Wanted Hybrid Solenoid Valves

[Bruce]

Does anyone have any solenoid valves used for loading and / or purging nitrous oxide for hybrid rocket motors?

Thanks!

 

[Johnly]

I used valves designed for car nitrous oxide systems.

 

[kramer714]

I use nitrous valves from JEGS, ZEX, NOS or NX. You can pick them up used from EBay pretty often. " high flow' ZEX less than 75$. Having said that, when they have a sale or coupon at JEGS they are pretty reasonable. You can use a smaller 'purge valve' for the vent.

YOU SHOULD USE A SOLENOID SAVER on your circuit. I use a basic RC circuit for the solenoid valves. Sometimes the 'Bosch Relays' have capacitors in them, this is to protect the coil in the relay NOT to protect your NOS solenoid. These are typically designed for a short duty cycle and are cooled by the nitrous flowing in them.

Other than the cooked one, I have been using the same solenoids for over 10 years.

BTW Contrail is starting to sell VERY high flow solenoid valves.

 

[wbeggs]

I visited the Contrail website but didn't see anything specific to solenoid valves or the fill system. They do offer a GSE system but that is only the electrical part of the system to fill and launch. I do think that the automotive solenoids for NOS systems are a bit pricey and finding ones with a 1/4 inch inlet and 1/4 inch outlet is a little difficult. It would be nice to actually have part numbers to reference since the valves I have don't have any and the businesses that they were purchased from are no longer in business.

 

[ContrailRockets]

ContrailRockets.net. Search solenoid
Have some used ones as well not on site

 

[Steve Shannon]

One thing to remember is that nitrous will become a monopropellant if heated too much. A solenoid that is cooled by nitrous flowing through it is heating the nitrous. It’s probably not going to heat it too much, but understand what could happen. All filling and dumping must be done at safe distances.

 

[maddmaxx11]

The system that I have uses 2 30 ohm resistors in parallel and a 11000 uF capacitor in parallel with them. This limits the current to about .8 amps but the problem is the valve will not open when under pressure. How much current can I allow and not worry about the valve?

 

[karlbaum]

 

[karlbaum]

View attachment 530280

This is a basic solenoid saver schematic.

 

[karlbaum]

I get solenoids from WilsonManifolds.com https://www.wilsonmanifolds.com/col...ucts/nitrous-solenoids?variant=33897420095532
The .180 solenoid is the largest I've found.

 

[crossfire]

PRATT Hobbies has what you jeed