CO2 Cartridges - This is the most common propellant used by paintball players primarily because the tanks are inexpensive. It is attached to the paintball marker, similar to any other compressed air propellant and it is readily found at most paintball field for refill.
Carbon Dioxide expands into a gas from liquid form inside a cylinder. The expansion from a liquid into a gas causes a jump in the velocity, therefore propelling the paintball through the barrel and hopefully into an unsuspecting opponent.
While the CO2 is widely used because of its availability and cost, it does have drawbacks that make some paintballers cringe.
Temperature wreaks havoc on the carbon dioxide cartridge. It can affect the number of shots and the velocity of a paintball. When a paintball is fired using a CO2 tank at 70 degrees Fahrenheit, it comes out at 850 psi (pounds per square inch). Fire the same pellet out, but at 60 degrees Fahrenheit, and the forces it comes out at drops to 750 psi. If you go down to around 40 degrees, your pressure drops down almost 40 per cent to 550 psi.
The reason for the change in pressure with the carbon dioxide cartridge is the fact it changes to liquid rather than a gas propellant. When it is expelled as a liquid, the efficiency of the marker is dropped and can cause ice chips that damage marker seals and regulators, which control the pressure of the CO2 tank. This also affects the number of shots that can be fired from the tank, essentially making it difficult to reasonably ascertain the exact number of pellets that can be fired using this cartridge. For many paintball players, not knowing the number of pellets the tank can discharge before being replaced or refilled can prove to be frustrating.
There are a couple of measures a player can take to alleviate concerns with the carbon dioxide tank:
" An anti-siphon tube will help prevent the liquid from being expelled, instead of the gas required to propel the pellet. To install the anti-siphon tube the tank valve must be removed. The tube is then attached to the pin-valve (on the cartridge) and lined up so when the tank is reattached to the marker, the tube it pointed upward, drawing the lighter gas into the marker, rather than allowing the heavier liquid into the chamber.
" The addition of an expansion chamber can also prevent the liquid from being extracted. It works by making sure the liquid CO2 has time to expand before entering the marker. When allowing more space for the carbon dioxide to expand and become a gas, the likelihood of liquid being expelled is reduced. Liquid can be expelled even with the expansion chamber when a player tries to fire off consecutive rounds on a regular basis. Also, the more space used to try to expand the CO2 the less pressure the shot will have, sacrificing accuracy and range in the end.
The carbon dioxide cartridge is the most cost-effective method of pellet propulsion. They are easily accessible, sold in packages of disposable tanks or sold as refill containers. The tank itself will only cost between $9 and $29 and is typically refilled at $.30 per ounce.
High Pressure Air (HPA)
The high-pressure air tanks are slowly becoming the norm for experienced paintballers. They are cleaner, more efficient and far more consistent than their carbon dioxide counterparts. The downside is the HPA can run you up to $500 for a tank, depending on size, weight and content.
HPA tanks come pre-installed with regulators. You can get them either fixed or adjustable. If they are fixed, it means that the tanks could be either high pressure or low pressure.
Low pressure system: Found typically on semi-automatic markers, the low-pressure system reduces the amount of air pressure on the paint pellet when fired. It also reduces waste of the propellant. It will offer more shots per tank; it silences the marker, reduces the number of broken pellets and provides less recoil and smoother function, making it a more comfortable shot. This is not a cheap method. Depending on the type and quality of parts you could be looking at a very steep cost. It works well with CO2 because of the gas efficiency.
High pressure system: This is a typical set up using any one of the compressed propellants like nitrogen. It is important to be set up with a regulator to protect the integral parts of the firing chamber, such as the hoses, elbows and couplers. They can be damaged or explode if a proper set up is not ensured. The high-pressure system was brought in to replace the CO2 system because it isn't susceptible to the temperature fluctuations and problems with liquid expulsion.
One of the greatest advantages of running an HPA system is the ability to accurately predict the number of shots a player will be able to take with a certain size of tank.
A formula is used to figure out the number of pellets a tank can fire: For a 3000 psi tank, multiply the number of cubic inches by 10 to get the number of pellets it can fire. For a 4500-psi tank, multiply the cubic inches by 15.
A number of different power sources can be used in the HPA system. Nitrogen is probably the most common, but other sources such as argon have been used successfully.
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