Safe design for N2O tank enclosure

I guess it depends what kind of tank you have. If it has a dip tube, then it needs to be upright. If it doesn't, then it needs to be upside down or at an angle with the valve lower than the tank bottom.

Les.

Thanks. A call to the organization that sold me the tank reveals no dip tube.

Kevin OClassen

Kevin, My son and I made up a "wagon" sort of thing that holds the launch battery and all the other stuff. It's eassy to transport in the back of my truck and keeps everything togetheronce at the launch site.

Then what you need is to have the tank upside down and need to build a wood frame, I used 2x4's in a box formation, 4 uprights connected by smaller cross bars. Leave the bottom cross bars up high enough so you have what looks like legs that leaves room for the valves/solenoid to clear the ground. I have mine setup so that i can slide the frame over the tank while it's standing upright and then i can filp it over. If you want i can send you a pic via email or post it on alt.binaries.models.rockets. let me know.

Koen

You might want to think about insulation for the tank. Keeping it cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. Maybe a wrap of water heater blanket? Or an appropriately sized icebox? Or maybe foamboard around the outside of the framework holding the tank?

I noticed later > I'm busily collecting pieces-parts for launching hybrids, and want to build

In Mojave they use a steel drum filled with ice. Fits a couple of tanks.

Thanks for the thoughts. Oddly enough, the insulation will be more to keep the tank warm than cold. Here the temp goes above 70 about 5 times a year, for 6 or 7 minutes at a time. Well, maybe not quite that extreme, but it's not tropical. Also, since our best launch field is a frozen lake (waivered to 9000) I'm hoping to shoot in winter as well. I had considered cannabalizing one of those hi-tech warming-cooling "coolers" to try to maintain tanks temps in extreme consitions, and may still do so if conditions warrant.

Exactly upside down it is. N2O is not free, and I'm a cheapskate.

Kevin OClassen

You can get electric blankets specifically designed to heat nitrous tanks for car usage. But they seem to like to run their systems closer to 900 PSI, I've heard. And people have commented on the Yahoo Hybrids group

Other people seem to leave their tank in a warm car and only haul it out for their launch and then put the tank back in the car while they recycle for the next flight.

Frozen lake, eh? Are people ice-fishing out there too? If they heat their huts you might be able to put the tank in there in between launches.

Remember that Nitrous is a powerful anesthetic! Be very careful > Thanks for the thoughts. Oddly enough, the insulation will be more to keep