Pressure Booster?

[Spudgun on Crack]

I came across this a little while ago, does anyone have any idea how this thing can boost air pressure.

http://www.poweraire.com/nvba-booster-r ... -2538.html

I mean a simple regulator is easy to understand but this is very complicated and its $375.

Does anyone know how these work????

[SpudUke5]

It may run on the principle of using a small pneumatic ram, but dont take my word on that.

[clide]

Yes, they usually consist of a piston that moves back and forth. One side of the piston has a bigger diameter than the other side. Both sides are filled with the incoming air pressure, but because of the surface area difference the side with the bigger piston will compress the air on the side with the small piston. Once the piston reaches the end of its stroke the pressure is released from the big side of the piston so it can move back. Once it moves back the pressure is applied again and the cycle repeats.

Edit: Maybe not, but that is one way they could work. I found this patent
http://www.google.com/patents?vid=USPAT2977040

I'm not in the mood to read the patent jargon right now, but my guess would be that that the two middle chambers (which have less pressurized area than the outer ones) are used for high pressure output while the outer chambers alternate being pressurized with the incoming air. Even with a really small rod running between the pistons the output pressure would be about double the input pressure, you could get even more pressure out by increasing the size of the center rod.

[rp181]

i saw these on mcmaster, theres also volume boosters.

[BC Pneumatics]

i saw these on mcmaster, theres also volume boosters.

So is McMaster selling depressurization? Or a molecule maker? Perhaps a simple lighter?

I imagine they are really selling flow boosters.

(Sorry. I simply couldn't help myself.)

[Gippeto]

Since a picture is worth a thousand words, and I don't have that much time;

http://www.kissrebreathers.com/Babyboos ... rwork.html

[FeLeX]

Sooo What? Does this make higher psi by using lower psi? o.O translation?

[ammosmoke]

Sooo What? Does this make higher psi by using lower psi? o.O translation?

One would think so.

[Gippeto]

Yes it does. Put 147psi into the pump I linked to, and get 3000psi out.

An example;

Think about a 6" piston with a pressure pushing against it of 120psi.

The area is 28.27in.2 which means a force of 3392.4 pounds.

On the other side of the 6" piston, is a 1" piston (plunger).

We are applying a force of 3392.4 pounds on an area of .7854in.2

We now have the potential to make 4319.328psi.

Using this simple method, we can multiply (or boost) our supply pressure by 36 times.

One of these "devices" coupled with the average home compressor, could fill hpa tanks (paintball, scuba, etc.) to 3000psi quite easily.



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[ammosmoke]

Really... Where might I get the ideal parts to do this? Somehow I am thinking that doing so cost almost as much as a used HPA pump...

[Gippeto]

I figure its going to cost me a bit over $100 to build one. But, I have a lathe and can make everything except the valve and seals. (mine is also a simpler design valve wise)

If you had to pay someone to do the machining, you'd be much better off buying the manual hpa pump.

[BC Pneumatics]

It may help some people who aren't grasping this idea of using different piston areas to manipulate pressure to think of hydraulic systems, they use the same principle. (Though they are obviously using it for linear movement, not compression.) Just hoping it will be easier to understand if it's linked to something familiar.

I do not know if I posted the idea on Spudtech (and do not care to look) but I was once planning on connecting a 3" pipe to a 1" pipe, and building a piston to link the two. The 3" was to have two ball valves (in and out), and the 1" pipe was to have a ball valve to let air in, and a check valve through which it would pass on the down stroke. Even though this gives you a 9:1 ratio, using Sch 40 PVC would limit you to 450psi. (Not that it mattered, I only wanted it to take my 2" cannon up to it's max, which is only 280psi.) I concluded that the cost wasn't worth the fun, when a POS 2XXpsi compressor would fill it faster for $10. The low duty cycle of these crappy compressors was no concern. The ROF of a burst disk cannon is too low to burn them out, unless you are hellbent on doing so.
Although a manual version isn't nearly as "spiffy" as these, it is still a fun project to contemplate. Just maybe a should build one...
(Damn, now when I go to bed I will not be able to stop thinking about getting a couple 558's, some solenoid valves, and giving a nice electric one a whack.)

[jr]

WOW!!! It all makes so much sence now! Thanks Gippeto