SEDL / STP / STP1395-EB / STP12500S

Adiabatic Compression of Oxygen: Real Fluid Temperatures

Barragan, M
Chemical Engineer, AlliedSignal Technical Services Corp. Team, Las Cruces, NM

Wilson, DB
Consultant, Mesilla Park, NM

Stoltzfus, JM
Project Engineer, NASA Laboratories Office, NASA Johnson Space Center White Sands Test Facility, Las Cruces, NM

Pages: 10    Published: Jan 2000

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Abstract

The adiabatic compression of oxygen has been identified as an ignition source for systems operating in enriched oxygen atmospheres. Current practice is to evaluate the temperature rise on compression by treating oxygen as an ideal gas with constant heat capacity. This paper establishes the appropriate thermodynamic analysis for the common occurrence of adiabatic compression of oxygen and in the process defines a satisfactory equation of state (EOS) for oxygen. It uses the EOS to model adiabatic compression as isentropic compression and calculates final temperatures for this system using current approaches for comparison.