Industrial Oxygen - Hypothetical Scenario

[Celt]

My oxygen whip to my compressor, welding oxygen. Never bothered with anything else. Easy to get and plenty of it.

 

[L13]

It’s kinda funny. Two of the first dive shops in the world doing Nitrox 1986 until the 2020’s were using welding grade for every fill every time. Guess how many incidences we had. Zero. Thousands of fills every year for nearly 4 decades.

Welding, Medical, and Industrial gas are probably the same. The only difference is the guarantee you paid for.

 

[Akimbo]

I never understood why medical and aviation grades Oxygen were still being sold. These days, "medical Oxygen" used at hospitals is 99.997% pure because it is delivered and stored as LOX (Liquid Oxygen). Of course that is the same LOX used in large weld shops and ship yards.

Commercial and military diving operations get their HP O2 in 6-12 packs, which I have never seen in any grade other than industrial. The same gas banks are used for metabolic makeup on sat chambers, O2 treatment for BIBS masks, and underwater burning rigs.

 

[Lorenzoid]

I guess what Im looking for is exactly what you would do as far as administering said gas. You have a welding shop but you don't have a medical demand mask or non rebreather mask. Do you try to Apollo 13/MacGyver a mask out of plastic bags and water bottles? Or do you just stick a rubber hose in their mouth?

Do you not have a first aid kit? It should have a CPR mask like this in it: DAN: Online Store | scuba diving safety equipment The mask has an oxygen inlet so it can double for that use.

I'm all for hypotheticals, but diving in a remote area without a basic first aid kit? C'mon.

 

[broncobowsher]

OK, you want hypothetical...

Want to administer O2 for some reason (maybe partied too hard?) and you have access to an oxy-fuel torch for a source of O2 and random McGyver stuff. Plastic bag or bottle over the head is probably a poor choice. Too much CO2 retention. And bigger problems if O2 stops.

I would take a small towel or something like that and lay that over the face. Plumb the O2 between the layers and breath through that. The cloth would be easy to breath through, but would hold the O2 as an accumulator and act as a diffuser.

Perfect? Not a chance. But if you are trying to rig something out of almost nothing, that is how I would do it. Quick, easy, nothing special needed. No "I always travel with an emergency O2 mask, but no supply of O2 to put into it" BS.

 

[Hoyden]

OK, you want hypothetical...


Perfect? Not a chance. But if you are trying to rig something out of almost nothing, that is how I would do it. Quick, easy, nothing special needed. No "I always travel with an emergency O2 mask, but no supply of O2 to put into it" BS.

I am here to tell you that I always travel with a cpr pocket mask with an O2 inlet. No BS about it. Now I will also carry a non-rebreather mask as I was somewhere recently that had O2, but I had questions about the cleanliness of their supplies. I also carry a first aid kit that would cover most injuries (including tourniquet and suture kit). I have a friend that jokes that she doesn't need to pack safety supplies, just make sure that I am along.

If I am traveling to a very remote location I beef up my carry kit. I believe that it is irresponsible not to be as prepared as possible.

YMMV

 

[admikar]

Supposed a diver in a remote location was suffering from a decompression Illness and all you had available was industrial oxygen... could you, should you, would you administer it to the diver?
Discuss.

Short answer- yes
Long answer: my country being in Europe, but by most filters belonging to 3rd world ****holes, industrial ox was delivered to hospitals during Covid. Some people died, a lot did not. If I am in danger of dying, I'll take it.

 

[admikar]

(including tourniquet and suture kit)

You know how to stitch? Damn, I wish I know that too

 

[Wookie]

You know how to stitch? Damn, I wish I know that too

Medical staples are inherently foolproof.

Ijs

 

[John C. Ratliff]

I would use his scuba reg set, and make him wear his mask so he doesn't breath through his nose.

This won’t work, as the industrial oxygen valving is much different that for scuba. Also, the regulator may not be compatible with 100% oxygen (grease —> fire).

SeaRat