For those of you who use nitrogen burst processing, what size tank do you use? I'm looking at a small 20 cf3 tank, but am not sure if I should go larger.
Also, any recommendations on what regulator would work well?
Used would be fine with me.
Printable View
For those of you who use nitrogen burst processing, what size tank do you use? I'm looking at a small 20 cf3 tank, but am not sure if I should go larger.
Also, any recommendations on what regulator would work well?
Used would be fine with me.
Jeff,
If you buy your own cylinder, get the largest that will fit in your darkroom. A 300cf3 is approximately 5ft tall. A 200cf3 is approximately 4ft tall.
The price of nitrogen varies from day to day, much like gasoline. I believe the last time I rented a full 304cf3 cylinder, the gas/nitrogen, was approximately $30.
You can use a Harris brand regulator. The regulator just regulates how much pressure you are sending thru the controller/burst timer. The last regulator that I purchased, many years ago, was for $100. I purchased it at Airgas. I am not sure what the going price is today, but check out Airgas' website.
Airgas is where I usually obtain nitrogen filled cylinders. I rent them for work purposes, but it would be less expensive to purchase a cylinder and not pay monthly rental fees. Either purchase it directly from your nitrogen supplier or if you are lucky, find one on craigslist.
Inquire if you have to exchange a nitrogen cylinder for a fresh nitrogen cylinder, or if you can exchange a different type of gas (oxygen, acetylene, hydrogen, helium, CO2), for a nitrogen cylinder. They will usually do this, if the cylinder you are exchanging is in good condition. A word of advice. Even if they exchange your cylinder for a fresh one. The "fresh cylinder", can sometimes be empty. I have had this happen to me on more than one occasion.
Good luck,
Jose
Sounds like buying my own cylinder is the way to go. Do I need that large of a gas cylinder though? They are pretty expensive - the 80cf units are $200, and I'm afraid to even find out what a 300cf unit would cost.
Jeff,
You can buy a used cylinder for much less. That is why I suggested that you check with your nitrogen gas supplier if they would exchange a different gas cylinder for a nitrogen cylinder. Welding, Oxy-Acetelene cylinders are the most common.
When I attend car swap meets, here in Southern California, I usually see welding cylinders for sale. As long as the cylinder has passed recent pressure tests, they will be taken in as exchange. Again, check with your nitrogen supplier first.
A 200cf3 would be a good size, 300cf3 even better. Once you purchase the cylinder and have it filled with nitrogen, It will last a long time before having to remove it and exchange it with a fresh one, (providing there are no leaks in the system). However, that all depends on how much film you will be developing. It has been a long time since I had the pleasure of using a nitrogen burst system. I seem to recall setting up the regulator at 5~15psi @ 30 sec. intervals. That is something that you will need to experiment with, as it depends on the design of tanks and on the size of the tubes and how many orifices are feeding nitrogen into the tanks.
Hope this info helps. Good luck,
Jose