Porsche Macan Forums

Lateset headline I see is a “nationwide shortage of CO2 gas”

.....will we soon see all the large petrol engined cars with a string of beer bottles attached to the exhaust?

Paul wrote: ↑Sat Jun 30, 2018 3:10 pm Lateset headline I see is a “nationwide shortage of CO2 gas”

Yes, been in the news for the past 10 days or so. Apparently there are only 5 factories in the UK that make it ( on a concentrated industrial scale I mean) and 4 out of 5 have been out of action recently because of planned maintenance or faults. Nothing to spare either from Europe I think ( a lot of planned plant maintenance seems to go on at this time of year). Should apparently start to get back to normal in 7-10 days' time, though there will be an order backlog to clear.

And on the same line of thought, we have a hosepipe ban in Northern Ireland. That is after the wettest autumn and winter for years.

johnd wrote: ↑Sat Jun 30, 2018 3:39 pm

Paul wrote: ↑Sat Jun 30, 2018 3:10 pm Lateset headline I see is a “nationwide shortage of CO2 gas”

Yes, been in the news for the past 10 days or so. Apparently there are only 5 factories in the UK that make it ( on a concentrated industrial scale I mean) and 4 out of 5 have been out of action recently because of planned maintenance or faults. Nothing to spare either from Europe I think ( a lot of planned plant maintenance seems to go on at this time of year). Should apparently start to get back to normal in 7-10 days' time, though there will be an order backlog to clear.

And there was some idiot from a gas magazine (yes, really) on radio 4 talking about how suppliers were desperately trying to buy up liquid CO2 -obviously not realising that CO2 doesn’t exist in liquid form. Presumably he had not heard of dry ice!

Actually liquid CO2 is produced, stored at the works, transported and stored on a users site in a VIE tank.

CO2 has a boiling point of about -80C and it is quite a process to produce.

Gas in a liqiuid form is easier to transport and certainly from a large quantity user point of view its far better than having to change dozens of bottles on a regular basis.

Next time you pass an Acute Hoipital take a look out for a large white storage tank, this will be the liquid oxygen VIE and it us the liquid that is essentially boiled off and distributed throughout the Hospital.

MCDK wrote: ↑Sat Jun 30, 2018 4:21 pm And on the same line of thought, we have a hosepipe ban in Northern Ireland. That is after the wettest autumn and winter for years.

I read there is plenty of water but supply capacity is at full stretch.

Yes plenty of water for sure but the treatment plants cannot keep up with increase demand. It's nothing to do with washing cars it's all the plant watering that is going on.

Re CO2: I recall 'triple point' being the key point on the graph. I think that at ~50 atmos and room temp it is liquid. The solid stuff for parties is 1 atmos and cooler as Colin says.

Perhaps we can get a little plant to connect to our exhausts to collect it