Liquid oxygen temperature

Introduction :

Oxygen gas is in the air around us which also includes many other gases. Air is cooled to a certain temperature will change into a liquid or a solid.Among the elements in the universe, oxygen is the third most abundant and makes up to 21% of the earth's atmosphere.Carl Wilhelm and Joseph Priestley independently discovered oxygen, by heating mercuric oxide (HgO).

How we Obtain Liquid Oxygen?

Oxygen turns into a liquid at -183 degrees Celsius. To bring these gases to such low temperatures, the air is cooled and compressed. When allowed to expand again, their temperature drops further. To extract the oxygen, the liquid is so warmed that just nitrogen turns back into gas - leaving behind liquid oxygen.

Liquid form of oxygen depends on two things:

• Pressure
• Temperature

Storing of liquid oxygen:
Oxygen is kept in cryogenic, insulated containers called dewars which keep the oxygen in liquid form at -170 degrees Celsius. Temperature outside the storage tank is much higher than the liquid temperature. Due to the heat leak, the liquid tends to warm up thus producing gaseous oxygen that contributes to a rise in pressure inside the tank.

Image on liquid oxygen  

Temperatures of Liquid Oxygen

Oxygen turns into a pale blue color liquid at temperatures below its boiling point of -183�C and weighs 1.14 times the weight of water. At temperatures more than -118.6�C, the liquid oxygen will become a gas in spite of the pressure exerted on it. This is the critical temperature for liquid oxygen. 1 Liter of liquid oxygen can turn into 860 Litres of gas.
Boiling Point at 1 atm: -183.0°C, 90.15K, -297.4°F
Oxygen is in liquid phase from -297.4°F @ 1 atm. to -181°F and 731psi.

Conclusion to Temperatures of Liquid Oxygen

We can conclude that, liquid oxygen, in combination with liquid hydrogen, makes an excellent rocket fuel. Liquid oxygen is a versatile and efficient method of supplying oxygen to patients at home.