Welding gas tank sizes

bottom of bottle is about 18" diameter = 2.25sqft so 135 cu ft = 60ft tall???????!!!!!!!

if it was 2ft across, then it's be 33 ft high

I gather that 135cf means at STP, not compressed?

I thought acetylene tanks had lettered sizes, but I'm not sure. Here is a chart of sizes (cu-ft & dimensions):

Happy to help. The following table cites tank designators which are in use by one of the majors, don't remember which one. A slightly more reliable indicator is the cubic foot capacity, also cited. But these numbers vary somewhat. For example, the largest high pressure cylinder in my table I've seen described as containing anywhere from 240 to 264 cubic feet. Go figger. - GWE

Welding Cylinder Data

Oxygen / Argon / Helium / Other High Pressure Tank Designator Capacity Height Dia. K 251 51" 9" S 156 46" 7 3/8" M 125 47" 7" Q 92 30" 7 1/8"

Acetylene Tank Designator Capacity Height Dia. #5 350 45" 12" #4 150 38" 8" #3 75 29" 7"

You may have noticed, egg, that when you open the valve on a gas cylinder, gas actually flows OUT. This means, egg, that it's at a higher PRESSURE. It follows, egg, that it can actually occupy a smaller VOLUME.

Thank you for your worthwhile contribution.

GWE

The last time I looked, the Airgas catalog had a page or two showing gas cylinder spces, sizes and the names used for each by different suppliers. It's probably available on their web site as well.

Pete C.

Depends on who you ask!

And thank you for your condescending tone, you patronising twat.

In the UK, a tank is sized in litres of tank volume, or weight of gas. I've never come across a gas being sold by volume at some abitrary non-STP pressure.

What pressure is the 135 cu ft measured at then?

Thanks

You should be busy turning in your knives, not posting here then.

I suppose I deserved that. However, the most impartial of observers would hardly fail to note that it was NOT I who came up with the moniker "egg", now was it? In fact, it's really hard to see how anyone can take someone posting behind such a ludicrous pseudonym as "bigegg" seriously.

Your question was valid, it's your moniker and your whiny-ass tone I object to.

I rarely get involved with petty squabbles on this newsgroup, but some days I guess are an exception, sigh.

GWE

The tanks are sold as containing "x" number of cubic feet of gas at atmospheric pressure, as in "would fill a bag this big" in use. 135 cu ft at 2100 psi would be a HUGE tank.

Since typical flowrate on the regulator is set in cubic feet per hour, this gives the user a decent idea of just how long a tank might last, if said user remembers to shut off the gas valve after each use.

Over in the North america side of the water, a 50cu ft tank is generally the small size that is available, about 8 inch diameter, 18 inches tall, plus or minus a bit.

The standard size bottles vary a bit from company to company, and sometimes whether the bottle is owned or leased.

Cheers Trevor Jones

apology accepted ;.)

That wasn't what I found condescending, it was the fact that you assumed I was ignorant of Boyles law (I couldn't be with my 'nick could I? :.D ) because I didn't know that capacity was measured by volume of gas at

Why is it measured that way, anyway, rather than by weight?

My name is Brian Ian Gegg actually - hence B.I.Gegg; "BigEgg" since Primary (Grade?) school - when I was about 5.

And it's the same moniker I've been using on Usenet for going on 10 years - I'm not going to change it, just because you've taken exception to it now (despite us having had conversations on usenet as far back as 2003 and probably earlier)

So you decided to be insulting because of my name and the way I phrased my question.

oh well, tomorrow's another day - I hope you have a better one. As I said, apology accepted.

oops - should read "stored at"

Understood now - my gas meter reads pressure, rather than flow - I don't do gas welding, just stick - the meter is on a propane burner.

I think we'd call that a 5kg bottle, and would be weighed, filled, weighed and charged at so much per KG.

Your gas meter is for propane, not sheilding gas for welding. The gasses used (heliun, argon, CO2, etc) each have a different density. The better welding regs have different scales on them, for the different gasses. Usually the regs consist of a primary pressure reduction, feeding through a needle valve orfice, then through a flowmeter in the form of a ball in a tube, then to the welder and on to the torch or gun (for tig or mig, respectively).

You'd get a pile of argon into the bottle before the scale twitched even a little. Argon and most of the inert sheilding welding gasses are sold by volume, as they are pressurised gasses. CO2 is liquid in the tank, similar to propane, and is sold by weight.

Cheers Trevor Jones

I did not find a description of the size of a B size acetylene tank, around 40 cu ft. I have one, about 2 foot tall, maybe 7 inches diameter, does not have a screw on valve cover, valve is out in the open.

Gunner wrote:

"bigegg" wrote: Understood now - my gas meter reads pressure, rather than flow - I don't do gas welding, just stick - the meter is on a propane burner. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Unfortunately, you still don't have the right picture. A gauge on a propane tank is reading liquid level. The pressure does not drop as the level goes down, so it can't be used to read contents. The same is true of CO2 and butane.

About 2000 PSI

Gunner