Using a regulator with Air after using it with Argon

[Thalassamania]

Not likely, since air is almost 1% argon itself.

You're right, what I should have said is that you'll increase the argon concentration by less than one half of one percent.

 

[Charlie99]

You're right, what I should have said is that you'll increase the argon concentration by less than one half of one percent.

I wonder what breathing a 95% O2, 5% argon mixture does for decompression diving as compared to breathing 100% O2 at the shallow stop.

Some remote locations (including Bikini atoll IIRC) use medical oxygen generators, aka PSA/pressure swing adsorption O2 generators, for their O2 rather than having it shipped in.

It took me a while to figure out why the max O2 content is 94 or 95%.

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And a minor correction to my post saying that Argon is the #3 component of air --- in high humidity areas, H2O vapor fraction can be greater than the 0.9% Argon.

 

[captndale]

I wonder what breathing a 95% O2, 5% argon mixture does for decompression diving as compared to breathing 100% O2 at the shallow stop.

Some remote locations (including Bikini atoll IIRC) use medical oxygen generators, aka PSA/pressure swing adsorption O2 generators, for their O2 rather than having it shipped in.

It took me a while to figure out why the max O2 content is 94 or 95%.

---------

And a minor correction to my post saying that Argon is the #3 component of air --- in high humidity areas, H2O vapor fraction can be greater than the 0.9% Argon.

Argon is an inert gas but is very narcotic. You would not want to breathe something at depth with a 5% argon content.

The H2O fraction in free air may be high but when it is compressed virtually all of it is removed.

 

[Charlie99]

Argon is an inert gas but is very narcotic. You would not want to breathe something at depth with a 5% argon content.

I certainly wouldn't want to be breathing the other 95%, which is O2, at depth either.

My guess is that even 5% argon isn't going to be very narcotic at a 20' stop on 95% O2.

 

[Hoosier]

What are you talking about? Argon is just one kinds of gas, not liguid. There is no residue on tank and the regulator. If you open and drain the tank and regulator, it is gone. That's it.

 

[Thalassamania]

Argon is an inert gas but is very narcotic. You would not want to breathe something at depth with a 5% argon content.

The H2O fraction in free air may be high but when it is compressed virtually all of it is removed.

Narcosis seems to vary with molecular weight. There is already 1% argon in your tank when you start. If your tank was at 1 bar and full of argon and you filled it to 200 bar then you'd raise the argon concentration by a half a percent, nothing to worry about.

There's as much as 5% argon in a "pure" oxygen cylinder that you'd not be using at more than 2ata.