Argon Gas

**sossity** · 16th December 2013, 03:41 PM

I just got a replacement 4.8M3 argon gas cylinder. The pressure on my guage is usually ~2500PSI. This time it was ~1250PSI. i contacted the supplier and he said it was correct, because
The "new" Argon cylinders are fitted with Pressure Limiting Valves.
This is so that once we start filling them to more than 200 bar, they will not cause damage to customers' regulators.
The valve will only release a certain amount of pressure, NOT full cylinder pressure.
The cylinders are filled (at the factory) by weight, not pressure, so the volume of Argon gas is very precise.

Has anyone else come across this yet? I used it maybe half an hour run time over the weekend and I thought it had dropped by 50PSI but its hard to be sure because that's not much movement on the scale. If this is legite, I shouldn't see any pressure drop at all for the first half of the gas, should I?

The supplier said he has been explaining to everyone, but the more I think of it, it doesn't make much sense to me, why not regulate it to 2500 like I normally see? I can only take his word, but I'm suspicious. I reckon if the gauge doesn't drop over the next hour of use, only then will I trust its all OK.

**The Bleeder** · 16th December 2013, 04:37 PM

Stamped on the cylinder will be it's tare weight and its gross weight.

As they have said it's done by weight.

Weigh the cylinder and if it's not at is gross weight then a short fill has happened.

Complain bitterly.....

**sossity** · 16th December 2013, 07:08 PM

The only weight I can see on the cylinder is something like 5.6MM xx 33.8kg xxxx 450BAR Sorry, can't remember what the xx letters were.
I weighed it and it is ~9.5kg more than that. Any idea how much gas 9.5kg is? My scales may not be very accurate of course.
I've no real reason to doubt him other than I don't like seeing a low pressure on a new cylinder! Also, even though it may have enough gas in it, how do I know I will get it all out of it...

Originally Posted by The Bleeder

Stamped on the cylinder will be it's tare weight and its gross weight.

As they have said it's done by weight.

Weigh the cylinder and if it's not at is gross weight then a short fill has happened.

Complain bitterly.....

**sossity** · 17th December 2013, 07:52 AM

I just read online that you get about 8kg of gas in these cylinders, so I've got what I paid for.

**jhovel** · 17th December 2013, 11:24 PM

Here is a convenient calculator for weight and volume of various gases: Argon - Weight and Volume Equivalents
8kg is about right for 4.8m3

**sossity** · 18th December 2013, 08:33 AM

Originally Posted by jhovel

Here is a convenient calculator for weight and volume of various gases: Argon - Weight and Volume Equivalents
8kg is about right for 4.8m3

Thanks for the link and confirmation of the weight.

If they have just regulated the contents before my regulator (down to half of what it normally is), I can't see why my regulator is showing less already. Surely I wouldn't see a drop until half the contents are used and their internal regulator is no longer doing anything. I am pretty sure the cylinder is now showing 100PSI less than when I got it (as I would espect for the amount I've used it) I'll know for sure after the weekend because I have a lot more to do.

Thanks to Bleeder, I have the weight when it was full so I can check if I got my full 8kg at the end, which is all that counts.

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