This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
Pulse valve assemblies are commonly used in dust collectors for cleaning purposes. Dust collectors are used in a wide variety of applications to collect environmental dust, saw dust, and other particulates. Typical dust collectors have one or more filter elements that remove and trap dust that is suspended in the fluid flow (e.g., air flow) passing through the dust collector. As a result, the fluid flow exiting the dust collector is substantially free of dust and/or other particulates. Pulse valve assemblies are used in dust collectors to provide a pulse or burst of high velocity fluid flow (e.g., air), which creates a pressure wave that acts on the one or more filter elements of the dust collector to knock or blow dust and/or other particulates off of the filter element(s). For example, in some systems, the dust collector is configured such that the pulse of air supplied by the pulse valve assembly causes the filter element(s) to rapidly expand and then contract to its initial state. The dust and/or other particulate that has accumulated on or in the filter element(s) falls off the filter element(s) and into a container in the dust collector when this rapid expansion and contraction occurs, cleaning the filter element(s). This cleaning process can occur while the dust collector remains running. The pulse valve assembly is controlled to provide pulses of air at predetermined intervals to keep the filter element(s) clean.
MAC Valves, Inc. makes pulse valve assemblies for dust collectors. One of MAC Valves' prior pulse valve designs includes a main valve with a spool that is driven by a single, solenoid operated pilot valve. This pilot valve includes a valve member that moves when the solenoid is energized to open the pilot valve. When this occurs, pressurized fluid supplied by the pilot valve acts on the spool of the main valve causing it to slide to an open position. When the spool of the main valve is in the open position, a pulse of pressurized fluid flows through the main valve and ultimately to the dust collector.