Lifetime Learning

"......but tho' an old man, I am but a young gardener." - Thomas Jefferson to Charles Willson Peale, August 20, 1811

Jefferson's information request sent to one of his time's most noted gardeners speaks volumes. The fact is that, for all the things Jefferson did, it is quite fair to say his real lifetime hobby was learning.

As a model of "the more I learn, the more I realize I don't know" he personified one of the greatest joys there is by constantly pursuing new endeavours from architecture and design to philosophy, education, gardening and more.

Why do I mention this?

This is going to be another of those great weeks where I get to "learn as I teach" with at least three days at client sites delving into operations and working together towards continuous improvement. Not to mention a weekend of gardening, energy conservation, farmer's markets and Saturday morning cooking class........ (a special thanks to Monica Pope at T'Apia in Houston).

And herein also rests the beauty of the cryogenics and gases industry where there is so much to learn and so many really neat people to learn it with......

Low-Loss Liquid Fill- What Price Success?

Companies delivering liquid nitrogen, oxygen, and argon are fortunate these days to have some choices:

a) Pumped Systems- many of which have low transfer loss features

b) Pressure Driven Systems- some with MC-338 options allowing them to travel under pressure without venting between stops.

c) Pressure Driven Systems with Gas Use Capabilities- allowing them to be used not only for liquid delivery, but also for gas use for welding, purging, cutting, etc.

Which is best?

Of course- again we hit the millenium answer- It depends.

And it really does depend on what you are doing with the vessel- How much liquid you are delivering, what other uses (if any) you might have for the tank, and your budget.

The question crystallized after a client visit where it turns out they'd have been able to purchase two GOrilla 500s and a GOrilla 1500 (all tricked out with trailers) for what they paid for one low loss pumping truck. This is an irrelevant comparison where you need the pumping truck. Where you don't, it could be interesting to further explore where you get the most from your investment dollars.

Using High Pressure Gas Cylinders to Push Liquid Cylinder Output- Not Advised

Several conversations have occurred recently where people mentioned their use of high pressure gas cylinders to boost cryogenic liquid cylinder output. Specifically, they are hooking a high pressure liquid cylinder to the vent of a liquid cylinder to push liquid out of the cylinder faster or to maintain a higher pressure for gas withdrawal.

Is there a risk and, if so, what?

As with almost anything..... maybe. The concern here would be that gas coming out of the high pressure liquid cylinder will increase the pressure in the liquid cylinder faster than the relief and rupture disk can relieve it. The net result of this is that the vessel could eventually reach burst pressure and blow.

As for me- I'd be interested in exploring how the equipment might be used to function as designed and still get the job done.....

Cryogenic & High Pressure Nitrogen Gas Options for Laser Feed

A client called yesterday regarding problems he was having with a nitrogen feed for a laser system. The system has been in service for a few years and working fine until recently. Something had changed. The change turned out to be different material being cut which changed the feed gas flow and pressure requirements. The best solution turned out to be temporarilly supplying the laser system with high pressure gas 16-packs since the user's need is short-term and requires a relatively low total volume of nitrogen.

The link below is to an article I ran across while doing more research. It helps define some of the issues and options related to nitrogen feed options for laser cutting.

http://www.thefabricator.com/LaserCutting/LaserCutting_Article.cfm?ID=1741

E-mails with links to other helpful information on this subject are welcomed.

Tried a GOrilla; Bought Fifteen More

Hope's Hope asked if there is more to this article than the published 6-Word Novel. More expertly written 6-Word Novels such as Hemmingway's "For sale: baby shoes, never worn" obviously do a better job of telling their story.


"Tried a GOrilla; Bought 15 more" is also true which hurts the "novel" classification.


This is the story of a gas distributor who tried something new and used it as a great tool to exploit a niche. The point here is that experimentation and innovation is alive and well in the gases industry. And- we are in one of those great times when people can do things that allow them to write their own success stories by using "the liberating force of adversity" to their advantage.


Also- candidly- it is a lot of fun to help others succeed and then celebrate their accomplishments.

A Six Word Cryogenic Success Story

Tried a GOrilla; Bought 15 more.

Liquid Only Liquid Cylinders- Cruddy or The Good Stuff?

A gas distributor took me on a tour of their facility and showed me where they keep their good liquid cylinders and where they keep those needing repair. On a side of their yard was a third group of about two dozen liquid cylinders that I pointed out and was told they were scraps. When asked if they were inner leakers or otherwise beyond repair the client said essentially "Oh, no. They are just those cruddy old liquid-only vessels. No one uses them anymore."

Another distributor took over the business at a very large mixed use facility with a number of labs using nitrogen liquid. Scattered about the labs was a large number of liquid-only style liquid cylinders. The client was told that instead of liquid-only vessels they would be getting "the good stuff" all through their plant...... meaning VGLs.

Both cases share a pretty common perception and contributed to a belief among some users that vendors are somehow denying them top quality when they provide Liquid-Only liquid cylinders for applications where the only need is for nitrogen in a liquid form.

A counterpoint to this perception is the fact that liquid-only style 4L-DOT liquid cylinders will contain nitrogen in a liquid state longer than a same sized liquid cylinder with Gas Use capabilities.

Why?

Absent the gas use function, Liquid-Only liquid cylinders do not have Gas Use Vaporization Coils, Pressure Building Coils, Regulators and other heat syncs that transmit energy (heat) into the liquid and cause it to boil off more quickly.

The funny thing is that the myth of Liquid-Only vessels being "cruddy" is so pervasive that a large percentage of people are unaware you can even still buy Liquid-Only containers. And even those that do know you can are reluctant to get them due to backlash they often get from users who feel they are somehow being short-shrifted.

Paradigm shift?