Oxygen generator

[NeatGuy]

I was wondering if anyone has used an oxygen generator to supliment or enrich the air intake of a gas forge. They seem like an inexpensive way to increase heat, efficiency, and mixture of a gas forge.

[sstreckfuss]

Here is a post from a couple of months ago about that very subject. If you do a search you should come up with a couple more as well.

[Ice Czar]

Sodium Chlorate NaClO3 + iron oxide

Chemical oxygen generator

trying to order oxidizing agents however generally attracts unwanted attention these days

you can use the byproduct to melt your driveway :p

[irnsrgn]

I am wondering if you don't mean oxygen concentrator like for medical use at home.

[R Funk]

Theoretically the enriching the air with oxygen (O2) will increase the temperature and efficiency of a gas forge.

However IMHO I could not recommend doing it.

O2 can be very dangerous. Controlling the O2 flow and other factors could be problematic.

Also O2 concentrators are designed for a clean enviroment. Distributors clearly warn do not opertate in dirty enviroments.

Why are you considering O2 enrichment?

The cost of O2 enrichment would far out way any gas savings. If you are desiring to get "welding heat" you can work on optimizing your forge. Many gas forges can not weld satisfatorily but many can.

[Frosty]

There are industrial oxy generators designed for shop use. A friend of mine has one for supplying his torches. It doesn't supply high psi, over about 80-90psi and it's only around 90-95% pure. It does however give him a virtually unlimited supply of torch grade oxy for the price of compressed air and a 110v electric connection.

I've used oxy off my torch to enrich fires before to good effect. As long as you're not trying for a high oxy atmosphere before you light the fire you're generally safe enough.

Whether it's cost effective or not depends a lot on your situation my buddy paid for his ($2,400 some 8-9 years ago) in about 8 mos over refilling bottles but he uses lots of oxy.

I've kicked around the idea of using lox to enrich a charcoal fired cupola melter for a large iron pour. Lox is available for reasonable a few miles from me and I'd be melting at least a metric ton of iron if I went through with my crazy scheme. The trick will be keeping the iron in the mold hot enough between taps so each pour welds solidly. If I can make the turn around time between taps short enough it becomes pretty simple to make it work.

Frosty

[NeatGuy]

I was considering an "oxygen concentrator" because the machines are relatively inexpensive and I was curious about peoples experiences with them. My forge will weld so I was not just tring to increase the heat.

[R Funk]

Frosty,

Keep us posted on your "crazy scheme" It sounds exciting!

Do you already have a cupola?

I have not heard of anyone using O2 enrichement in a cupola but it sure makes sense and I would be fairly certain that some where some somebody is doing it.

O2 enrichement is a well established technology in the Steel Mill Blast Furnaces.

[Frosty]

Not yet, I'll build a cupola if I decide to go ahead on this scheme. One of our local club members is hosting an iron pour this June so I'll get some hands on experience with theirs. I already have my alumanized fire suit.

I should've been more specific, I won't be using LOX, it'll pass through a gassifier on it's way to the air belt. Lox, gassifiers, manifolds, etc. are all available at the local welding supplier.

I was talking about the idea with Mike Porter a while ago and he gave me a few names of people who have used oxy enrichment in melters. There's a point of diminishing returns as high levels of oxy will decarburize the iron and my goal isn't pure iron or even mild steel.

My goal is a proper base and anvil base for a home made power hammer. Casting one is only one option I'm keeping open. I'd much rather find some solid steel the right size or even a forklift counter weight instead.

Still, the thought of playing with a ton or more of melted iron is tempting in the extreme just because.

Frosty

[NeatGuy]

Frosty ... I have a copula book I scanned that you may find useful. It is an old book so I hope that this is not a copyright infringment.

[Ice Czar]

Controlling the O2 flow and other factors could be problematic.

one of the advantages of a chemical generator is its predictable oxygen production, oxygen candles which are for instance employed in airplanes as the drop down emergency air, burn at about 600C producing salt, iron oxide and oxygen. Once made they have a shelf life of several decades but are not without their own dangers, any oxidizing agent is potentially hazardous, unintended ignition of an oxygen candle especially in the presence of a fuel can get quickly out of hand as its supplying everything else needed for a nice blaze.

On the upside, Id gather its producing a heated oxygen stream. Since my interest spans from typical forge temperature up through iron casting glass melting temperatures the potential use of an oxygen candle makes some sense but Id agree generally that employing oxy-fuel combustion should be limited to your cutting torch. The exception would be engineering a forge that would produce near pure CO2 as its flue gas, but that would mean your not augmenting the air with oxygen but rather replacing it in total with oxygen. (No nitrogen means no Nitrogen oxide) There is alot of development in that area for much larger furnacesincineratorschemical processing.

(of particular interest to me is what is called chemical looping combustion but its highly involved with multiple fluidized beds, material handling challenges ect, but it is an oxy-fuel combustion process where the oxygen is regenerated. From a metal oxide supplying oxygen on one side then removed exposed to air reoxidizing it reintroduced to the combustion chamber and again reduced to a metal, repeat)

[habu68]

Ice Czar

I seem to remember a mapp torch years ago that used a tablet in a tube that was burned to produce oxygen. Chem-ox is what sticks in my mind. I could not find it on a goggle. Is this what you are calling a oxygen candle?

I found it, called Solidox and was available at kmart. I guess it is no longer available Homeland security and all of that....

My mind is not what it ever was......

[Frosty]

Frosty ... I have a copula book I scanned that you may find useful. It is an old book so I hope that this is not a copyright infringment.

It was such a large download I thought something was wrong but I have it saved. I haven't looked through it yet but you're probably safe on the copy right part, it's from 1939. I could be wrong of course but seeing as you and I aren't selling it. . .

Thanks.

Frosty

[Ice Czar]

Ice Czar

I seem to remember a mapp torch years ago that used a tablet in a tube that was burned to produce oxygen. Chem-ox is what sticks in my mind. I could not find it on a goggle. Is this what you are calling a oxygen candle?

I found it, called Solidox and was available at kmart. I guess it is no longer available Homeland security and all of that....

My mind is not what it ever was......

All I need is the magic word
Solidox is Sodium Perchlorate, pretty much the same thing as Sodium Chlorate at least for our purposes

Perchlorate vs Chlorate or course Solidox has something else, some metal, could be iron could be a number of other metals

Chemical oxygen generator - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Potassium and lithium chlorate, and sodium, potassium and lithium perchlorates can also be used in oxygen candles.

[Feromat]

PSA Oxygen generators. Edited October 17, 2009 by Feromat