---
title: "Pneumatic acoustic cleaner"
description: "A pneumatic acoustic cleaner is an industrial sonic horn driven by compressed plant air rather than by an electrical, hydraulic or steam source. The pneumatic design dominates the industrial acoustic-cleaning market because it places no electrical parts inside the gas path, tolerates dirty utility air, and matches naturally to the ATEX Zone 20/21/22 dust environments where most cleaning targets sit."
canonical_url: "https://sylio.co/glossary/pneumatic-acoustic-cleaner"
last_updated: "2026-06-28T02:29:29.801Z"
---

A **pneumatic acoustic cleaner** is an industrial [sonic horn](/glossary/sonic-horn) driven by compressed plant air rather than by an electrical, hydraulic or steam source. The pneumatic design dominates the industrial acoustic-cleaning market because it places no electrical parts inside the gas path, tolerates dirty utility air, and matches naturally to the [ATEX](/glossary/atex-directive) Zone 20/21/22 dust environments where most cleaning targets sit.

## Why pneumatic, not electric

Industrial cleaning duty is dominated by three constraints that favour compressed air:

1. **Hazardous-area classification.** Most cleaning targets — [coal bunkers](/glossary/bunker-coal-bunker), [fly-ash hoppers](/glossary/fly-ash-hopper), [biomass silos](/glossary/silo), [cement preheater cyclones](/glossary/preheater-cyclone), [recovery boilers](/glossary/recovery-boiler) — are classified for combustible dust. A pneumatic driver removes electrical ignition risk entirely from the horn body.
2. **Utility availability.** Every industrial site already runs an instrument-air or plant-air network sized for sootblowers, pneumatic vibrators, control valves and tools. Adding sonic horns rarely requires a new utility.
3. **Tolerance.** Compressed industrial air contains water, oil mist and particulate; a metal [diaphragm horn](/glossary/diaphragm-horn) tolerates this far better than any electromechanical sound source of comparable output.

## Typical utility requirements

<table>
<thead>
  <tr>
    <th>
      Specification
    </th>
    
    <th>
      Typical value
    </th>
  </tr>
</thead>

<tbody>
  <tr>
    <td>
      Supply pressure
    </td>
    
    <td>
      4–7 bar (60–100 psi)
    </td>
  </tr>
  
  <tr>
    <td>
      Consumption per horn (10-second burst)
    </td>
    
    <td>
      8–14 Nm³/min
    </td>
  </tr>
  
  <tr>
    <td>
      Air quality
    </td>
    
    <td>
      Dried instrument air preferred; plant air acceptable with adequate filtration
    </td>
  </tr>
  
  <tr>
    <td>
      Connection
    </td>
    
    <td>
      DN25–DN50 thread or flange
    </td>
  </tr>
</tbody>
</table>

## What "pneumatic" implies for procurement

Specifiers writing an RFQ for a pneumatic acoustic cleaner should also size the compressed-air receiver, the regulator and the pilot [solenoid valves](/glossary/solenoid-valve) for the simultaneous-firing case. A common engineering error is to under-size the air receiver, leaving the horn unable to sustain its rated [SPL](/glossary/sound-pressure-level) during multi-horn cycles.

## Related terms

- [Sonic horn](/glossary/sonic-horn)
- [Acoustic cleaner](/glossary/acoustic-cleaner)
- [Compressed air](/glossary/compressed-air)
- [Solenoid valve](/glossary/solenoid-valve)
- [ATEX directive](/glossary/atex-directive)