Components, Equipment and Systems for Oxygen Service

Cleaning Components, Equipment, and Systems for Oxygen Service 

The cleaning methods and cleaning requirements discussed in this chapter also are applica- 

Compressed Gas Association, Handbook of Compressed Gases Springer Science+Business Media New York 1999 

A contaminant is universally defined as a foreign or unwanted substance that can have harmful effects on a system s operation, life, or reliability. Solid and fluid contaminants are classified into three major categories organics, inorganics, and particulates of organics and inorganics. 

A list of common contaminants is given in Table 11-1, and their approximate size is shown graphically in Fig. 11-1. 

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Some industries have found a contamination level equal to or below 500 mg/m (47.5 mg/ft ) to be the maximum level of hydrocarbon contamination tolerable for components, equipment, and systems in oxygen service. The actual level depends on the specific application (state of fluid, temperature, and pressure). 

Equipment used for sampling cylinder contents should be rated for the service pressure stamped on the cylinder, with suitable safety factors applied for potentially overpressurized containers. All components of the system should be cleaned and suitable for oxygen service as a minimum standard. Passivation (the rendering of a surface less reactive to strong oxidizers) of the system may be required for stronger oxidizers (for example, fluorine compounds). 

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