Optimization of Solenoid Valve for Variable Rate Application System

Problem statement: The aim of this research was to optimize the performance of solenoid valve used in Variable Rate Application System (VRA) in term of time response. The overall time response is usually divided into four parts i.e., plunger opening time, pressure opening time, plunger closing time and pressure closing time. Approach: The performance and design of the a solenoid valve used in VRA was analyzed methematically and experimentally. Voltage, current, pressure, spring constant, flow rate and mass of the plunger were found to be the main parameters affecting the performance of solenoid valve. Based on the analyses, some modifications were introduced in the design of the solenoid valve to enhance its performance. The newly designed solenoid valve was tested by varying the main parameters and its performance was compared in terms of time response. Results: The time respnose of the modified valve showed improvement. The plunger closing time for the modified valve improved by 79%. Depending on the types of nozzle, the pressure opening and closing time responses were reduced by 37-53% and 55-73% respectively. It was also observed time response was improved by 34% when springs with lower spring constants are used. Conclusion: After thorough testing of both the original and proposed valves, it was observed that proposed valve average performance is faster than the original valve by 22 msec or 56%. However, it was also found that it is mandatory to increase the operating voltage of propsed valve for the better performance.