Protective gas cylinder test
The inert gas cylinder is of great importance in industry and everyday life. Many things can only be manufactured or even repaired if necessary with the help of protective gas. The cylinder can be filled with a so-called protective gas. Such a cylinder can be used, filled and even rented in many ways. It is well suited for chemical gases and products. The cylinder should only be filled or stored by people who are really familiar with it. A protective gas cylinder is normally standardized. Protective gas inside has certain chemical properties.
Definition
A protective gas cylinder can be described as follows: Generally speaking, a gas cylinder is a container in which highly sensitive gases under pressure can be prepared for transport or storage. Gases can be dangerous, so they must be stored properly. This is why (protective) gas cylinders are manufactured.
Inert gas in particular consists for example of carbon dioxide or nitrogen or even oxygen. The shielding gas is harmless and is used in many different ways. Many food products carry the note: Packed under a protective atmosphere, this means nothing else than that protective gases have been added to the packaging, which are completely harmless and therefore do not have to be declared.
How does a protective gas cylinder work?
A protective gas cylinder must be painted according to a Euronorm and must be filled industrially. After that it is already used for food packaging or even for industrial purposes, or even for welding work. The protective gas has the function of completely displacing the air of the atmosphere, therefore it “protects” things also from the mentioned atmosphere.
During welding, the gas in the cylinder protects the materials from oxidation and consists of argon and carbon dioxide. Shielding gas from the bottle is also used in electrical engineering, where it prevents sparks from sparking.
The possible applications
As already described, the inert gas cylinder is very often used in the food industry, also for packaging fresh goods. But for meat, for example, oxygen is also added in order to maintain the quality. Protective gas is also in demand among mechanics to be able to prevent oxidation of metals immediately. Otherwise the materials can fall victim to the ingress of oxygen. Likewise in electrical engineering, there must be no errors: Flying sparks cannot occur at all if inert gases are involved and are used correctly. The variety of standardized gas mixtures has increased significantly in recent decades.
So there is a lot of choice in these areas (for food technologists, welders or even electrical engineers and people who are otherwise authorised to work with inert gas). In the case of welders, shielding gas protects a hardening weld seam by spreading over it. When welding, different thicknesses of the material must be taken into account in any case, whereas in the case of food packaging it is very important or depends on which food is to be packaged in it. In the case of vegetables or meat, it is advisable to add oxygen to the mixture, because otherwise the ingredients would rot.
For whom is the protective gas cylinder suitable?
Protective gas cylinders are also available in hardware stores. The person who handles the protective gas should be authorized to do so and should have studied how the protective gas works exactly. Under no circumstances can children work with protective gas. Only adults should do so.
The handling
A protective gas cylinder must not be exposed to large temperature fluctuations and must be handled with care. Under no circumstances should it be thrown or damaged. If it is damaged, it should not be used again. Depending on its composition, it contains gas mixtures which will and should ensure the current areas of activity.
The performance features
Depending on the gas mixture, the performance characteristics are quite different. Carbon dioxide performs differently than nitrogen, helium performs differently than oxygen as the active gas, and this has different characteristics from, for example, the inert gas argon. No generally valid statement can be made about this except that the gas has the task of displacing air from the atmosphere.
Positive features
- protects against air ingressis odourlessis tastelessly versatile
Security features
Protective gas cylinders are EU standardised, the filling pressure is approx. 200 bar for smaller models. They are specially painted, such as the body is painted green and the neck of the bottle is grey. They are provided with a border. They are inspected by the TÜV or an expert and must be checked at regular intervals. Only brand-new it is safe. A brand-new inert gas cylinder may weigh about 10 kilograms, with a filling capacity of 5 litres. There are also cylinders with a filling capacity of 20 litres.
How much quantity is required must be decided individually. This varies depending on whether the bottle is used for food packaging, for welding or for electrical engineering. A high purity of the mixture as well as a stable, pure and clear arc are, for example, extremely important for welding. Very good mechanical quality values are also clearly an advantage for a gas cylinder to be used for industrial welding. In this case it must be suitable for all sheet thicknesses.
What is tested?
In this case a protective gas cylinder according to EU standard with a certain filling quantity is tested.
Care and cleaning of a protective gas cylinder
On this point, it should be noted that if the bottle has become dirty during storage, it may be carefully rubbed or wiped. It should be noted that no alcoholic cleaning agents or even chemical cleaning agents should be used. If possible, a little water and perhaps a drop of soapy water mixed with it is sufficient. With a soft rag, the bottle can be wiped immediately.
It should also not be cleaned under running water. The bottle can only be cleaned from the inside if it is really completely empty. Otherwise a protective gas bottle cannot be cleaned (at least not from the inside). In any case, it should be noted that such a protective gas cylinder generally does not need any special care.
What does a protective gas cylinder cost?
This question can only be answered conditionally. There are protective gas cylinders for 150 usd and there are protective gas cylinders for $1500. This depends entirely on the filling quantity as well as the quality of the mixture or even the place where the bottle is used. If one needs a bottle for the food industry, the prices will be different than in the welding industry, etc. Thus, the costs are, as described here, very different and cannot be determined at once. Each inert gas bottle has its individual price.
The 3 major manufacturers and their characteristics
- MESSER – gases for your needsCHEMWELD – Argon gas with special ignition propertiesFRONIUS – certified also for the production of welding equipment
Accessories for a protective gas cylinder
Protective gas furnaces, as well as special valves for the discharge and extraction of protective gas, there are special hoses, which cost about $69.90. But here, one also has to say that the prices in any case vary strongly and vary very much depending on the size or length of the things that can be ordered. If one needs protective gas in bigger quantities (approximately for the industry), it is in any case recommended to store these bottles (let them be stored). The storage of protective gases is actually quite unproblematic in warehouses. The cylinders must not be thrown away or be provided with other labels than intended.
What do you have to pay attention to when buying the protective gas cylinder?
One should pay attention to a serious supplier, as well as to the quality of the offered mixture. Of course the composition is also important. The bottles must be brand new in any case, then you can be sure that they are undamaged. They must also be suitable for the particular field for which they are intended. As described, inert gases can be used in many different ways and must therefore be mixed exactly for each purpose.
For example, protective gases for certain food packaging must also contain oxygen. Otherwise food can start to rot, which nobody wants. You should also pay attention to the next inspection date if you buy the bottle transferred. In principle, it would be best to buy new protective gas cylinders.
The 3 top sellers for protective gas cylinders at Amazon
- Gases DoppLüdenbachEinhell inert gas
5 good reasons for a protective gas cylinder
- Protective gas “protects” as the name suggests, your food already in the packaging.in industry, too, protective gas is definitely in demand and indispensable.protective gas can protect against many oxidations in many different areas.if you are an electrical engineer, you are practically lost without protective gas.protective gas is practical and has a lot to do with everyday life.