Where can I find a small compressor for hydrogen or oxygen?

Question

Not both at the same time of course. I built a little windmill that produces electricity, but not enough to really power anything. I have made hydrogen and oxygen with it through electrolysis and want to store the gases in diving tanks at 2000 psi. It only makes a couple cubic feet a day and isn't worth the money, but is something to keep me tinkering away in the shop.

Answer 1

the smallest they make costs about $100,000.  If you do not maintain them well, the temperatures could cause an autoignition and well, it would not be a pretty site.  You can get one that goes to 250 psig for about $30,000.

Be warned, tinkering with H2 is dangerous.

Answer 2

I think at 2000psi it would turn to a liquid, to store it as a liquid, you would need a cooling mechanism or it will boil.

If it does boil it will blow up.

Answer 3

My mother-in-law has a medical oxygen concentrator at her home.  Along with the concentrator unit, she has an attached compressor that fills medical oxygen bottles to 2500 psi O2.  

I've read articles (via Google) where people take "worn out" medical oxygen concentrators and use them as welding oxygen concentrators (along with the compressors).

Hydrogen is another matter, as it is much more dangerous and hard to keep in a pressure vessel.  There aren't too many materials that will contain compressed H2 for any length of time.  Leaking H2 from the sides of a 'normal' pressure bottle is VERY dangerous and will ignite readily.  

Tinkering with lots of H2 gas is asking for trouble.  Even concentrated O2 needs to be handled with extra care away from sparks and flames (no smoking!!!!).

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Answer 4

Any compressed gas is dangerous, even more so when you get to these pressures. Remember, compressed gas is just stored energy, this is how air tools work. The stored energy is released inside the tool making it do work. Well, the higher the pressure, the more energy you have. When this pressure is released so is it's energy.  At 2000p.s.i . any failure in your system could be dangerous, even fatal. Working with gases other than air presents a whole new line of problems. Don't try this unless you know what you're doing.