Development of a High Differential Pressure Piezoelectric Active Proportional Regulation Valve Using a Bending Transducer

In this article, a piezoelectric active proportional regulation valve with high differential pressure is proposed based on a bending transducer. The output flowrate of the valve can be accurately controlled by a bending transducer. The configuration design and driving principle of the valve are presented and analyzed. The static analyses are performed to determine the structural parameters of the valve and deduce its transient overflow gap. On this basis, the overall flowrate model of the valve is established using the theory of circumferential flow and extended Bernoulli equation. The effects of differential pressure and driving voltage on output flowrate are clarified. A prototype of the valve is manufactured and the experimental setup is also established to evaluate the performances of the valve. The results indicate that the proportional regulation of the valve can be achieved by changing the driving voltage; the valve displacement and response time under no liquid-loading condition are 16.16 μm and 340 μs at the voltage of 300 Vp-p; the maximum output flowrate is 286.3 mL/min under the differential pressure of 344.75 kPa, and the leakage level is 0.11%; the maximum cut-off pressure of 275.8 kPa can be realized; the corresponding input power is 185 mW.