Oxygen

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BOC can supply oxygen:

• In a full range of purities.
• In any quantity required.
• As either compressed gas, or liquefied gas.
• In over 30 countries

Our oxygen products include:

• Pure oxygen.
• Oxygen mixtures.

We have specialist oxygen grades for use in:

• Electronics.
• Industrial applications.
• Food.
• Medical applications.

Supply options

Call Us or Email Us for advice on the most cost effective supply option to meet your needs, these include:

• Compressed oxygen gas cylinders – for convenience and portability.
• Liquid oxygen cylinders – for small volume cryogenic applications.
• Bulk oxygen – delivered by cryogenic tankers into on-site storage for high volume applications.
• On-site oxygen generation – for secure cost-effective supply, from low volume ultra-high purity oxygen supply to electronics facilities to thousands of tonnes a day for petrochemicals and steelmaking.

Processes that use oxygen

Oxygen’s unique property in supporting life leads to its use in:

• Life support – resuscitation, artificial ventilation, anaesthesia, cardiovascular stabilisation and infection reduction in hospitals and emergency vehicles. We also supply breathing oxygen for diving.
• Health and safety – for use in medical centres and first aid packs.
• Water treatment – maintaining micro-organisms in the activated sludge process for waste water treatment (VITOX) and reducing sewage odours by maintaining sewage in an aerobic state (PRIMOX).
• Packaging – modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) for fruit and vegetable respiration, colour retention in red meat and to avoid anaerobic conditions in white fish.
• Aquaculture – oxygenation of water to boost fish-farm performance and sustain live fish during transportation.
• Rivers and lakes regeneration – oxygen injection to correct depletion due to pollution and stagnation.

Oxygen will not burn but vigorously  supports the combustion of many substances. It is therefore an essential gas for:

• Combustion – increasing furnace productivity using oxygen enrichment, oxygen lancing or oxy-fuel burners.
• Cutting – oxy-fuel processes for cutting steel up to two metres thick.
• Welding – oxy-fuel processes for welding carbon and alloy steels, stainless steel, cast iron, aluminium, nickel and copper alloys.
• Coating – oxy-fuel processes for producing hard, wear resistant coatings on metal components.
• Laser – enhancing laser applications.

Oxygen is highly reactive, reacting with elements, compounds and materials that are not yet fully oxidised. This characteristic makes it an essential raw material used for:

• Chemical manufacturing.
• Iron and steelmaking.
• Non-ferrous metal refining.
• Waste treatment.

Industries that use oxygen

Oxygen’s life supporting, combustion and reactant properties give it a key role across many industries such as:

• Healthcare – medical oxygen as a life support gas for hospitals and emergency services.
• Iron and Steel – an essential raw material for ironmaking and basic oxygen steelmaking (BOF) and oxy-fuel and oxygen enriched systems to increase electric arc furnace (EAF) productivity and debottleneck.
• Non-ferrous metal – oxy-fuel burners to increase output in reverberatory furnaces.
• Glass – oxygen injection to boost glass furnace productivity and working life.
• Automotive – oxygen for cutting, welding and laser applications.
• Chemicals – to increase reaction rates in oxidation, improve yield, and reduce emissions.
• Environment, water and waste water – to reduce emissions, treat waste water and rejuvenate polluted rivers and lakes.
• Food and beverages – for improving the shelf life of packaged red meat and fish.
• Pharmaceutical – a key ingredient in fermentation processes.
• Defence – liquid oxygen as rocket propellant and oxygen for laser applications.
• Laboratories and research – for instrument calibration and to sustain micro-organisms growth.
• Pulp and Paper – an environmentally-friendly alternative to chlorine for bleaching, and an agent for delignification.

Safety Information

• Oxygen is not toxic at atmospheric pressures. Oxygen deficient atmospheres cause asphyxiation and death. Oxygen enrichment is just as dangerous and difficult to detect.
• Clothing and flammable materials will burn violently if impregnated with oxygen.
• Oxygen reacts violently with oil and may spontaneously burn with an explosive force.

See Safety Data Sheet for further information.

Technical Information