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Re: CO2 regulation
> From: Dave Gomberg
>
> In an un-managed configuration, a CO2 tank after a year to ten years of
> faithful service will run out of gas. When this happens, the regulator
> which has been providing a steady outlet pressure of say 10 or 20 or 30
psi
> (depending on how you have it set up) will suddenly fail and dump the
2-400
> psi gas straight into the appliance (reactor or whatever) that you are
feeding.
>
> There are three basic ways to manage your CO2 system and avoid end-of-tank
> failure. These are anticipation of end-of-tank, relieving the pressure
> pulse, or avoidance of the pressure pulse.
There followed a long discussion of these three ways to manage a problem
inherent only in a defectively designed CO2 system. Any end-of-tank failure
is a failure of the design of the CO2 system. A CO2 tank equipped with a
simple $65 dual gauge regulator and a simple $20 needle valve will not ever
experience this imaginary pressure pulse or dumping of any kind. Never.
Ever. The needle valve, also known as a fine metering valve, provides a tiny
gateway through which the gas is metered out. Once it is set to allow the
one or two bubbles per second you want, that is all the CO2 that can get
through at that rate, and the amount of gas in the CO2 cylinder is
irrelevant to the valve performance. The amount of FUD being generated on
this list regarding this issue is beginning to get shameful.
Tom