Full Version: Nitrogen. Is it worth it?

From: Harvey only (HARVEY-ONLY) [#16]
 9 Jan 2007
To: RALLYGUY (RALLYGUY1) [#15] 9 Jan 2007

Those three rules are important.

I have seen an oxygen tank fall when being brought in and knocked the valve off. Shot 75 feet across the plant and through a cinder-block wall. Initial rocket pressure was over 6000 pounds through the 1" hole. Than can accelerate the tank fast.

Acetylene makes me cringe. It is explosive from 3% with air to 97% with air. It is very heavy and forms puddles. It will self detonate if the tank has more than 400PSI and can self detonate if the pressure at the regulator it is set too high. (That is why acetylene regulators have such a low max setting.)

Hydrogen, while it packs more power is so light it will escape through cracks in the ceiling quite easily.

Nitrogen is probably the safest compressed gas there is. (Maybe helium also.)

From: Jer (DIAMOND) [#17]
 9 Jan 2007
To: Harvey only (HARVEY-ONLY) [#16] 9 Jan 2007

I work with very large amounts of pure nitrogen on a regular basis, when we purge long runs (miles) of pipeline. Our logic says that nitrogen is everywhere, so no problem. Our safety dept. comes out and informs us one breath of pure nitrogen will cause death. They went through a simular physiological explanation that Alex has. I am not sure I understand it but I don't want to test it. As we vent off the nitrogen, I would think one would have to put ones head right in the full stream of nitrogen in order to get 100% nitrogen because the gas expands so quickly into the atmosphere.

From: Harvey only (HARVEY-ONLY) [#18]
 9 Jan 2007
To: Jer (DIAMOND) [#17] 9 Jan 2007

I respect that is what you were told by the safety department.

I only wonder where they were trained. From all of my chemical training, a bit extensive with the chemicals we used in manufacturing and I was the safety officer and responsible for keeping the hazard sheets up to date and informing the staff of any changes and hazards, I never heard of that. Also it does not make sense, but that does not necessarily have to be a factor in what it really does.

The safety officer at CBS when we got in the heliarc equipment said it was totally harmless, especially if we kept the door open. I thought that a slight contradiction at the time. But it could be true, as long as the door was open it could not build up and exclude oxygen.

From: Jer (DIAMOND) [#19]
 9 Jan 2007
To: Harvey only (HARVEY-ONLY) [#18] 10 Jan 2007

I believe that in a shop, with what I would consider small amounts in cylinders, that is coming out of a 3/8" hose there is no major risk. This would be a similar set up that would be used in a laser engraver. I also believe what our safety dept. says about one breath of 100% nitrogen. My thought is nitrogen expands so quickly into the atmosphere, that a cylinder in a ventilated shop has little risk. I would guess the bigger risk with a cylinder is pressure and all the precautions need to be observed there also.

From: Dave Jones (DAVERJ) [#20]
 10 Jan 2007
To: Jer (DIAMOND) [#19] 10 Jan 2007

Maybe they give the "one breath..." warning because there might be some yahoo working somewhere that thinks "well, inhaling helium gives funny results, I wonder what will happen if I inhale nitrogen from this hose?"

From: Jer (DIAMOND) [#21]
 10 Jan 2007
To: Dave Jones (DAVERJ) [#20] 10 Jan 2007

Oh No! Now I obligated to try it. I have to know.

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