The last couple of days i recieved multiple PB’s regarding the Altaros booster and Nitrogen.
First understand that the booster is two different systems in one unit.
1) The central piston only does work and wastes all used air. It is controlled by a central switch unit that is fed 12V to operate. It can be coupled to a cars 12V system no problem and it draws next to nothing (it's only a switch).
2) The input side feeds the right piston (low pressure side) that boosts the supplied shop compressor air by @8 times. Ie. if you supply it with 10bar~145psi it will boost to @ 80bar~1150psi. This is fed directly through the white hose to the left piston (high pressure side) and boosted another @8 times (i know Altaros has tested the output past 490bar~7000psi!).
Now hooking up Nitrogen to the booster can be done in two ways:
1) Low pressure Nitrogen supplied by a normal shop regulator (mine goes from 0-40bar~0-600psi) set at max. 10bar~145psi and fed through the desiccant filter into the LP side. That will then feed the HP side and the booster acts as normal. All you have to do is uncouple the hose going from the T-splitter to the desiccant filter and supply Nitrogen there. The booster will function as normal supplied with shop compressor air (and power).
2) A supply of Nitrogen regulated to @80bar~1150psi fed directly into the HP side. This needs a little set of hoses and couplings supplied by Altaros for @ $40. Please see attached video for proper replumbing:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPdImL-cEUY
It is imperative to ”rewire” the booster as the HP side looses cooling if not done correctly and a Chernobyl melt down might occur.
I see the first solution as the optimum one as it can utilise all the Nitrogen in the supply bottle and waste but the last 50psi.
If someone wants to go totally off grid then the Altaros can be driven 100% from a 10bar~145psi regulated bottle of either air or Nitrogen (or both at the same time). It can be done so the (cheap) air drives the central/work piston and is wasted while Nitrogen is fed to the boosting system.
Another possibillity is two bottles of air where one has (way) more pressure than the other and then the HP bottle can supply the boosting side while the LP bottle supplies the central/work piston via a regulator set at 10bar~145psi max.
The HP bottle supply can be anything from 30bar~450psi to 100bar~1450psi (i know this is higher than Altaros advises and they will probably spank me for this but 100bar~1450psi works just fine for me, this thing is built like a tank!) without any regulator. If higher then a regulator is nedded to supply a max. of 80 bar~1150psi.
If this is totally bass ackwards to you then please ask! We’re all here to learn and there are no dumb questions only dumb answers!
Please bear in mind that i am in no way affiliated with Altaros and have recieved no sponsor parts or money unfortunately ;-)
I write this as i find this product of such fine quality and workmanship for the supplied price, that in my opinion it’s the best product of it’s kind on the market.
I currently run my Altaros from a 1hp 1½cfm-tops compressor (feeding both inputs) and it is slow like molasses in winter but it just chugs on and on. I have checked and i can actually do anything from wife supplied chores to beer chugging and it will still work until the auto shut off sets in.
So i see no problem in using such a small compressor while boosting noble gasses!
Booster with plumbing as normal fed from a shop compressor
Booster split so shop compressor drives it and Nitrogen is fed to the bottom hose for boosting
Editied: Holy crap the copied font got big! Hope it's better now.
First understand that the booster is two different systems in one unit.
1) The central piston only does work and wastes all used air. It is controlled by a central switch unit that is fed 12V to operate. It can be coupled to a cars 12V system no problem and it draws next to nothing (it's only a switch).
2) The input side feeds the right piston (low pressure side) that boosts the supplied shop compressor air by @8 times. Ie. if you supply it with 10bar~145psi it will boost to @ 80bar~1150psi. This is fed directly through the white hose to the left piston (high pressure side) and boosted another @8 times (i know Altaros has tested the output past 490bar~7000psi!).
Now hooking up Nitrogen to the booster can be done in two ways:
1) Low pressure Nitrogen supplied by a normal shop regulator (mine goes from 0-40bar~0-600psi) set at max. 10bar~145psi and fed through the desiccant filter into the LP side. That will then feed the HP side and the booster acts as normal. All you have to do is uncouple the hose going from the T-splitter to the desiccant filter and supply Nitrogen there. The booster will function as normal supplied with shop compressor air (and power).
2) A supply of Nitrogen regulated to @80bar~1150psi fed directly into the HP side. This needs a little set of hoses and couplings supplied by Altaros for @ $40. Please see attached video for proper replumbing:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPdImL-cEUY
It is imperative to ”rewire” the booster as the HP side looses cooling if not done correctly and a Chernobyl melt down might occur.
I see the first solution as the optimum one as it can utilise all the Nitrogen in the supply bottle and waste but the last 50psi.
If someone wants to go totally off grid then the Altaros can be driven 100% from a 10bar~145psi regulated bottle of either air or Nitrogen (or both at the same time). It can be done so the (cheap) air drives the central/work piston and is wasted while Nitrogen is fed to the boosting system.
Another possibillity is two bottles of air where one has (way) more pressure than the other and then the HP bottle can supply the boosting side while the LP bottle supplies the central/work piston via a regulator set at 10bar~145psi max.
The HP bottle supply can be anything from 30bar~450psi to 100bar~1450psi (i know this is higher than Altaros advises and they will probably spank me for this but 100bar~1450psi works just fine for me, this thing is built like a tank!) without any regulator. If higher then a regulator is nedded to supply a max. of 80 bar~1150psi.
If this is totally bass ackwards to you then please ask! We’re all here to learn and there are no dumb questions only dumb answers!
Please bear in mind that i am in no way affiliated with Altaros and have recieved no sponsor parts or money unfortunately ;-)
I write this as i find this product of such fine quality and workmanship for the supplied price, that in my opinion it’s the best product of it’s kind on the market.
I currently run my Altaros from a 1hp 1½cfm-tops compressor (feeding both inputs) and it is slow like molasses in winter but it just chugs on and on. I have checked and i can actually do anything from wife supplied chores to beer chugging and it will still work until the auto shut off sets in.
So i see no problem in using such a small compressor while boosting noble gasses!
Booster with plumbing as normal fed from a shop compressor
Booster split so shop compressor drives it and Nitrogen is fed to the bottom hose for boosting
Editied: Holy crap the copied font got big! Hope it's better now.
