using industrial o2 in a ccr

[steve c r]

hi all is anybody out there actualy using industrial o2 in there rebreather ? comman scence tells me its the same gas as diving grade. but most companys who are willing to deal in small amounts [1 j per month ] dont sell diving grade. boc want an arm and a leg in payment for getting dive grde from them. and after all the purity is the same 99.5% pure. just looking for assurance i wont die before getting a j of ind o2 . thanks in advance

[hamishmorrison]

My usage is considerably less than what you mention & I currently pay Air Liquide £34.60 for a J of Diving Oxygen. Having said that I'm 99.5% sure you won't die if you take industrial grade!

[Firthy]

The assurance and certification that you won't die from impurities in the gas is why diving grade costs more.

You may well be fine with industrial grade gas but i'd be careful what purity grade you were buying and no supplier is going to offer that assurance.

[nigel hewitt]

I've happily used it when my supplier didn't have diving grade.
Ditto industrial helium.

The purity is the same, it just has a different paper trail to document it.

[flyingfisheye]

The purity is the same, it just has a different paper trail to document it.

I heard the same too, a mate used to run an engineering factory, he was a diver they used to have loads of O2 sent in from BOC. He asked once what the difference was between the black industrial cylinders of O2 and the White top medical ones and the diving ones. Now and again he was sent the White top medical cylinders of O2. Basically the answer was the same o2 in the cylinders but the paper work was not the same. I guess as Air has a fair amount of impurities in it 79% in fact. I often wondered what the difference was between Diving O2 and also Diving Helium from the others available?

[WFO]

Yeah, welding grade o2 and helium from air products. The purity is as good as dive grade.

[Jackdiver]

I have used W's of welding O2 for years...

[steve c r]

thanks lads shall give it a shot

[Paulo]

Lads in my local BOC and Air Products places have told me the only difference is that they purge the medical / diving stuff every time and that it comes with a papertrail. BOC diving o2 was 99.5% when I checked the data sheets and the industrial was 99.95 so was actually "purer" but I suspect that the difference was that they were only willing to stand over 99.5 for diving / medical.


BTW diving / medical are the same just diving is a higher pressure, if you didnt know

[Tewdric]

Yeah, welding grade o2 and helium from air products. The purity is as good as dive grade.

Any evidence for that statement? A reference would be useful.