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Propane meter questions

Posted: Sat Apr 28, 2007 10:10 pm
by JDP12
Hey all,

Well after talkin it over with my dad he's agreed to let me use propane and build a meter!! Yay!

I'm going to build it according to BCPneumatic's video, but my chamber is onnly 8" long so I won't be able to mount the whole thing to my gun...

So I am wanting to use some pressure rated 1/2" ID hose for the chamber instead...So I can bend it and mount the whole meter to my gun...What should the pipe be pressure rated to???

Second question: What PSI should I fill the chamber to?? What is the ideal PSI?? I looked around but didnt find anything...My chamber volume is 110 cubic inches if that helps.....Like what would be the best PSI??

Posted: Sat Apr 28, 2007 10:17 pm
by super spuder
um. i am confused. you wont need that big of a propane injection system on an 8 inch chamber. unless it is like over 4 inches in diameter

Posted: Sat Apr 28, 2007 10:19 pm
by JDP12
What do you mean...I'm just followin BC's instructions.....How big would I need though?? Anyone get what I'm saying?

Posted: Sat Apr 28, 2007 10:27 pm
by super spuder
i understand what you are saying. but can you tell me the diameter of the chamber

Posted: Sat Apr 28, 2007 10:31 pm
by JDP12
Oooooooooooooh yea sure...It's 4" but I accounted for a little extra cuz of reducers and stuff..So the 4" part isnt 110, everything in all is......

Can I use this link to calculate how much propane I would need??

http://www.burntlatke.com/lp.html

Posted: Sat Apr 28, 2007 10:38 pm
by super spuder
can you figure out the volume of your chamber. if it is 8" long and 4"diameter the volume is about 50. corect me if i am wrong

Posted: Sat Apr 28, 2007 10:40 pm
by JDP12
V=radius squared x height x pi

V= 2 squared (4)x 8 x 3.14

V= 100.48

100.48 + 10 ( reducing fittings and pipe needed for those)

Total Volume= 110 cubic inches

Posted: Sat Apr 28, 2007 10:45 pm
by super spuder
crap. no wonder i did not do so good in math. any ways, since you seem to be good in math. i i don't tonight. find 4 percent of that=4 and then what size of pipe are you using for the propane injection. or are you using pipes. if you are you just need a piece of pipe with a 4 ci volume

Posted: Sat Apr 28, 2007 10:59 pm
by singularity
alright this is probably a stupid question but what pressure should the metering pipe be at?

Posted: Sat Apr 28, 2007 11:02 pm
by super spuder
1 think most people run them about 30-60. i have not built one of these yet. but that is what someone told me. i am not sure thou. could someone else help

Posted: Sat Apr 28, 2007 11:16 pm
by sgort87
The meter pressure depends on the meter's volume. I wrote out a whole explanation on how to figure propane metering <a href="http://www.launchpotatoes.com/forums/vi ... 7">here</a>.

Posted: Sun Apr 29, 2007 12:25 am
by pyrogeek
Just hook a regulator up inline, and experiment. That is the only way to get peak performance anyway.

Posted: Sun Apr 29, 2007 10:43 am
by sgort87
No it isn't. Did you not read the instructions I just gave?

Posted: Sun Apr 29, 2007 2:13 pm
by JDP12
sgort87- So the pressure inside the meter chamber should be 98 psi ( for your example) before I release it into the gun???

Posted: Sun Apr 29, 2007 2:41 pm
by sgort87
Thereabouts. I got 98.9 PSI. Setting the regulator at 100 would be fine though. And remember that chambers and meters have different volumes, so setting your regulator at 100 PSI most likely will not work for you.

The best way to do it is to find your chamber volume first, then design your meter to run around 60 PSI. After you plug 60 into the equations, it will give you the meter volume you need. From that, you can divide it by the cross-sectional area of the meter you'd like and it will give you the length you need. Since pipes don't come in every size, you will need to settle for a similar length and recalculate using the new volume to get your final pressure.