What Is an Oxygen Cylinder?

An oxygen cylinder is a metal, cylindrically shaped metal container used to store oxygen that has been compressed. The oxygen is compressed under several hundreds of pounds of pressure. An oxygen cylinder, made of aluminum, is usually silver colored with a green top; in some cases, it may be a small cylinder that is entirely green. The green color helps to differentiate it from other substances that are stored in similar containers.

Characteristics

• An oxygen cylinder is a long cylindrical tube with a dome-shaped top. This dome-shaped top houses a valve onto which an oxygen regulator is attached. The oxygen regulator controls the amount of oxygen released for use. Oxygen is measured in liters per minute (lpm). Oxygen is usually stored compressed at about 2,000 pounds per square inch (psi), although there are oxygen cylinders called "composite" cylinders that can store oxygen compressed at 3,000 psi.

Uses

• One of the most common uses of compressed oxygen is to provide supplemental oxygen for someone who has breathing problems. The type of oxygen cylinder used for this is usually a small lightweight portable tank, although a person who uses supplemental oxygen in her home may have a rather large tank so that she does not have to keep changing smaller tanks out as she runs out of oxygen rather quickly. Compressed oxygen is also used in welding.

Sizes

• Oxygen cylinders come in a variety of sizes. Each is designated as to its size and use by a series of numbers and letters. When you look at an oxygen cylinder, you will see a number posted on the side; this number denotes the number of liters of oxygen the cylinder holds. The letters A, B, C, D and E are used to designate the size of the cylinder. An A cylinder is one of the smaller cylinders and holds only about 34 liters of compressed oxygen; an E cylinder is one of the larger, holding approximately 680 liters of compressed air. Often, you will see the letter "M" displayed on an oxygen cylinder. This indicates that this oxygen cylinder is for medical use only.

Benefits

• The benefits of oxygen cylinders over oxygen concentrators are that they do not depend upon electricity to produce the oxygen. This can be of extreme importance in areas where a patient may be without electricity for several hours or even days. It is important for patients who use oxygen concentrators to have a spare oxygen cylinder on hand in case of emergency.

Warnings

• Oxygen cylinders can be dangerous if handled improperly. Because the oxygen is stored under high pressure, extreme care should be taken when "cracking" or opening a tank. Oxygen is also flammable and should never be used near an open flame. Care should be taken not to knock oxygen cylinders over as this can cause a sudden release of pressure and has been known to make the cylinder into a dangerous projectile.