CO2 CARBON DIOXIDE GAS

Carbon dioxide gas is the most widely used gas for beverage systems.

1. To produce carbonated water utilizing a carbonator.

2. To operate pneumatic pumps for syrup, juice concentrates and wine.

3. To propel premix or syrup from transfer tanks to dispense station.

4. To propel draft beer from keg to dispense station.

 

CO2 CYLINDERS

Use a CGA320 high pressure valve.  CO2 is in liquid form in a CO2 cylinder.  Do not overfill.  Cylinder capacity for carbon dioxide is 68% of the water capacity or 20 lbs.in a 20 lb. cylinder.  Overfill greater than 68% could cause rapidly rising pressures causing the cylinder to over pressure.

Temperature effect on a properly filled CO2 cylinder.

In cool weather, your customer could complain if a fresh, cold, but full cylinder is installed on his beverage system and the gauge reading is still in the 'order gas' zone.

*2000 PSIG Maximum contents gauge pressure

**3000 PSIG Safety valve relief pressure (rupture disc)

 

ORDER GAS (RED ZONE ON CONTENTS GAUGE) 0-500 PSI

Primary Regulators require 500+ PSI to maintain and accurately control delivery pressures.

 

BULK CO2 SYSTEMS

A bulk CO2 system is a large storage tank for liquid CO2 maintained at a cold temperature.  The normal delivery pressure is approximately 200 (125 to 280) P.S.I.G.  A bulk system uses the CO2 gas as a refrigerant to maintain temperature through a venting process.  Secondary regulators must be used with bulk systems to maintain and accurately control delivery pressure.

 

NITROGEN AND BLENDS (N2 AND N2/CO2)

Used as a propellant only for draft beer and wine dispensing systems.  Beer blends of nitrogen and CO2 help maintain correct beer carbonation levels on systems with higher delivery pressures.

 

NITROGEN CYLINDERS

Food grade nitrogen and blends use a C.G.S. 580 high pressure valve and are stored in gaseous form.  A full cylinder contains pressurized gas to the D.O.T. cylinder rating of either 1800 P.S.I.G. or 2015 P.S.I.G.

 

COMPRESSED AIR

Clean uncontaminated compressed air from an oil-less compressor and stainless steel storage tank can be used to:

1. Drive pneumatic syrup pumps.

2. Propel draft beer in a high volume location.

In order to provide uncontaminated air an activated filter must be used and properly maintained.  Air contains oxygen and will oxidize draft beer which will affect taste and quality.

 

Our recommendations for draft beer would be to use CO2 where possible, to use nitrogen or CO2/N2 blend when propellant pressures exceed 4 PSI or to use as a last resort, an air compressor/CO2 injector unit on all runs that require more than PSI propellant pressure.  This unit, also called a stabilizer pump is an air compressor that automatically blends CO2 with the compressed air so that product can always be delivered with the correct carbonation content regardless of the run length.   For long beer runs, nitrogen or air must be used as a propellant to reduce foam problems.  If just compressed air is used, then CO2 leaves the product, oxidation occurs and flat unservable product results.