Gas duster

Gas duster, also known as canned air, is a product used to clean electronic equipment and other sensitive devices that cannot be cleaned using water. The can comes with a straw to direct the forceful wind that it can produce. The gases inside the can have been compressed to the point that they have become liquid, and they evaporate before leaving the can, since the valve draws from the top (unlike most aerosol cans, which have a straw that draws from the bottom of the can). Despite the name "canned air," the cans actually contain gases that are much easier to compress into liquids, such as difluoroethane, trifluoroethane, or tetrafluoroethane (the main components of air, which are oxygen or nitrogen, are in fact very rarely used). Hydrocarbons, like butane, were often used in the past, but their flammability forced manufacturers to use fluorocarbons.

Applications

Cleaning

A gas duster is usually used to clean or dust delicate items or reach difficult areas. The dusters are particularly useful on ventilation fans and electronic heat sinks, which collect dust readily, and are otherwise very difficult to clean. The gases themselves do not leave residues on sensitive equipment, however the bitterant added to prevent abuse will leave a residue, making gas dusters an inappropriate choice for cleaning anything users will come into contact with such as keyboards. They can create static unless a specific ESD-safe compound is added.

Cooling

When the can is held...
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