Pneumatic valve control for textile machinery blowdown

Abstract

A control valve arrangement implementing the use of pneumatic valves to control air flow for textile machinery blowdown, and the remote control of such pneumatic valves by means of remotely located solenoid valves. In air flow systems employing pneumatic valves of the type having a constrictable flexible annulus arranged within a rigid conduit with air under pressure selectively admissible to a space between the annulus and the surrounding conduit wall so as to effect constriction of the annulus to close off the passage through the conduit, solenoid actuated control valves have conventionally been employed to control the flow of fluid to said space between annulus and conduit to effect annulus constriction. Where these solenoid actuated control valves are located at control points which are remote from the pneumatic valve, it is found that the release of the annulus constricting air pressure is delayed due to the time delay between solenoid actuation and pressure change at the remote pneumatic valve. To eliminate this problem, a quick exhaust valve is arranged in proximity to the conduit in a line between the solenoid actuated control valve and the pneumatic valve, so that immediately upon release of pressure at the control valve, the annulus constricting air pressure is quickly released and the annulus will distend to permit flow through the duct in which the annulus is positioned.