The risk is primarily fire, not explosion. Explosion is only likely if flammable gas or vapour is present.Mark wrote:Do you mean a fire risk, or an explosion risk ?adam2 wrote:Another problem which I HOPE has been considered, is that a human only actually consumes a few liters a minute of oxygen, any supplied beyond this volume is simply vented to the surrounding air.
A high oxygen flow rate to a hospital ward, department, or area, will result in the oxygen level in the air becoming elevated beyond normal.
This is a considerable fire risk, and materials normally considered to be low risk will burn fiercely in oxygen enriched surroundings.
If explosion, what %age does the oxygen need to get to (normally 20.9%) ?
You can buy fairly cheap monitors that can measure oxygen levels.
I'd suggest that they open the windows, but not possible in most hospital wards these days....
Any increase in oxygen concentration increases fire risk. Even a modest increase in oxygen concentration adds to the risk, though the higher the concentration, the greater the risk.