Smallest booster that does the job?

Jimmer

What is the smallest booster that will effectively boost an al80 full to 3000PSI? I don't mind a long wait, but I don't want to ruin the unit because of running it for ages.

Jim

wizbang

I think either the Jetsam Baby Booster or the rebreatherworld shop offering
Rebreather World Store

I am pretyy happy with the Jetsam. It will comfortably do 3000psi, the more drive and supply gas the faster she goes.

Hope that helps.

4ster

I think it depends on how you plan to use the booster.

If you are planning to use the booster to transfer O2 and/or He into the tank and to top off the tank with air from a compressor, a small booster like the Jetsam would work just fine.

It will take a long time and a lot of drive gas to top up an 80 to 3000 lbs with a small booster when the donor tank is less than 1500 lbs.

My Jetsam has served me well, but it has mainly been used for filling small Rebreather size cylinders.

Wizbang is right, drive gas pressure is key. I have one first stage that has an IP of about 7.5 bar and the booster stalls before getting to 3000lbs. Another puts out a full 10 bar and will boost to 3200. It also boosts much faster than the lower IP reg. I run my booster with a portable oil-less shop compressor when at home, which saves filling a cylinder to drive the booster.

Steve

__________________
Steve
"My problem is that I have trouble reconciling my gross habits with my net income." Errol Flynn

sunnyboy

I drive my Jetsam baby booster with an oil-less shop compressor that will put out 147psi, using two water filters before the booster.

Mostly I just boost my 19cf Rebreather tanks, but I've also boosted my 40cf bailout to 3000 no problems.

Lately I've been squeezing the last gas from my O2 K bottles using the booster to fill an O2 clean 80cf tank. When the K bottle pressure is below 500, I can only get between 2000-2500 into the 80, but if the K pressure is above 1000 I can get 3000 into the 80.

Anyway, this lets me squeeze the last bit out of the O2 K bottles.

-S

Jimmer

Good to know. I'm planning on going to a CCR within the next couple years, but will be doing OC tech training and diving until then. I'm considering a booster, but dont want to buy something now that will be WAY overkill, not to mention expensive, for CCR down the road. The HI unit looks pretty interesting.

wizbang

Hi Jim, with your updated purpose I would steer you away from the Jetsam and over to the Haskel Mini Sports Booster.
I have worked with quite a few boosters now and that is the one my money would go on if buying again.
Awesome for rebreather and stage cylinders but would happily do OC technical until you make the move to rebreathers.
It is only a little larger than the Baby or HI.
Hope that helps.

Jimmer

Wizbang, would the Haskel be good for blending in large double tanks?

wizbang

Hi Jim , you are quite along way from your original question/purpose.

A small booster by its very nature boosts small quantities of gas.
It can pump that gas into rebreather cylinders or twins, it dosn't care, it then just becomes how long you will wait and the ware and tear on the booster from having to work for such long periods.

An Ali 80 being topped up with Helium or Oxygen from a decent supply presure is no problem with a small booster.

Draining the remnants from a G of Helium into empty twins to 3300 psi is a job and a half for a small booster.

If I was definetly going to a rebreather and needed to travel on the odd occasion with the booster BUT I had to do OC with it for another 12mnths or so then i would get the Mini Sports Haskel.

Otherwise I would look for a larger haskel or HI to mount in the garage/workshop which will do OC without problems and rebreather stuff with ease.

Another point, the Jetsam Baby is smaller than the Haskel mini sports but with whips and boxed they come out the same. The difference for me would be if I was flying with them as the haskel is noticeably heavy to me.

hope that helps.

Jimmer

Well just to clarify, I'm not talking about using it to pump double 130's to 3500 PSI, but I am wondering if the Haskel would handle blending duties. Such as I'm mixing trimix into double 100's or 130's and I need for example I need to pump some O2 and He into them before topping off with air from my shop's compressor. So I wouldn't be boosting to 3500 just high volume.

4ster

The Jetsam would work well for this, but the Haskel would be a little bit better choice. The Jetsam is smaller, lighter, costs a bit less and is easy to field service, the Haskel is, .....well its a Haskel. Either booster is actually better than a larger one in this case since you want to fill slowly anyway.

Here the booster is really "assisting" when the pressure in the donor cylinder is insufficient to bring the mix cylinder up to the necessary pressure of O2 or He. In this application either booster is pretty efficient and doesn't have to work very hard.

__________________
Steve
"My problem is that I have trouble reconciling my gross habits with my net income." Errol Flynn