Pneumatic system flow balancing architecture and method

1 . A pneumatic system within a platform that supplies air from an air source to a downstream outlet, the pneumatic system comprising:

a conduit that extends between the air source and the outlet;

a balancing valve positioned along the conduit between the air source and the outlet, the balancing valve configured to adjust a flow of air through the conduit, the balancing valve comprising an exhaust port to exhaust the air from the conduit;

a flow control valve positioned along the conduit, the flow control valve configured to adjust the flow of the air that is directed to the outlet; and

a computing device that synchronizes adjustments to the balancing valve and the flow control valve to actively control the flow of air through the conduit;

wherein the exhaust port is configured to exhaust the air at a predetermined level and is not controlled by the computing device.

2 . The pneumatic system of claim 1 , wherein the computing device controls the balancing valve and the flow control valve to set a pressure at the air source.

3 . The pneumatic system of claim 2 , wherein the computing device is configured to synchronously adjust the balancing valve and the flow control valve for a mass flow along the conduit to be variable downstream from the balancing valve to the outlet.

4 . The pneumatic system of claim 1 , wherein the computing device is configured to synchronously adjust the balancing valve and the flow control valve to maintain a total resistance along the conduit.

5 . The pneumatic system of claim 1 , wherein the computing device obtains, from a flight control system, an air demand at the outlet, then synchronously adjusts the balancing valve and the flow control valve accordingly to meet the demand.

6 . The pneumatic system of claim 1 , wherein the pneumatic system is positioned within an aircraft and is part of an active flow control system that delivers the air to a flow control effector mounted at the outlet.

7 . The pneumatic system of claim 1 , wherein the conduit comprises:

a main line; and

a branch line that extends from the main line;

wherein the balancing valve is positioned along the main line and the flow control valve is positioned along the branch line.

8 . The pneumatic system of claim 1 , further comprising an air conditioning unit positioned along the conduit to treat the air, the air conditioning unit positioned upstream from the balance valve and the flow control valve.

9 . A pneumatic system within a platform that supplies air from an air source to downstream outlets, the pneumatic system comprising:

a conduit that directs the air from the air source to the downstream outlets;

a balancing valve positioned along the conduit, the balancing valve comprising an exhaust port to exhaust the air from the conduit at a predetermined pressure;

a flow control valve positioned along the conduit;

wherein the balancing valve and the flow control valve are synchronously controlled to deliver the air that has moved through both the balancing valve and the flow control valve; and

wherein the balancing valve and the flow control valve are controlled to adjust the flow of the air at working levels that are below the predetermined pressure.

10 . The pneumatic system of claim 9 , further comprising a computing device configured to inversely control the balancing valve and the flow control valve.

11 . The pneumatic system of claim 9 , wherein the flow control valve is a first flow control valve that controls the air to a first one of the downstream outlets and further comprising a plurality of additional flow control valves that control the air to a plurality of additional downstream outlets.

12 . The pneumatic system of claim 9 , wherein the balancing valve and the flow control valve de-couple air source dynamics at the downstream outlets from air output demand dynamics at the air source.

13 . The pneumatic system of claim 9 , wherein the balancing valve and the flow control valve are synchronously controlled to maintain a pressure within the conduit at the air source.

14 . The pneumatic system of claim 9 , wherein the balancing valve is positioned along the conduit upstream from the flow control valve.

15 . The pneumatic system of claim 9 , further comprising an air conditioning unit positioned along the conduit to heat the air, the air conditioning unit positioned upstream from the balance valve and the flow control valve.

16 . A method of controlling air that moves through a pneumatic system from an air source to an outlet, the method comprising:

directing the air through conduit from the air source to the outlet with the air initially moving through a balancing valve and then through a flow control valve prior to be expelled from the outlet;

determining a change in a demand for air at the outlet;

in response to determining the change in the demand, synchronously adjusting both the flow control valve and the balancing valve and thereby decoupling air source dynamics at the outlet from air output demand dynamics at the air source; and

exhausting the air through the balancing valve when a pressure exceeds a predetermined level.

17 . The method of claim 16 , further comprising maintaining a total resistance on the air source while adjusting the flow control valve and the balancing valve.

18 . The method of claim 17 , further comprising simultaneously adjusting one of the balancing valve and the flow control valve and increasing the resistance a first amount and adjusting the other of the balancing valve and the flow control valve and decreasing the resistance by the first amount.

19 . The method of claim 16 , further comprising:

heating the air along the conduit prior to the air reaching the balancing valve.

20 . The method of claim 16 , wherein determining the change in the demand for the air at the outlet comprises receiving the change in the demand from a flight control system of an aircraft.