gas system components

[Tom Spettel]

any of you guys used Clippard valves ect for the gas systems? i have some of the tubing
but was wondering if the valves would work for our application on the balast tank vent/blow.
thanks Tom

[KevinMc]

Hi Tom

I'm not speaking from experience here, just from a general understanding of what I've heard works and what I've heard doesn't. Having said that, a clippard valve can be used as your blow valve but will work poorly as a vent valve. By their design, a clippard valve has a very small opening so it requires more pressure to move a significant quantity of air/gas through it in a small amount of time. Your pressurized gas source will have little difficulty forcing its way through the clippard's small aperature, but the low pressure air which occupies your ballast tank will take forever and a day to finish venting. Vent valves are best designed to withstand little pressure but must have a large opening to permit the low pressure ballast tank air to escape in a reasonable amount of time.

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

Hi Tom

I'm not speaking from experience here, just from a general understanding of what I've heard works and what I've heard doesn't. Having said that, a clippard valve can be used as your blow valve but will work poorly as a vent valve. By their design, a clippard valve has a very small opening so it requires more pressure to move a significant quantity of air/gas through it in a small amount of time. Your pressurized gas source will have little difficulty forcing its way through the clippard's small aperature, but the low pressure air which occupies your ballast tank will take forever and a day to finish venting. Vent valves are best designed to withstand little pressure but must have a large opening to permit the low pressure ballast tank air to escape in a reasonable amount of time.

Kevin's on the money when talking about the 'mini' Clippard valves. I once used one as a pilot-control-valve to operate a piston actuated vent valve on a ballast tank -- the valve itself is ported so small that it, by itself, is unsuitable as a vent valve (medium CFM, low pressure). And, as he pointed out, they are fine as a blow valve (medium CFM, medium pressure).

However, and unless Clippard has changed the internal seating material of the mini-valve in the last 20 years ...

... The standard mini-valve can not be used with hydrocarbon liquids or gasses as the rubber will melt within a day or two. So, employing the Clippard mini-valve with a system employing the typical air-brush propellant gas is a fools errand. They're fine with air, nitrogen, CO2, and just about any other none-hydrocarbon bearing gas.

David,

[Tom Spettel]

thanks guys ... i do remember the seals issue from a few years ago.. i was hoping i could use some of their needle valves, copper tubing and miniature manifold blocks. i was going to use the clippard stuff for the blow cycle only. the whole idea was to make a nice clean
installation as well as be able to "fine tune" the gas flow to the balast tank without turning
the whole WTC into a Rube goldberg machine.
Tom

[greenman407]

That makes me mad. Subtek sold me a propel back up system to be used on their Albacore using that very same valve. Thats why its called a backup, so you wont use it very often!!!Give him a soapbox!He's on his favorite