In order for the enthusiasm for diving not to bring unpleasant surprises, but to bring only pleasure, you must follow the strict rules of preparation for immersion in water. The correct filling of oxygen cylinders is one of the most important but dangerous procedures in this preparation.
Tanks can be filled with ordinary air or special mixtures of gas pumped into them using a compressor. At high pressure of depths, impurities in gas mixtures can become life-threatening, therefore, filling gas cylinders with compressed gases should be excluded altogether.
Fill oxygen tanks only in specialized places, for example, where they sell underwater equipment. When filling oxygen cylinders, several important details must be considered:
- Be extremely careful when pumping oxygen.
- Use only labeled oxygen tanks.
- Oxygen cylinders should have a mixture composition indicator.
Carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide, particles of oil and grease from the compressor, and other impurities that clog the breathing mixture - all of them can cause driver death.
Causes of Oxygen Tank Explosion
When working with oxygen, at any moment an oxygen cylinder may explode, the causes of which may be:
- Corrosion of the inner wall of the cylinder.
- Carelessness during the transfer of oxygen.
- Damage to the thread or neck at the point where the valve is mounted.
The explosion of an oxygen cylinder can also be triggered by a sharp drop in temperature of the filled tank and air. A powerful compressor forcing uncooled air heats the cylinder. After refueling, the metal part of the cylinder cools faster than the hot air inside it, and this, in turn, produces additional loads on the walls of the tank.
It is during such critical stress that the risk of explosion appears. Therefore, the cooling process is the most dangerous of the moments in the process of refueling oxygen cylinders.
It is advisable to keep oxygen cylinders filled, which perfectly reduces the risk of dangerous elements (particles of diesel fuel, gasoline, sea water, toxic gases, colonies of microorganisms) getting into the tank, which subsequently threaten both the life and health of the diver.
Oxygen Tank Filling Station
This station, as a rule, incorporates an oxygen concentrator with the necessary power, connecting fittings and a high pressure oxygen compressor.
For example, a complex that consists of an oxygen concentrator and a corresponding compressor, whose capacity is 8 liters per minute at a pressure of 150 bar, can charge two forty-liter cylinders per day. This complex can completely solve the problem of oxygen supply. For example, an ambulance station.
An oxygen concentrator of increased productivity, when using a compressor with the appropriate capacity, can refuel oxygen cylinders up to 100 pieces per day.