Booster: Drive gas quality.

[Billy Northrup]

Why do I keep hearing folks recommend that drive gas be super clean and oil free and water free? I've heard people say only use oil less compressors and drying systems.

Drive gas and driven gas, the two shall never meet right? So what if the drive side sees a little oil or moisture? The exhaust might get a bit messy but I can't see reason to go above "normal shop air" for tools.

Thoughts?

Bill

 

[Wookie]

I've never heard to use anything other than shop air. I've always used shop air, guts, feathers, oil and water. Boosted a lot of gas....

Rebuilt a lot of drive ends, too. Usually pull off one end, pull the barrel off, clean the schmutz* off the o-ring and barrel sleeve, and put it all back together.

*Guts, feathers, oil, and water.

 

[jeff h]

Depends on the type of booster. Some of the smaller ones aren't completely separated, so the LP gas is exposed to the bottom of the HP cylinder at the top of the stroke. It's also just good shop hygiene not to have oil around whips and fittings that are boosting HP O2. Easier to keep those things clean if everything else around them is clean. Similarly, when I was setup to O2 clean my equipment the tools and bench that I used were only used for that purpose. Better to have the mentality that everything is "clean" in here. That said, some of the bigger double acting boosters are completely isolated, so you can use cheaper shop air. They sell oil-less compressors which might be a descent option combined with a condensator and line filter to keep any particulates out of the system and keep it dry and corrosion free.

 

[nadwidny]

Depends on the type of booster. Some of the smaller ones aren't completely separated, so the LP gas is exposed to the bottom of the HP cylinder at the top of the stroke. It's also just good shop hygiene not to have oil around whips and fittings that are boosting HP O2. Easier to keep those things clean if everything else around them is clean. Similarly, when I was setup to O2 clean my equipment the tools and bench that I used were only used for that purpose. Better to have the mentality that everything is "clean" in here. That said, some of the bigger double acting boosters are completely isolated, so you can use cheaper shop air. They sell oil-less compressors which might be a descent option combined with a condensator and line filter to keep any particulates out of the system and keep it dry and corrosion free.

Yeah, get me a quote on an oil-less LP compressor that does 20cfm at 100psi and let me know how that goes.

 

[RayfromTX]

Oil separators and water traps are cheap and adequate in my limited knowledge base.

 

[TrimixToo]

For my booster, Haskel says to use shop air with a water separator. I actually use a 3-stage one with a trap, coalescer, and dessicant, but I need dry air for other stuff too. At times I have run the booster with a simple water trap. All is well so far.

 

[jeff h]

Yeah, get me a quote on an oil-less LP compressor that does 20cfm at 100psi and let me know how that goes.

Goes back to the size and spec of the booster. The small ones might be able to get away with an oil-less compressor. Rather than just generically saying "booster", which could include things like the Haskel Mini Sport or KISS Baby booster, it would be good to know which model is being referenced. The big ones obviously need a bigger compressor or air bank, and the gases are isolated. To answer the OP question, if people are talking about the smaller boosters then they need clean air. Maybe that is where the confusion is coming from. There are lot's of different booster configurations out there too. I know people who have cleaned non-oxygen boosters and then drive them with clean air. That wouldn't work with "shop air". Just too many variables. So yes, some can be driven with shop air and some can't.