The tank holds compressed gas, which is used to propel the paintballs through the marker barrel. The tank is usually filled with carbon dioxide or compressed air. High Pressure Air (HPA) is sometimes called "nitrogen", as air is 78% nitrogen, or because these systems can be filled with industrial nitrogen. Due to the instabilities of carbon dioxide, HPA tanks are required for consistent velocity. Other propulsion methods include the combustion of small quantities of propane or electromechanically operated spring-plunger combinations similar to that used in an airsoft gun.
Carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide is a common propellant used in paintball, especially in inexpensive markers. It is usually available in a 12 gram powerlet, mainly used in stock paintball and in paintball pistols, or a tank. The capacity of a carbon dioxide tank is measured in ounces of liquid, and is usually pressurized at approximately 1800 PSI. At this pressure, carbon dioxide can condense into a liquid, which must vaporize into a gas before it can be used. This causes problems such as inconsistent velocity. Cold weather can cause problems with this system, slowing vaporization and increasing the chance for liquefied gas to be drawn into the marker. The low-temperature liquid can damage the internal mechanisms. Anti-siphon tanks have a tube inside the cylinder, which is bent to prevent liquid carbon dioxide from being drawn in.
High Pressure Air
High Pressure Air, compressed air or nitrogen is stored in the tank at a very high pressure, typically 3000-5000 psi. Output is controlled with an attached regulator, regulating the pressure from between 250 psi and 850 psi, depending on the type of tank. This system gives a more consistent velocity than with carbon dioxide. HPA tanks are measured in PSI and in3.
HPA tanks are more expensive because they must accommodate very high pressure and are manufactured from more expensive materials, such as steel, aluminium or wrapped carbon fiber, the latter being the most expensive material.
Gas regulation
Marker systems have a variety of regulator configurations, ranging from completely unregulated to some high end systems using four regulators, some with multiple stages.
The regulator system affects both the accuracy and the velocity the firing velocity. Carbon dioxide regulators must also prevent liquid gas from entering the marker and expanding, causing a dangerous surges in velocity. Regulators used with carbon dioxide often sacrifice throughput and accuracy to ensure the marker operates safely. HPA-only regulators tend to have an extremely high throughput and are designed to ensure uniform pressure between shots to ensure marker accuracy at high rates of fire.
Tournament markers usually are equipped with four regulators, each with a specific function. The tank regulator decreases the pressure of air from between 3000psi to 4500 psi to between 600-800 psi. A second regulator is used to further reduce this pressure to near the firing pressure. This reduction allows for greater consistency. The air is then supplied to a regulator on the marker body, where the final output pressure is selected. This can be between 800 psi for entirely unregulated carbon dioxide markers, to approximately 200psi for extremely low pressure markers. After the firing pressure is decided, tournament-oriented markers use another regulator to supply gas to a separate pneumatic system, to power any other functions, such as bolt movement. This is an extremely low volume, extremely low pressure regulator, usually under 100 psi.
Copy From : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paintball_marker
No comments:
Post a Comment