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Vol. Fluid Systems 

CHAPTER Basics of Pneumatic Instruments 

Proper Care and Feeding of

Pneumatic Instruments


Perhaps the most important rule to obey when using pneumatic instruments is to maintain
clean and dry instrument air. Compressed air containing dirt, rust, oil, water, or other
contaminants will cause operational problems for pneumatic instruments. First and
foremost is the concern that tiny orifices and nozzles inside the pneumatic mechanisms
will clog over time. Clogged orifices tend to result in decreased output pressure, while
clogged nozzles tend to result in increased output pressure. In either case, the “first aid”
repair is to pass a welding torch tip cleaner through the plugged hole to break loose the
residue or debris plugging it.

Moisture in compressed air tends to corrode metal parts inside pneumatic mechanisms.
This corrosion may break loose to form debris that plugs orifices and nozzles, or it may
simply eat through thin diaphragms and bellows until air leaks develop. Grossly excessive
moisture will cause erratic operation as “plugs” of liquid travel through thin tubes, orifices,
and nozzles designed only for air passage.

A common mistake made when installing pneumatic instruments is to connect them to a

general-service (“utility”) compressed air supply instead of a dedicated instrument-service
compressed air system. Utility air systems are designed to supply air tools and large air-
powered actuators with pneumatic power. These high-flow compressed air systems are
often seeded with antifreeze and/or lubricating chemicals to prolong the operating life of
the piping and air-consuming devices, but the same liquids will wreak havoc on sensitive
instrumentation. Instrument air supplies should be sourced by their own dedicated air
compressor(s), complete with automatic air-dryer equipment, and distributed through
stainless steel, copper, or plastic tubing (never black iron or galvanized iron pipe!).

The worst example of moisture in an instrument air system I have ever witnessed is an
event that happened at an oil refinery where I worked as an instrument technician.
Someone on the operations staff decided they would use 100 PSI instrument air to purge a
process pipe filled with acid. Unfortunately, the acid pressure in the process pipe exceeded
100 PSI, and as a result acid flushed backward into the instrument air system. Within days
most of the pneumatic instruments in that section of the refinery failed due to accelerated
corrosion of metal components within the instruments. The total failure of multiple
instruments over such a short time could have easily resulted in a disaster, but fortunately
the crisis was minimal. Once the first couple of faulty instruments were disassembled after
removal, the cause of failure became evident and the technicians took action to flush the
lines of acid before too many more instruments suffered the same fate.

Pneumatic instruments must be fed compressed air of the proper pressure as well. Just as
electronic circuits require power supply voltages within specified limits, pneumatic
instruments do not operate well if their air supply pressure is too low or too high. If the
supply pressure is too low, the instrument cannot generate a full-scale output signal. If the
supply pressure is too high, internal failure may result from ruptured diaphragms, seals, or
bellows. Many pneumatic instruments are equipped with their own local pressure
regulators directly attached to ensure each instrument receives the correct pressure
despite pressure fluctuations in the supply line.

Another “killer” of pneumatic instruments is mechanical vibration. These are precision

mechanical devices, so they do not generally respond well to repeated shaking. At the very
least, calibration adjustments may loosen and shift, causing the instrument’s accuracy to
suffer. At worst, actual failure may result from component breakage.

Advantages and Disadvantages of

 Analysis of Practical Pneumatic Instruments
Pneumatic Instruments 

LESSONS IN INDUSTRIAL AUTOMATION

Volumes

Electrical Systems

Fluid Systems
»

1 Basics of Pneumatic Instruments

»

Overview

Pneumatic Sensing Elements

Self-balancing Pneumatic Instruments Principles

Pilot Valves and Pneumatic Amplifying Relays

 Comparison of Op-Amp Circuits With Analogous Pneumatic
Mechanisms

Analysis of Practical Pneumatic Instruments

Proper Care and Feeding of Pneumatic Instruments

Advantages and Disadvantages of Pneumatic Instruments

2 Introduction to Continuous Pressure Measurement

3 Introduction to Continuous Level Measurement

4 Introduction to Continuous Temperature Measurement

5 Introduction to Continuous Fluid Flow Measurement

6 Basic Principles of Control Valves and Actuators

7 Flow Measurements and Reynolds Numbers

8 How to Disassemble a Sliding-stem Control Valve

Control Systems

Measurement

Advanced Theory

Advanced Textbooks

Fundamentals of Industrial Robots

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