Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Facts Concerning Cryogenic Gases That Should Be Understood

By Grace Rivas


Cryogenic gases are gases that are kept in either liquid or gaseous form at extremely low temperatures. They have boiling points of low than -150 degrees Celsius. At normal temperature and pressure, these substances exist in their gaseous form. They usually have 2 main characteristics. The first characteristic is, when liquefied, small quantities of liquid can melt into very large quantities of gas. The 2nd property is that they are very cold.

Because of their low temperatures, they condense the atmospheric air to create fog that can be seen by the eyes. When stored in tanks that are poorly insulated, they condense the surrounding air to form a mixture of air and liquid. According to the WHMIS criteria, they are classified as compressed gasses.

Every cryogenic material has its own characteristics, although many of them can be classified in one of these groups. The groups are oxygen and flammable or inert gasses. Inert gas does not undergo a lot of chemical reactions with other materials. Materials classified under the inert group include neon, krypton, nitrogen, and Oregon. Flammable gas can undergo combustion in atmospheric air. Main examples are methane, hydrogen, and liquefied natural gas among others. Most materials considered non-combustible burn when combined with liquid atmospheric oxygen. This makes it vital to handle oxygen with safety measures that are not similar to those of the other cryogenics.

These substances are stored, transported, and used in containers that are highly insulated. The containers are designed in a way that they can withstand fast changes in temperature and they can also endure great temperature differences. Examples of containers that are used include laboratory liquid dewar flasks, liquid dewar flasks, and gas cylinders. Gas cylinders have valves for dispensing and filling the gas and pressure-control valves with frangible disks for backup protection.

There are several health hazards associated with these substances and precaution must be taken when handling them. The health hazards are classified into three groups, that is toxicity, asphyxiation, and extreme cold. The cold gas and its associated vapor can cause effects on the skin similar to thermal burns. Brief exposure that cannot affect skin can affect delicate tissues like eyes. Other effects include frostbite, pain, sticking on cold surface, and lung damage.

Most of these gases are normally heavier than atmospheric air. They therefore displace air and settle on the floor creating a shortage of oxygen. Oxygen deficiency can cause asphyxiation and death eventually. It is therefore not recommended to handle the materials in enclosed rooms with poor ventilation. Substances such as carbon monoxide are highly toxic and can cause death in minutes if they leak into the environment.

These substances have many uses in various domestic, governmental and industrial applications. First, the liquefied forms are utilized as fuels in fuelling rockets and other high-velocity planes. Other applications consist of food and blood preservation, magnetic resonance imaging, electrical power transmission, forward looking infrared, and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Certain rare blood groups need to be kept under extremely low temperature to remain useful. They are also utilized in making detectors.

Of all Cryogenic gases, liquid nitrogen is the most widely used. It is legal for purchase and can be purchased from anywhere around the world. Dewar flasks are seemingly the best storage units used.




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