Calculating Oxygen Usage from Ideal Gas Characteristics

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around calculating the duration of oxygen usage from a hospital cylinder, given its characteristics such as gauge pressure, volume, and flow rate. The subject area includes concepts from gas laws, specifically Boyle's law, and the ideal gas law.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Assumption checking, Conceptual clarification

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants explore the relationship between pressure and volume using Boyle's law, questioning the application of gauge pressure versus absolute pressure. There are attempts to clarify the need for converting gauge pressure to absolute pressure and how to apply the gas law equations without needing to know a constant.

Discussion Status

The discussion is active, with participants providing guidance on the conversion of gauge pressure and the application of gas laws. Multiple interpretations regarding the use of pressure types and the equations involved are being explored, but no consensus has been reached on the final approach.

Contextual Notes

Participants are navigating the constraints of using gauge pressure and the need to convert it to absolute pressure for calculations. There is an emphasis on maintaining constant temperature throughout the problem.

N_L_
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A standard cylinder of oxygen used in a hospital has the following characteristics at room temperature (295 K): gauge pressure = 13,800 kPa (2000 psi), volume = 16 L (0.016 m^3). How long will the cylinder last if the flow rate, measured at atmospheric pressure, is constant at 2.4 liters/min?

I tried to find the volume (in liters) at atmospheric pressure. It didn't come out right.

Since nRT is constant do I need to find the number of moles?

Am I taking the wrong approach?
 
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Assuming temperature is constant you could use Boyle's law.

~H
 
Hootenanny said:
Assuming temperature is constant you could use Boyle's law.

~H

Does that work for gauge pressure?

Thank you.
 
N_L_ said:
Does that work for gauge pressure?

Thank you.

You must first convert it to absolute pressure, remember;

[tex]P_{gauge} = P_{abs} - P_{atm}[/tex]

~H
 
N_L_ said:
Does that work for gauge pressure?

Thank you.
Just add atmospheric pressure to the gauge pressure to get absolute pressure.
 
P absolute = P gauge + P atmospheric

= 13,800 kPa + 101 kPa

= 13,901 kPa

PV = k

If I don't need to know k, how to I use the equation?
 
N_L_ said:
P absolute = P gauge + P atmospheric

= 13,800 kPa + 101 kPa

= 13,901 kPa

PV = k

If I don't need to know k, how to I use the equation?

If you know the pV is constant you can make an equality with respect to the intial and final pressures and volumes, thus;

[tex]p_{i}V_{i} = p_{f}V_{f}[/tex]

~H
 
Many thanks for all of the help.
 

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