Flow characteristics of expansion energy used pneumatic booster

The most common booster is called input pressure reduced (IPR) booster. However, this type of booster has its own shortages, such as its small output flow, when the boosting ratio is higher, the shortage becomes more distinct. Recent research on pneumatic boosters mainly focused on the factors that influence the characteristics of the boosters, some new kinds of pneumatic booster structures were designed, but the efficiency and output flow of these boosters are still not improved sufficiently. In order to improve the output flow of the pneumatic booster, a new kind of booster, expansion energy used (EEU) booster, is proposed. Non-linear differential equations of the pneumatic booster are set up. By using the software MATLAB/Simulink for simulation, the motion characteristics of the pistons, the characteristics of the output flow of the boosters are obtained for analysis of a principle. The principle, which is used to elevate the output flow of the two kinds of boosters, is that the average pressure of the air in the driving chambers of the EEU booster is higher than that of the IPR booster. The simulation and experimental research of the output flow characteristics are done. The simulation and experimental results are in a good accordance. And the simulation and experimental results show that when the air source pressure and the output pressure are set at 0.6 MPa and 0.8 MPa, respectively, with the increase of the terminal pressure of the air in the driving chamber, the output flow of the IPR booster ascends stably. As the terminal pressure of the air in the driving chamber goes up, the output flow of the EEU booster rises, and later it almost remains constant. In addition, with the same terminal pressure, the output flow of the EEU booster is greater than that of the IPR booster, and the difference decreases when the terminal pressure grows. At last, the output pressure is set at 0.8 MPa, under the optimum work state of the EEU booster, the output flow of the two kinds of boosters all declines with the rise of the boosting ratio. Furthermore, the output flow of the EEU booster is higher than that of IPR booster by 95 L/min approximately. The proposed research lays the foundation for optimistic of the EEU booster.