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From: gonzalez@bbn.com
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Gas Cylinders
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Date: 16 Aug 89 16:15:46 GMT
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X-TELECOM-Digest: volume 9, issue 304, message 6 of 10

In a recent issue of this digest, Michael Warfield comments on color codes
for gas cylinders.  The facts he presented are largely correct, but here is
some more detail.  The information below is from 1982 issue of the Airco
Industrial Gases (AIG) Data Book.

AIG markets compressed gases for a variety of applications, including wafer
semiconductor fabrication.  Airco Welding Products (AWP) markets the other
equipment needed for gas and arc welding.  Both are headquartered at 575
Mountain Avenue in Murray Hill, NJ, directly across the street from Bell
Labs.  Lovely neighborhood.  Anyway, here's the data:

Oxygen:
	USP (medical) oxygen is supplied in green cylinders with green
	caps.  All other standard grades are supplied in orange cylinders
	with orange caps, with an aluminum ("silver") collar to specify
	higher pressure.

	Specialty grade comes in aluminum cylidner with orange collar.

Nitrogen:
	For all standard grades, lower half of cylinder is painted orange.
	Upper half is red or aluminum, depending on grade. Blue band in
	middle denote prepurified nitrogen.  Cap is orange, except for
	2485 psig (as opposed to 2200 psig), which is aluminum.

	Specialty grades come in aluminum cylinders with with collars.
	White shoulder band denotes 6000 psig (3000 or less is normal).

Helium:
	All standard grades have brown body with orange collar.  Silver
	shoulder band indicates 2200 psig, as opposed to 1800 or 2485.

	Specialty grades have aluminum cylinder with brown collar.  Brown
	shoulder band indicates 6000 psig.

Carbon Dioxide:
	All grades have aluminum body with orange, green, blue or brown
	collar indicating grade (beverage, industrial, welding and "siphon").

Acetylene:
	Black cylinder and cap.

Compresed Air:
	Only specialty grade is listed.  It is aluminum with white collar
	and orange shoulder band.

Oddly enough, I had never given much thought to those cylinders by the
telephone poles.  You can bet I will, now.

				-Jim.