Full comparison of regulated/unregulated CO2 to O2

[Tostitos]

I'm researching the pros and cons of both. Can anyone share some comparisons between the two re fill, expansion rate when it applies to a spudgun? Can a large tank of co2 provide a few hundred rapid fired shots? What about a normal pneumatic cannon with a co2 pressure booster for when the air compressor is lagging on filling the chamber after a few dumps?

This is because I need to provide a large volume of gas at high rates to achieve a target goal of 600rpm (brief burst of 12 perhaps) and I really doubt that even a 15hp air compressor could keep up.

I can't find very many good detailed builds using a co2 bottle for power.

Also, the following valve system could greatly raise efficiency with a tuned controller chip. http://www.geocities.com/man_o_brass/ra ... valve.html

[carlbelcher]

First of all I hope you mean HPA (High Pressure Air) not O2 (Oxygen) but I assume you do.

If you are going for a high rate of fire I would recommend HPA over CO2 because HPA doesn't have to evaporate from a liquid like CO2 does. This allows a higher sustained rate of fire because it takes time for CO2 to expand into a gas, also as CO2 expands it gets cold and as we all know COLD + PVC (or metal at cryogenic temperatures) = Weakening and sometimes catastrophic failure.

[Tostitos]

Yeah, noob terminology mistake.

What about nitrogen (which is really just super compressed air)?

[carlbelcher]

Nitrogen and HPA are pretty much interchangeable.

Same Pressure
Same Tanks
Same Regulators

I would go with whichever you can get cheaper/easier.

Just so you know nitrogen is not "super compressed air" it doesn't contain oxygen like HPA it's an inert gas.

[frogy]

nitrogen is about %75 of the air, so your not going to notice to much of a difference in between Compressed Nitrogen and Compressed Air...

Usually Nitrogen isn't refered to as "Compressed Nitrogen", but if you buy nitrogen your buying it compressed, not just filtered...

Don't get ripped off buying nitrogen for using in a paintball gun\paintball gun, but if pure nitrogen is needed for welding, that's fine to buy...


Air is about
Nitrogen - %75
Oxygen - %24
Argon - %0.9
Other - %0.1

Thoose aren't exact, buy close enough

Nitrogen is obviously %100 nitrogen

[Tostitos]

I was familiar with compressed nitrogen as being essentially the same thing as compressed air except with a smaller ratio of other gasses and impurities.

[carlbelcher]

Then why did you ask about it?