Whipped-cream charger

Awhipped cream charger(colloquially called awhippet,nosornangwhen used recreationally) is a steel cylinder or cartridge filled withnitrous oxide(N2O) that is used as a whipping agent inwhipped cream. The narrow end of a charger has a foil covering that is broken to release the gas. This is usually done by a sharp pin inside thewhipping siphon.
Nitrous oxide is a popular recreational drug, and whipped cream chargers are a convenient source of the gas.
The cylinders are about6.3 centimetres (2+1⁄2in) long by1.8 cm (3⁄4in) wide, with a volume of 10 cubic centimetres (0.6 cu in) and capacity for most brands of8 grams (1⁄4oz) of pressurized N2O. Their walls are about2 millimetres (1⁄16in) thick to withstand the pressure of the gas, and they are rounded at one end with a narrow tip at the other end. While refillable chargers were once available, all chargers are now non-refillable; the latter consist entirely of recyclable steel.
In Europe, where the production and use of whip cream chargers originated, there are presentlythree factories involved in its production. Their standard capacity is 7.8 grams of nitrous oxide.
Whipped cream chargers are intended for low-volume or occasional use, such as home kitchens, restaurants, and coffee shop applications.
For very high volume commercial use, there are regulated tank systems for filling much larger containers and dispensing more whipped cream. These are desirable if the volume is more than a production level of ten litres per hour.
Nitrous oxideis used because it dissolves easily into the cream, and does not cause the cream to oxidize while it is in the can.
The cream must have a minimum fat content of 28% to produce whipped cream with a dispenser. The recipe for the cream to be whipped typically calls for heavy cream andsugar, along with any desiredflavoringsorcolorings. In a sealed container, this cream is pressurized with nitrous oxide, which dissolves into the cream as per itslipophilicity.
When the cream dispenser's valve is opened, the cream solution is expelled by the high pressure inside. The change in pressure causes some of the dissolved gas to return to bubbles, effectively fluffing up the cream. Nitrous oxide isbacteriostatic(it inhibits bacteria growth), so a charged cream dispenser can be kept in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
Because of their availability, chargers are usually the method of choice for users seeking to usenitrous oxide recreationally.Tanks ofmedical-gradenitrous oxide are difficult to obtain, and vehicle-grade nitrous oxide contains substances such assulfur dioxideto prevent human consumption. Chargers are cheaply available in many stores and online.
To inhale from a charger, users either fill a balloon using a cracker, fill an empty whipped cream dispenser and inhale from it, or likewise use a dispenser to fill a balloon as the potentially rapid rush of gas from the spout of the dispenser may be too harsh. Inhaling directly from a cracker is particularly dangerous due to the risk of developing frostbite on the inside of the mouth or esophagus.The 8 gram nitrous oxide steel cylinder charger when discharged into an empty whipped cream dispenser creates a pressure of 30 pounds per square inch (200kPa) and delivers 3.24 litres of nitrous oxide gas.
Whipped cream chargers are also used by model rocket enthusiasts formicro hybrid engines, where it acts as anoxidizerfor solid fuels such aspolyethyleneorHTPB.