Oxygen valve lubrication

[Screwdriver]

I know the dangers but there are specifically engineered products out there that are designed to lubricate oxygen valves. Klübertemp YV 93-92 came up in a search but is hilariously expensive.

Wonder if anyone can help and find me a tiny dot (10cc?) of suitable grease or ideally penetrating oil for use on a sticky oxygen valve.

Screwd.

 

[JulieandTony]

Try ebay in the diving (scuba) section.

Although we obviously don't dive on oxygen normally (it's very toxic at depth) we do add it to air and in Rebreathers etc.

There are a few makes, like crystal lube (I know it sounds like a porn star), narkox, krytox and several others

 

[JulieandTony]

BTW it is all expensive - you could try scrounging a bit from a scuba servicing shop

 

[RonA]

Be very very careful what you use, anything over 26% oxy behaves like pure Oxy. Used to use bulk Oxy where I worked & one guy (despite safety warnings everywhere) connected an air grinder to it. The grinder disintegrated in bits in all directions, amazingly he got away with a minor cut on his cheek. Not everybody is that lucky.
RonA

 

[Seadog]

Enriched air is 31 or 32% O2 so this should be OK. Maybe

https://www.leisurepro.com/p-aqusgn25/nitrox-o²-lube-1-4-fl-oz-74-ml

Or this

https://www.divegearexpress.com/tribolube-71-o2-compatible-lubricant

 

[Matrixx]

Interesting fact, three lungfulls of any pure gas can kill you, even oxygen.

 

[JulieandTony]

Be very very careful what you use, anything over 26% oxy behaves like pure Oxy. Used to use bulk Oxy where I worked & one guy (despite safety warnings everywhere) connected an air grinder to it. The grinder disintegrated in bits in all directions, amazingly he got away with a minor cut on his cheek. Not everybody is that lucky.
RonA

There isn't really a figure where x% acts like pure oxygen, in the UK the HSE tends to regard anything over 21% (air) as an oxidising hazard, most of Europe uses 25%, the USA uses 40% the truth is each industry sets it's own value - in scuba diving for example in the EU we are suppose to use a different connector (DIN26) for anything over 22%.


However whatever the "trigger" value in whatever industry Oxygen can do really bad things at any decent pressure!

 

[JulieandTony]

Interesting fact, three lungfulls of any pure gas can kill you, even oxygen.

go on then - I have been killed several times now in that case...

 

[Screwdriver]

BTW it is all expensive - you could try scrounging a bit from a scuba servicing shop

I thought I'd try scrounging it from here first!

I've seen the price of it and I think it needs to be a specific grade of lubricant suitable for use with 100% oxygen.

 

[JulieandTony]

I thought I'd try scrounging it from here first!

I've seen the price of it and I think it needs to be a specific grade of lubricant suitable for use with 100% oxygen.

Sorry - a bit far away to help, and I only buy it in 60gm tubes myself, but crystal lube, narkox, krytox, tribolube and so on are all dedicated lubes for 100% O2

 

[Matrixx]

Well thats what I was told on the hospital gas training course? the oxygen in hospitals for patient use is not pure.

go on then - I have been killed several times now in that case...

 

[JulieandTony]

Well thats what I was told on the hospital gas training course? the oxygen in hospitals for patient use is not pure.

The treatment for many conditions including the bends is 100% oxygen - we also use it for decompressing in shallow water at the end of a deep/long dive.

it is acutely toxic at high pressure - which is time dependent (at 6m underwater there is a limit of less than 45mins for example)

but it is also chronically toxic at normal concentrations (for example more than 50% on the surface over several months causes destruction of the lungs!)


But in itself it is the only pure gas which can be breathed "several mouthfuls" etc (air is 20.9% O2, 79%N2)

O2 in hospital for general use is not 100% - generally it could be as low as 60% in some countries, this is for economy - true medical grade is 99%, diving grade is 99.5% welding could be as low as 93%

 

[RonA]

There isn't really a figure where x% acts like pure oxygen, in the UK the HSE tends to regard anything over 21% (air) as an oxidising hazard, most of Europe uses 25%, the USA uses 40% the truth is each industry sets it's own value - in scuba diving for example in the EU we are suppose to use a different connector (DIN26) for anything over 22%.


However whatever the "trigger" value in whatever industry Oxygen can do really bad things at any decent pressure!

We used pure Oxygen to enrich the air blast into a blast furnace, the figure of 26% was considered as the maximum safe enrichment level but each to his own. We also used copper pipe work & there was limit on the maximum velocity of the oxygen through the pipework to prevent interaction with the copper pipework.
RonA

 

[Screwdriver]

Oxygen is definitely a dangerous gas to have around. Has anyone ever wondered why metal sparks when you grind it? I'm sure most people assume it is heated up when it gets ripped off the surface but in fact, the particles of iron are so small they rust almost instantly in the presence of oxygen.

 

[armalites]

Interesting fact, three lungfulls of any pure gas can kill you, even oxygen.

Fortunately I've only got two so I guess I'm safe