together on a manifold.
Solenoid valves are the most frequently used

control elements in fluidics. Their tasks are to
shut off, release, dose, distribute or mix fluids.
They are found in many application areas. Solenoids
offer fast and safe switching, high reliability, long
service life, good medium compatibility of the
materials used, low control power and compact
design.
Besides the plunger-type actuator which is used

most frequently, pivoted-armature actuators and
rocker actuators are also used.
Working principle
A solenoid valve has two main parts: the solenoid

and the valve. The solenoid converts electrical
energy into mechanical energy which, in turn, opens
or closes the valve mechanically. A direct acting
valve has only a small flow circuit, shown within
section E of this diagram (this section is mentioned
below as a pilot valve). This diaphragm piloted valve
multiplies this small flow by using it to control the
flow through a much larger orifice.
Solenoid valves may use metal seals or rubber seals,

and may also have electrical interfaces to allow for
easy control. A spring may be used to hold the valve
opened or closed while the valve is not activated.
A- Input side
B- Diaphragm
C- Pressure chamber
D- Pressure relief conduit
E- Solenoid
F- Output side
The diagram to the right shows the design of a basic

valve. At the top figure is the valve in its closed
state. The water under pressure enters at A. B is an
elastic diaphragm and above it is a weak spring
pushing it down. The function of this spring is
irrelevant for now as the valve would stay closed
even without it. The diaphragm has a pinhole
through its center which allows a very small amount
of water to flow through it. This water fills the cavity
C on the other side of the diaphragm so that
pressure is equal on both sides of the diaphragm.
While the pressure is the same on both sides of the
diaphragm, the force is greater on the upper side
which forces the valve shut against the incoming
pressure. In the figure, the surface being acted upon
is greater on the upper side which results in greater
force. On the upper side the pressure is acting on
the entire surface of the diaphragm while on the
lower side it is only acting on the incoming pipe. This
results in the valve being securely shut to any flow
and, the greater the input pressure, the greater the
shutting force will be.
In the previous configuration the small conduit D

was blocked by a pin which is the armature of the
solenoid E and which is pushed down by a spring. If
the solenoid is activated by drawing the pin upwards
via magnetic force from the solenoid current, the
water in chamber C will flow through this conduit D
to the output side of the valve. The pressure in
chamber C will drop and the incoming pressure will
lift the diaphragm thus opening the main valve.
Water now flows directly from A to F.
When the solenoid is again deactivated and the

conduit D is closed again, the spring needs very little
force to push the diaphragm down again and the
main valve closes. In practice there is often no
separate spring, the elastomer diaphragm is
moulded so that it functions as its own spring,
preferring to be in the closed shape.
From this explanation it can be seen that this type of
valve relies on a differential of pressure between
input and output as the pressure at the input must
always be greater than the pressure at the output for
it to work. Should the pressure at the output, for any
reason, rise above that of the input then the valve
would open regardless of the state of the solenoid
and pilot valve.
In some solenoid valves the solenoid acts directly on

the main valve. Others use a small, complete
solenoid valve, known as a pilot, to actuate a larger
valve. While the second type is actually a solenoid
valve combined with a pneumatically actuated valve,
they are sold and packaged as a single unit referred
to as a solenoid valve. Piloted valves require much
less power to control, but they are noticeably slower.
Piloted solenoids usually need full power at all times
to open and stay open, where a direct acting
solenoid may only need full power for a short period
of time to open it, and only low power to hold it.
Common uses
Solenoid valves are used in fluid power pneumatic

and hydraulic systems, to control cylinders, fluid
power motors or larger industrial valves. Automatic
irrigation sprinkler systems also use solenoid valves
with an automatic controller. Domestic washing
machines and dishwashers use solenoid valves to
control water entry to the machine. In the paintball
industry, solenoid valves are usually referred to
simply as "solenoids." They are commonly used to
control a larger valve used to control the propellant
(usually compressed air or CO2). In the industry,
"solenoid" may also refer to an electromechanical
solenoid commonly used to actuate a sear.
Besides controlling the flow of air and fluids
solenoids are used in pharmacology experiments,
especially for patch-clamp, which can control the
application of agonist or antagonist.
General
A solenoid is an electromechanical device which

allows for an electrical device to control the flow of a
gas or liquid. The electrical device causes a current
to flow through a coil located on the solenoid valve.
This current flow in turn results in a magnetic field
which causes the displacement of a metal actuator.
The actuator is mechanically linked to a mechanical

valve inside the solenoid valve. The valve then
changes state, either opening or closing to allow a
liquid or gas to either flow through or be blocked by
the solenoid valve. A spring is used to return the
actuator and valve back to their resting state when
the current flow is removed.

Solenoid Valve

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Solenoid valve

A solenoid valve is an electromechanical valve for

Solenoid valves are the most frequently used

Besides the plunger-type actuator which is used

A solenoid valve has two main parts: the solenoid

Solenoid valves may use metal seals or rubber seals,

The diagram to the right shows the design of a basic

In the previous configuration the small conduit D

When the solenoid is again deactivated and the

In some solenoid valves the solenoid acts directly on

Solenoid valves are used in fluid power pneumatic

A solenoid is an electromechanical device which

The actuator is mechanically linked to a mechanical

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