Actually, the Ti-Planet is manufactured from titanium. The first stage body is based upon the discontinued MR16/V16 design minus the outer protective jacket. The HP poppet valve assembly was also produced from titanium.
The second stage was the same design as the discontinued Akros except the metal inserts in the body were made from titanium rather than stainless.
Personally, I would not use the reg for any mixes containing more than 40% oxygen. With that said, I would also convert the first stage over to the tri-material valve assembly, as it is a superior system.
The fact that the body is composed from titanium does not bother me to the extent that the HP valve is. That valve is the center point of adiabatic compression, and being such, a large amount of heat can be generated in a split second. That heat, along with fuel in the form of nitryl O-rings, silicone lubricant, and/or titanium itself can possibly lead to an "interesting" situation. Titanium, if ignited, burns very much like magnesium.
It's not my reg, and I am not encouraging you to use it for EAN. I am merely saying, "If it were mine, I would..."
So...With that said...If it were mine, I would:
1. Disassemble, and ultrasonically clean all the parts of the first stage
2. Visually check for cleanliness under magnification (6X)
3. Replace all O-rings with Viton units
4. Install a new tri-material valve and new, plated brass hard seat
5. Use only oxygen service lubricant, such as Christo-Lube
6. Use similar cleaning procedures with the second stage
7. Perhaps most importantly...Always push the purge button while SLOWLY opening the tank valve. This lessens the adiabatic shock (and heat) to the system, and reduces wear on the internal HP assembly.
And, even with all that, I still would not use it with mixes containing more than 40% oxygen.
BTW, the design of the first and second stages are very dependable and offer great performance. The V16/Akros combination earned the US Navy Class "A" rating.
Greg Barlow
