Oxygen Track: Electrolysis, Gases and Pressure Systems · Module 2 of 4 · about 15 min
Air separation and cylinders
Most industrial oxygen comes from air separation. Cryogenic plants compress and cool air until it turns to liquid, then separate it by boiling point in distillation columns. Nitrogen boils at about −196 °C and oxygen at about −183 °C, so they come apart in the column. Smaller sites use pressure swing adsorption, which passes air through a material that grabs nitrogen.
Liquid oxygen and nitrogen cause severe cold burns, and a small spill turns into a lot of gas. Nitrogen and argon leaks can push oxygen out of a room without warning, so plants use oxygen monitors in enclosed areas.
Too much oxygen is just as dangerous. In oxygen-enriched air, clothing, hair and grease catch fire easily and burn hard. Never use oil or grease on oxygen fittings, and never use oxygen to blow dust off clothes or to ventilate a space.
OSHA 1910.253 covers oxygen and fuel gas cylinders. Oxygen cylinders in storage must be kept away from fuel gas cylinders and combustibles by at least 20 feet, or by a noncombustible barrier at least 5 feet high with a fire-resistance rating of at least half an hour. Cylinders are secured upright, with valve caps on when not in use.
Sources
Module quiz
5 questions, 4 correct to pass. You'll see what you missed and why, and you can retake it.