Cylinder sizes/capacity

[Tiggy_dorset]

I have just had a quote from Air products for a 50L bottle of acetylene, and a 30L bottle of oxygen. Does anybody know what these are in BOC sizes, so I can try and make a price comparison?

Cheers.

 

[Shox Dr]

Portapac size. A 50ltr tank will only be about 2' high.

And they'll last about 5 mins

 

[Tiggy_dorset]

Portapac size. A 50ltr tank will only be about 2' high.

And they'll last about 5 mins

On that basis, at almost £100 per acetylene refill, it sounds like he may have his calculations wrong somewhere.... I hope.

 

[Shox Dr]

Arr I might well of miss read that then as they might well quote you on liquid ltrs?

 

[Shox Dr]

Arrrrrrh my head is not connected to my fingers tonight. Best just to ignore me

 

[hotrodder]

I can't for the life of me find anything on the Airproducts site about the different cylinder sizes. BOC cylinder sizes and pics here... http://www.ch.ic.ac.uk/spivey/documents/cylinders.pdf which is better layout than the way it is on the BOC site. Acetylene is complicated by being dissolved in acetone and the cylinder itself being very different...

The oxygen cylinder will be same deal as argon etc, a BOC size Y is a touch over 20 litres IIRC. Airproducts oxygen is 300 bar versus 230 for BOC IIRC.

I'm gonna guess that you've been quoted for something about the same size as a BOC flamepak 50, maybe a touch bigger? I'm guessing with Airproducts the next size up will be a big step to their equivilant of a BOC 'W' and whatever is usually paired with that acetylene wise... can't remember if it's usually an F/G or an H but a size W is light by comparison!

 

[Shox Dr]

come on, you can't post a picture like that and not give an explanation

 

[hotrodder]

Google . I've done some stupid stuff but attacking an acetylene cylinder with a gas axe... i'll pass.

Here's where the pic came from, found by googling 'dissolved acetylene kapok' and clicking on images... http://www.hobartwelders.com/weldtalk/showthread.php?26889-What-is-in-Acetylene-Tanks

 

[Robotstar5]

Some one on here posted his bosses handywork....

 

[Shox Dr]

Thought as much

 

[500e]

Big b***s but eventually Darwin will win.

 

[Tiggy_dorset]

I can't for the life of me find anything on the Airproducts site about the different cylinder sizes. BOC cylinder sizes and pics here... http://www.ch.ic.ac.uk/spivey/documents/cylinders.pdf which is better layout than the way it is on the BOC site. Acetylene is complicated by being dissolved in acetone and the cylinder itself being very different...

The oxygen cylinder will be same deal as argon etc, a BOC size Y is a touch over 20 litres IIRC. Airproducts oxygen is 300 bar versus 230 for BOC IIRC.

I'm gonna guess that you've been quoted for something about the same size as a BOC flamepak 50, maybe a touch bigger? I'm guessing with Airproducts the next size up will be a big step to their equivilant of a BOC 'W' and whatever is usually paired with that acetylene wise... can't remember if it's usually an F/G or an H but a size W is light by comparison!

Thanks for the links. It gives me a better idea of the sizes Im dealing with.
At least I also now know the best way to dispose of old acetylene cylinders. Will a plasma do a better job than a gas axe?

(Disclaimer : This is just a joke, please do not attempt it! )

 

[Will_Davis]

Acetylene explodes when compressed into a gas bottle. In the old days it had to be generated on-site at torch pressure from a little portable gas works.

Then a very clever person came up with the solution:

Fill the bottle with a porous material ( like crushed brick ), then fill with acetone ( a liquid as used in nail varish remover, and as a solvent for glass fibre work ) then pump in the acteylene. The acetylene disolves into the acetone and the brick gives a huge surface area for the gas to disolve into.

Result: Compressed Acetylene safely available in a bottle.

Thats why:

1. Acetyle cylinders are SO heavy
2. They must always be used vertically

HTH

Will

 

[nickk]

i was so lucky years ago-working out of the back of a range rover,i sometimes used the torch without taking the oxy & acet' cylinders out!must have been 2/3 years before i learnt how unsafe practice it was.

 

[KemppiFrog]

Acetylene explodes when compressed into a gas bottle. In the old days it had to be generated on-site at torch pressure from a little portable gas works.
Will

When I first went tp Portugal in the 70s, nobody had cylinders for Acetylene. They all used gas generators with a basket of carbide in the middle and some water. It generated gas until the water level was pushed down below the carbide, which provided the enough pressure to supply the torch. This was in the local workshops, I expect bigger places had cylinders. Very easy to use and I never heard of an accident (prob because of the low pressure)
Size was about 40cm diam X 100cm ht. Like a galvanized water cylinder. Mind you, many of the local machine shops had belt driven lathes from overhead shafts. Starting envoved using a stick to flick the belt onto the drive pulley. Eat your heart out HS&E...

I expect the big gas suppliers made the gov pass laws to outlaw those kits. That was how things worked.