How Solenoid Valves Work - Basics actuator control valve working principle

How do solenoid valves work? We look at how it works as well as where we use solenoid valves, why we use solenoid valves and what they look like. We look inside the simplified valve to understand the working principle of how a solenoid vale works.

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The Magnetic Tool app, part of the Danfoss CoolApps Toolbox, makes testing a solenoid valve coil quick and easy and is available globally for Android and iPhone.

CORRECTION:
6:46 Video states the direction of current determines whether the valve is NO/NC. This is an error, the internal mechanical design is what determines whether the valve is NO/NC.

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[EngineeringMindset]

⚠️ *Found this video super useful?* Buy Paul a coffee to say thanks: ☕

[artvandalay]

Paul I can’t tell you how much I like and appreciate these videos - thank you! I’m an engineer (mechanical/ industrial) with 29 years of broad experience, and I’m regularly watching your channel for refreshers. Been a long time since university study so this perfect. Gonna start supporting you. Thanks again for your hard work, dedication, and excellent teaching!

[nazardudyk]

Hey, I'm a Junior Engineer and absolutely love this channel. It helps to refresh all the basic concepts from all Engineering areas. Very nice Job !!

[ronnysharma]

i work as a process engineer in a petrochemical plant, this video was extremely helpful! we have many SOVs for our interlock system, they are extremely important for the safety of the plant!

[ahmedalqarni]

I have used solenoid valves as an output switch to control the stroke of a double-acting pnumatic cylinder in a production line using PLC. Great channel! Thank you.

[portaadonai]

What a trip, I was just wondering about this a couple months ago, now the perfect video shows up on my front page [im an electrician]

[omkarpolai]

Hey, I m a process engineer in a biopharmaceutical industry and we r using it in our pcs system to control the flow of gas in the Bio- reactors ....this video was amazing 👍

[tiemen]

6:20 You cannot reverse the current to reverse the force on the plunger in an NO or NC valve configuration- it will generate a pulling force regardless of the direction of the current. You can see this by the fact that both wires usually have the same color. At 6:20 you'd have to switch the position of the plunger (moving part of the armature) and pole piece (fixed part of the armature). The pole piece is commonly made hollow, with a shaft connecting the plunger (now on top) to the seal.
Reversing direction of current is used in the case of latching valves, which have a permanent magnet. The solenoid then either adds to the permanent magnetic field, or subtracts from it when it is reversed.


I suppose you could use a permanent magnet in an NC or NO valve? That just seems needlessly complicated to me - would like to see your next video.

[covnavalves]

Great video. I'm currently working for a valve manufacturer and I'm new to this business, and I'm figuring it out. Thank you for sharing this!!!

[johnathonsummers]

“Till engineers get there to fix it” lmfao. Yea right. You mean maintenance.

[rrace]

Great video. An added bonus would have been to talk about safety features, like redundant loop and when to choose NC valve in case of power failure or contact failure.

[ericgoulding]

I'm taking a home inspectors course and I couldn't wrap my head around solenoid valves until I found this channel. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU

[kalleklp]

Danfoss...I almost have the factory in my backyard. They make a lot of well-engineered things.

[MrHilisalasi]

Great video as always! I use them in reverse osmosis plants along with a salinity sensor to determine the quality of the water. 2 plumbed into a T (1 normally closed and 1 normally open). When the salinity sensor detects good water the NC valve is energized and the NO valve de-energized, sending good water to the storage tank! We also use electronic ball valves which would make a great vid....

[tanas]

considering I'm a journeymen plumber and I am in charge of the proper installation of the water piping system, when my boss mentions installing the solenoid valves, I may not know exactly where I need to put em in at but at least I have a firm understanding of what it is and what it's used for... thanks again E.M.!! p.s. my boss likes the coffee mug I got him for xmas :)

[azpartnerz]

Thank you so much, you video helped me understand the concept of solenoid valve.
This partly help me fix my Samsung washing machine by swapping a working solenoid with a non working 1.
Now my water is flowing..

[JimThomasOutdoors]

In the ARMY we used solenoids coupled with hydraulic lines to sync up a Cobra attack helicopter pilot's helmet mounted gun sight to the rotating and elevating gun turret which would point a electric motor driven Gatling gun. As a 17 year old high school drop out, I can tell you it was an amazing experience to get to work on such a complex system.

[travelguy]

We use solenoid valves in irrigation systems in central Florida. They are of the closed type, only opening when they are energized. They screw into a valve body which opens and closes when the solenoid is activated by a main controller. The input supply voltage is 120VAC and that is reduced through a transformer into 24V DC output. The solenoid sits into an adapter with a rubber seal. They do go bad quite often due to all the summertime electrical storms or lightning that makes contact to the ground and zaps them and the control panel. They are very easy to replace because the actual valve has a manual control valve at the top to manually regulate the valve pressure. That manual valve has to be fully closed to replace the solenoid. The solenoid itself can be screwed from its port on top of the valve and the two wires reconnected. Some smaller valves don't have a pressure valve and the entire system has to be turned off via a ball valve and depressurized before the solenoid is replaced. There are also battery operated solenoids that can only be used with battery operated timers or controllers. They are 18V DC energized by two 9 volt batteries. This is used if their is no AC power to operate
a 24V DC timer/solenoid on a job site. Each solenoid represents a zone . A decoder is also used with one or more solenoids to turn on or off a zone.

[esuohelyk]

a solenoid valve on a timer to control CO2 release into a planted aquarium, ideally on 2 hours before sunrise and off 1 hour before sunset for the plants to utilize the CO2 best and without wasting CO2.

[kaustubhsawantdesai]

It is used in industrial application like ice plant where solenoid valves are used in KCX compressors to control amount of refrigerant