Pneumatic muffler for compressed air that facilitates maintenance

Noise from pneumatic valves is extremely hazardous. A simple countermeasure is to fit the pneumatic valve’s outlet ports with pneumatic mufflers. While this reduces noise, it often disrupts operations. A well-known problem with conventional pneumatic mufflers is that the filter sooner or later gets clogged by contaminants. In certain cases, noise suppression is given a lower priority due to clogging problems.

Silvent’s pneumatic mufflers have built-in warning indicators. In a nutshell, the technology allows the muffler itself to set the optimal combination of flow capacity and noise reduction thanks to a dynamic internal filter that minimizes operational disruptions.

Three good reasons why you should use Silvent’s pneumatic mufflers for compressed air

Silvent’s pneumatic mufflers reduce the sound level, the risk of stoppages and facilitate maintenance. The built-in warning indicators reduce the risk of back pressure becoming too high and make it easy to identify which muffler needs replacing.

Constant flow

A well-known problem with conventional pneumatic mufflers is that the filter – the so-called diffuser – sooner or later gets clogged by contaminants, leading to:

• Difficult-to-localize malfunctions
• Costly downtime
• Noise problems are given low priority as a result of the above items

This has resulted in the removal by process technicians of mufflers from valve discharge ports in order to avoid these types of problems. Thus noise suppression is given a lower priority due to clogging problems.

To simplify the use of mufflers in pneumatic systems, Silvent’s pneumatic mufflers have affixed external diffuser and a movable internal diffuser. The technology allows the muffler itself to set the optimal combination of flow capacity and noise reduction thanks to a dynamic internal filter, thus minimizing operational disruptions. In the two-chamber system, the pneumatic muffler is supplied with a new filter surface as the old surface becomes clogged. This ensures low back pressure and effective noise suppression. It also extends the pneumatic muffler’s service life considerably.

Indicator for avoiding unnecessary stoppages

In conventional mufflers, it can be difficult to see when it’s blocked, which creates problems for the operator as maintenance is made more difficult. If a clogged muffler is not replaced, there is a risk of operational disruptions and a deterioration in the application’s efficiency.

To make maintenance easier, Silvent’s pneumatic mufflers are fitted with a clever warning system. When the muffler is blocked and the entire filter surface is used, it’s indicated by a red line that also shows the operator which muffler must be replaced.

Advantages of the Silvent pneumatic muffler with indicator:

• Alerts before problems occur
• Minimizes the risk of costly machine downtime
• Allows prioritization of noise suppression without affecting production reliability

The patented solution

1. Warning mark
Provides a clear indication before problems occur in the pneumatic system.

2. Two chamber system
Reduces back pressure as the expansion volume increases and the new filter is exposed.

3. Internal diffuser
Pushed out of the outer muffler chamber if back pressure is too high.

4. External diffuser
Effectively reduces noise thanks to the optimal use of the material volume.

Efficient sound level reduction

Compressed air can generate harmfully high noise levels. So-called sound spikes are common when venting pneumatic valves, and they can be harmful even for short periods. Thus it’s important to endeavor to reduce sound levels to the greatest extent possible. A good way of reducing noise from venting pneumatic valves in machinery is to install pneumatic mufflers.

Silvent’s pneumatic mufflers reduce the noise from pneumatic valves by up to 30-35 dB[A] compared to an un-muffled outlet. This makes a big difference for operators, as a reduction by 10 dB(A) means a halving of the sound level.

1. The image shows the muffler in its normal position.

2. The muffler after a certain amount of clogging.

3. The warning mark indicates that the muffler needs replacing.

Connection and pressure capacity when venting pneumatic valves

When installing pneumatic mufflers, there are two aspects to consider – the connection and pressure capacity.

Unlike other pneumatic equipment, it’s not as important to seal the connection thread on a pneumatic muffler. This is because the muffler’s principal task is to dampen the sound from the outlet port while allowing the air to expand through it. Mufflers are easy to install and we recommend installing them by hand.

When dimensioning the compressed air system, outflow time is greatly influenced by the volume and pressure of the contained air. Mufflers are designed for use in outlet ports on pneumatic valves. This means that the pressure at the muffler is not the same as supply pressure, but much lower and depends on the amount of air expanding. Therefore, pneumatic muffler flow capacity is an important consideration for avoiding unnecessary back pressure in the system. If the application is extremely sensitive to back pressure, choose a muffler with extra large flow capacity. The value shown for max flow capacity through the muffler is measured at a pressure of 5 bar. Through-flow is the amount of air the muffler releases without ‘tripping’ when a valve is in continuous operation.