Is it possible to use a carbon dioxide reducer for argon?

How to choose a carbon dioxide reducer?

If the gearbox

marked in black with a yellow inscription, which means it is intended for
carbon dioxide
(aka CO2
reducer
). If the background is blue and the inscription is black, it means for oxygen. White markings and red signature - acetylene. And black markings with blue or white inscription are intended for acetylene or argon, respectively.

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Selecting a gearbox for welding

During welding or flame cutting, the pressure of the gas supplied to the welding or cutting zone must be less than that available in the gas cylinder. To reduce the pressure, a device called a gas reducer is used. The principle of its operation is quite simple. When the valve of the gas cylinder is opened, gas begins to flow into the high-pressure chamber located inside the reducer. The operating gas pressure depends on the tension of the spring acting on the reducing valve. Types of gas reducers are distinguished according to their operating principle:

• Direct action. The gas entering the device tends to open the valve.
• Reverse action. The gas entering the reducer tends to close the valve and press it against the seat.

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Color marking of devices

The choice of gearbox for welding or cutting should be made in accordance with the type of gas used. There is a color marking system. According to it, the gearbox housing is painted in the color assigned to a specific gas. We list the most common gearboxes and special requirements for them:

• Oxygen (blue). Used for gas cutting and welding of metals. All parts that come into contact with oxygen must be degreased. Springs and other moving parts that come into contact with oxygen are made of materials that are resistant to oxidation. It is permissible to apply a protective coating to the springs that is resistant to oxygen.
• Acetylene (white). Used for gas welding and cutting metal products. For the manufacture of parts that come into contact with acetylene, the use of copper and its alloys (with copper content over 65%), zinc (with the exception of anti-corrosion coatings), mercury, magnesium, silver (except hard solders) and its alloys is not allowed.
• Propane (red). They are widely used in various enterprises - especially in metallurgy and mechanical engineering. Non-metallic parts (such as lubricants and seals) that come into contact with propane must be resistant to n-pentane.
• Carbon dioxide (black with yellow lettering). This type of gearbox, unlike the oxygen one, has a different valve nozzle diameter and storage chamber size. To improve the purity of the gas entering the reducer, the inlet valve is often equipped with cleaning filters.
• Argon (black with white or blue lettering). It is fixed on the cylinder by attaching a fitting and securing it with a nut. A special feature of argon reducers is their large membrane area. The reason for this is the need to carefully control the argon flow rate during the welding process. A large membrane allows you to use gas more economically and prevent it from freezing at low temperatures.

Is interchangeability possible?

It is usually recommended to use a specific type of reducer, taking into account the extinguishing or combustible gas used. But some devices are interchangeable. For example, instead of a carbon dioxide reducer, it is permissible to use an oxygen reducer, but the reverse replacement cannot be made. This is due to the fact that oxygen is a strong oxidizing agent, for which special metals and alloys are used. In addition, this type of gas is pumped into a cylinder under pressure that is twice as high as that for CO2. A carbon dioxide reducer fixed to an oxygen cylinder can last no more than 1-2 weeks due to the inevitable destruction of the sealing membranes.

As for the oxygen reducer installed on a carbon dioxide cylinder, it is subject to another problem. Carbon dioxide can cause freezing of parts in contact with it down to -60°C. Since the oxygen pressure regulating device is not designed to operate in this mode, it will gradually begin to deteriorate. In addition, if the gearbox freezes, the passage of gas through the gearbox channels may completely stop and, as a result, the gas protection in the welding zone may be impaired.

To prevent the welder from making erroneous actions, gearbox models for flammable and non-flammable substances have different threads. For flammable gases, a left-hand thread is used, for non-flammable gases, a right-hand thread is used.

What to look for when choosing a gearbox for welding or flame cutting

To avoid making a mistake with your purchase, pay attention to the following characteristics:

• type of welding equipment;
• required gas flow;
• inlet and outlet pressure values;
• control accuracy;
• throughput.

When installing a gas reducer, you should make sure that the threaded connections are completely tight and reliable, and be sure to close the gas cylinder valve after completing the work. If there is a large volume of welding work and there are no financial restrictions, you can buy a model not with an additional pressure gauge, but with a rotameter. It allows you to more accurately control gas consumption, because gives visual control and allows you to detect even the slightest gas leak.

Gearboxes produced by KEDR Group of Companies

The group specializes in the production of reliable and durable welding equipment, incl. and gas reducers. The products offered include the following models:

• UR-6 (carbon dioxide). The maximum throughput is 6 m3/h, the operating gas pressure is 0.6 MPa.
• BKO-50 (oxygen). It has climatic modification UHL-2. The operating temperature range is from -15C to +15C. The maximum throughput is 50 m3/h, the operating gas pressure is 1.25 MPa.
• BPO-5 (propane). Suitable for atmosphere type II and operating conditions group – 3 according to GOST 15150. Operating temperature range: from -15C to +15C. The maximum throughput is 5 m3/h, the operating gas pressure is 0.3 MPa.

When choosing the optimal solution, you can use the help of our specialist. You can also find out about current promotions and order delivery times.

Advantages and disadvantages

A gas cutter is qualitatively different from simple electric tools in a number of ways:

1. Possible cutting of rolled metal of any size. Oxygen-propane can cut through steel up to 20 centimeters in 1 pass. For example, even with a 180th angle grinder you will have to make 5-7 passes.
2. Propane is cheap compared to other gases. Compared to the same acetylene, propane is half the price. Moreover, refilling the cylinder is possible at any gas station.
3. Other types of cutters have a much lower speed compared to gas. Especially with a grinder or an engraver.

1. Formally, a gas cutter can cut any metal. But in comparison with the same grinder, you won’t be able to work with wood or plastic.
2. The cut turns out to be very rough due to the low control of the fire needle. Torn edges will form, which will have to be corrected with a file, the same grinder, or emery.
3. The thickness of the cut will also be quite large - up to 5 millimeters.
4. The combustion temperature of propane in an oxygen environment is 400 degrees lower compared to acetylene.

What is the pressure in the carbon dioxide cylinder?

Carbon dioxide cylinders

are accepted for filling both with a working
pressure of
150 and 125 atmospheres, with the exception of 40 liter cylinders for filling 24 kg - this is only for 150 atmospheres.
of the cylinder
is carried out once every five years .

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How to use a gas cutter correctly: preparatory stage

First, we will ensure security and prepare everything necessary. You will need:

1. Carbon dioxide fire extinguisher. Metal cutting with a cutter is carried out at temperatures above 1800 degrees, so we need protection. Carbon dioxide will be most effective compared to powder. By the way, a bucket of sand won’t hurt either.
2. Fireproof suit. In principle, the usual equipment of a gas welder will do. It is made of tarpaulin impregnated with a fire-resistant compound. You will also need protective gloves and boots.
3. Glasses. It’s easy to get a “bunnies” effect from the brightness of hot gases, so you need regular filter glasses, preferably level 3.
4. Marking tool.
5. Ear protection. Construction headphones or earplugs.
6. Lighter for cutter. Ordinary matches or lighters are not suitable - your hands are too close to the torch. You can buy what is sold in the store under the name “household lighter.”

We prepare the workplace separately. Ideally, buy or make a welding table with an exhaust hood. But a base of fireclay bricks is a good place to start. There should be no flammable objects for 2-3 meters around the work site: paper, solvents, fuel, oils.

Necessary equipment

Now let's assemble the necessary equipment. All we need is:

1. Cylinders. To assemble a propane oxygen cutter , we simply buy the appropriate cylinders. This can be done at any shop with welding equipment. They are refillable and can be refilled at the same retail outlet or gas station.
2. Sleeves. For propane you will need a class 1 hose with a diameter of 1 to 2 centimeters. It is desirable that it be red for convenience. Oxygen has the same diameter, but strength class 3.
3. Gearboxes. They are purchased for each gas separately. We need propane (for example, BPO-5DM) and oxygen (BKO-50DM). By the way, it is impossible to confuse them, since propane has a reverse thread.
4. Check valves. At the entrance to the burner, fire arresters are installed, which also have a gas gradation. It is not worth starting the cutter without them, since if there is a bang, the combustion will spread to the sleeve and may reach the cylinder.
5. Oxygen-propane burner. You can buy it at any online tool store. For example, GZU 228, G2 Mini 273, R1 142.

That's all that is needed to start the propane-oxygen cutter .

When everything is prepared, you can proceed to working with metal.

How to use an oxypropane torch

Preparing for work

And so, let’s assemble our cutter and check for functionality. By the way, a preventive inspection should be carried out before each start-up to avoid leaks. Especially if the equipment has been idle for a long time or there is a suspicion of a leak.

1. First, let's connect the sleeves to the cylinders. The oxygen hose is connected to a nipple with a fitting to the gearbox with a right-hand thread. The propane hose is installed in the same way. We pass all connections with a sealant (anaerobic sealant, tow, fuser).
2. We release the gas a little to remove dirt from the hoses.
3. Nipples are attached to the reverse side of the sleeve for transferring to fire-retardant valves.
4. The burner itself is already attached to them. There should be color markings on it so as not to confuse oxygen with gas.

By the way, it would be a good idea to check the air leaks. To do this, the oxygen hose must be connected to the cylinder, and the propane nipple must be left free. We set the oxygen supply to 5 atmospheres. Touch the free nipple with your hand. If it “sucks in”, everything is fine, you can work. If not, you will need to bleed the injector.

Don't forget to seal all connections.

Let's get started

Now we will look at how to properly cut metal with a cutter . It's not difficult, but you'll have to get used to the angle of the cut. To begin with, we set the oxygen reducer to 5 atmospheres. On propane we set it to 0.5. The proportion of 1 to 10 was chosen because we have gas combustion in an oxygen environment.

How to use a cutter (propane, oxygen): description and instructions for cutting metal with propane

At the professional level, a grinder and an engraver are not always enough. Large volumes of ferrous metal require metal cutting with a gas cutter . Read about its advantages and how to use it in this article.

The difference between an oxygen reducer and a carbon dioxide reducer

These two types of reducers have one thing in common: they are designed to regulate pressure when supplying gas. There are differences in purpose, popularity and design . Thus, reducers differ in the diameter of the exhaust valve nozzle and the size of the storage chamber. Also, oxygen reducers are used more often, since oxygen, as a gas, is more in demand in industry.

The oxygen reducer has 2 monometric devices, while the carbon dioxide reducer has one. In addition, there is a difference in the metal and materials from which the gearboxes are constructed. In order for the device to serve for a long time, it is imperative to select the correct reducer for the type of gas used; failure to comply with this rule can be dangerous.

MiscellaneousComment