Effects of Contaminated Supply Air on Purity of Breathing Oxygen Generated by Fluomine.

Air used to supply oxygen to the fluomine bed of a model Open Loop Oxygen Generating System (OLOGS) was adulterated with various contaminants to study their effect on performance of the fluomine chemical and purity of the oxygen product. Contaminants investigated were water, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, benzene, n-heptane, ethanol, acetone, acetaldehyde, Freon 12, and nitrogen dioxide. No deleterious effect on fluomine chemical was observed at the contaminant concentration used during short-term testing. Oxygen purity was affected to various extent by the different contaminants. Carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide did not accumulate in the oxygen product. Water concentrated to 5%. The organic contaminants accumulated up to 8 times their concentration in the supply air. Nitrogen dioxide was the only contaminant irreversibly absorbed by the fluomine. Odor was present in the oxygen product when odorous organic contaminants were present in the supply air. The authors concluded that the fluomine beds need protection from excessive water, N-oxide and organic contamination to avoid oxygen of unacceptable quality and possible accelerated fluomine degradation.