One of the more intriguing exhibits at this year’s Maker Faire Bay Area was Ben Krasnow’s liquid nitrogen generator rig. Ben built the entire assembly, for under $500, with parts he scrounged (over a year) on eBay.
In this video, shot at the Faire, intrepid reporter Circuit Girl, aka Jeri Ellsworth, interviews Ben. We apologize for the loud ambient noise and the gonging robo-Gamelan next door. Hopefully between the video, the above illo, and Ben’s blog posting, you can get the gist of his set-up.
(And yes LN2 can expand with explosive force and can burn living tissue. All sensible cautions apply.)
2 thoughts on “DIY liquid nitrogen generator”
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Hi Ben,
Great projects with incredible detail in your documentation of the process and theory behind their function. I built a Transmission EM in highschool for a science fair project. The glassware was done by a very generous university glass blower!
I’ve looked on ebay for cryocoolers and as usual, the deals are few and far between. There is a 7W refurbused Ricor for $1800 Or Best Offer! (new price is $12,000) There is also a unit from Israel that is listed as working but not getting cold. Can you offer any insight into trouble shooting a broken cryocooler? Easy to repair (helium recharge? or failed compressor?) or difficult?
Thanks
Doug
(BTW, I did my grad studies in dielectric chemistry but eventually went into anesthesia as a medical doctor. I remember the Liq N2 plant with foundness. More than a few “wine-scicles” were produced back in my masters year – much less during PhD studies :)