Main Content

Controlled Pneumatic Flow Rate Source

Ideal compressor with signal-controlled mass flow rate

Library

None (example custom library)

  • Controlled Pneumatic Flow Rate Source block

Description

Note

As of Release R2016b, the Gas block library replaces the Pneumatic library as the recommended way of modeling pneumatic systems. The former Pneumatic library is now included in the product installation as an example custom library. The pneumatic domain definition is still provided with the software, and all the pneumatic blocks in your legacy models continue to work as before. However, these blocks no longer receive full production support and can be removed in a future release.

The Controlled Pneumatic Flow Rate Source block represents an ideal compressor that maintains a mass flow rate equal to the numerical value presented at physical signal port F. The compressor adds no heat. Block connections A and B correspond to the pneumatic inlet and outlet ports, respectively, and connection F represents a control signal port.

The block positive direction is from port A to port B. This means that the flow rate is positive if it flows from A to B. The pressure differential is determined as p = pA – pB and is negative if pressure at the source outlet is greater than pressure at its inlet. The power generated by the source is negative if the source adds energy to the flow.

Warning

Be careful when driving an orifice directly from a flow rate source. The choked flow condition limits the flow that is possible through an orifice as a function of upstream pressure and temperature. Hence the flow rate value produced by the flow rate source must be compatible with upstream pressure and temperature. Specifying a flow rate that is too high will result in an unsolvable set of equations.

Ports

The block has the following ports:

A

Pneumatic conserving port associated with the source inlet.

B

Pneumatic conserving port associated with the source outlet.

F

Control signal port.

Version History

Introduced in R2009b