Why should oxygen equipment be kept away from oils and greases?

Why should oxygen equipment be kept away from oils and greases?

• A. They Can Corrode The Equipment
• B. They Can Ignite In The Presence Of Oxygen
• C. They Can Reduce FiO2
• D. They Have No Effect

Answer: (B)

Oxygen makes combustion much easier, so anything that can burn acts as fuel in an oxygen-rich environment. Oils and greases are hydrocarbons that readily ignite when exposed to heat, friction, sparks, or even a small leak in an oxygen system. If oil or grease is present on oxygen equipment, a fire can start and spread quickly because the surrounding oxygen enables rapid, intense combustion. That’s why it’s essential to keep oils and greases away from oxygen systems and to use oil-free lubricants or appropriate substitutes when lubrication is necessary. The other options don’t fit: oils don’t typically corrode oxygen equipment, they don’t change the FiO2, and they certainly do have an effect—they can fuel a fire in the presence of high oxygen.

Oxygen makes combustion much easier, so anything that can burn acts as fuel in an oxygen-rich environment. Oils and greases are hydrocarbons that readily ignite when exposed to heat, friction, sparks, or even a small leak in an oxygen system. If oil or grease is present on oxygen equipment, a fire can start and spread quickly because the surrounding oxygen enables rapid, intense combustion. That’s why it’s essential to keep oils and greases away from oxygen systems and to use oil-free lubricants or appropriate substitutes when lubrication is necessary.

The other options don’t fit: oils don’t typically corrode oxygen equipment, they don’t change the FiO2, and they certainly do have an effect—they can fuel a fire in the presence of high oxygen.