Hi folks. I'm purchasing a Nitrogen tank filled. My plan is to charge my airventuri 7 liter bottle with nitrogen every other fill. The nitrogen has 0 moisture, this should keep everything nice and happy!
Every other fill
- Thread starter Nordic Norm
- Start date
Well...
What you "need" is a gas that will..."soak up" any existing moisture, if there is such a thing.
From the comment below, nitrogen doesn't actually "dry" the airspace, but will pull the moisture out with it as the nitrogen leaves the cylinder (air space). So...this sorta looks like a mixed bag, with the moisture flowing "with" the nitrogen as it leave the gun.
So...maybe fill with the nitrogen twice...to help make sure that it pulls as much moisture out as possible. Especially if there is a lot already in the cylinder that needs to be removed.
One more positive thing about dry nitrogen being used in a pressurized system...its molecules are larger than the general "air"(which contains nitrogen !) molecules, so "leaks" will be less likely to happen, or at least lessen the leak frequency.
Here's one comment I found from an HVAC person in the industry -
If you mean to ask if Nitrogen chemically bonds to H2O by co-valency, then no, it does not.
What happens with moisture in the atmosphere is that water molecules can fit between molecules of Nitrogen, Oxygen, and the few rare gasses that make up the air we breathe. When that air is cold, there is little space between the Nitrogen and Oxygen, so the atmosphere can hold very little moisture as there is not enough room between the air molecules. When the atmosphere is warm, it can hold a lot of moisture, because the molecules of Nitrogen and Oxygen have more distance between them, essentially "making room" for more moisture.
The dry Nitrogen we use has already had its moisture removed, but it is also warm from the van or from absorbing heat from the roof or the sun. So, we have a ready-made absorbing medium for moisture: plenty of room between the Nitrogen molecules because of the temperature, and little or no resident moisture already taking up the spaces.
When the Nitrogen is introduced into the system, the moisture easily finds spaces to take up, seeking osmotic equilibrium until the moisture is equally distributed throughout the gas.
Then, when we depressurize the system, the moisture is carried out with the departing Nitrogen.
But "clinging?" No, just finding a space for the departing ride.
Mike
What you "need" is a gas that will..."soak up" any existing moisture, if there is such a thing.
From the comment below, nitrogen doesn't actually "dry" the airspace, but will pull the moisture out with it as the nitrogen leaves the cylinder (air space). So...this sorta looks like a mixed bag, with the moisture flowing "with" the nitrogen as it leave the gun.
So...maybe fill with the nitrogen twice...to help make sure that it pulls as much moisture out as possible. Especially if there is a lot already in the cylinder that needs to be removed.
One more positive thing about dry nitrogen being used in a pressurized system...its molecules are larger than the general "air"(which contains nitrogen !) molecules, so "leaks" will be less likely to happen, or at least lessen the leak frequency.
Here's one comment I found from an HVAC person in the industry -
If you mean to ask if Nitrogen chemically bonds to H2O by co-valency, then no, it does not.
What happens with moisture in the atmosphere is that water molecules can fit between molecules of Nitrogen, Oxygen, and the few rare gasses that make up the air we breathe. When that air is cold, there is little space between the Nitrogen and Oxygen, so the atmosphere can hold very little moisture as there is not enough room between the air molecules. When the atmosphere is warm, it can hold a lot of moisture, because the molecules of Nitrogen and Oxygen have more distance between them, essentially "making room" for more moisture.
The dry Nitrogen we use has already had its moisture removed, but it is also warm from the van or from absorbing heat from the roof or the sun. So, we have a ready-made absorbing medium for moisture: plenty of room between the Nitrogen molecules because of the temperature, and little or no resident moisture already taking up the spaces.
When the Nitrogen is introduced into the system, the moisture easily finds spaces to take up, seeking osmotic equilibrium until the moisture is equally distributed throughout the gas.
Then, when we depressurize the system, the moisture is carried out with the departing Nitrogen.
But "clinging?" No, just finding a space for the departing ride.
Mike
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Yup. And, it is safe to add a small amount of super lube to the guns tank with pure nitrogen
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Nitrogen will dri out lines and other stuff ,it's what the phone companies have used for years especially in rainy areas the use it to dry out the large trunk lines you see every once in awihile you will see a tank tied to a telephone pole with a hose going up to the cable on a continuos feed to purge it.
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Nitrogen can be used to purge water and other gasses out, but there has to be a place for it to go, such as a vent at the opposite end of a trunk line or whatever you are trying to dry out.
Simply pumping nitrogen into a closed container will not have that effect. Well it sort of will on a PCP. It will push the water through the system a little at a time whenever the gun is fired, but I don't consider that as a desirable thing either.
At that point, if you do as the OP is planning, when you fill again with air, you put the moisture back in unless you correct the reason for the water being in the supply in the first place.
If you want to use nitrogen and get its full benefits, get the water out in the first place and use nitrogen every time after that is done. I have considered doin so and probably will once my new gun room is completed.
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Norm, here is the article I wrote about front loading dry nitrogen into a YH compressor. https://www.airgunnation.com/threads/using-a-yong-heng-as-a-n2-booster.799888/#post-1119614
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On a very basic level, that makes a lot of sense for a number of different reasons.
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Nitrogen eliminates the air, so there is no where for the moisture to stay. In air conditioning we use nitrogen to flush or purge linesets as it pushes the air out and moisture goes with it.
I'm not sure of the value of "every other fill". ANY fill that uses air, also has the possibility of carrying moisture. Once in the gun, you still have to deal with it. You might get some purging action, but it would not be much and not something I would rely on.
It seems to me you have two choices when using a compressor. 1) fill with air that is thoroughly filtered, and check you guns from time to time. or 2) feed your compressor nitrogen.
One thing air conditioning will teach you is, it is much easier to keep moisture out than to deal with it once it's in a system.
I'm not sure of the value of "every other fill". ANY fill that uses air, also has the possibility of carrying moisture. Once in the gun, you still have to deal with it. You might get some purging action, but it would not be much and not something I would rely on.
It seems to me you have two choices when using a compressor. 1) fill with air that is thoroughly filtered, and check you guns from time to time. or 2) feed your compressor nitrogen.
One thing air conditioning will teach you is, it is much easier to keep moisture out than to deal with it once it's in a system.
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