A disruption in main gas delivery requires reliance on E cylinders. If the O2 tank reads 1000 psi and the fresh gas flow is 2L/min, how long will the O2 last?

To determine how long the O2 tank will last, it's essential to understand the relationship between tank pressure, gas flow rate, and time. The oxygen tank's pressure of 1000 psi indicates the amount of gas remaining.

For E cylinders, a rough estimate is that they contain about 660 liters of oxygen when full. The pressure will decrease as the oxygen is used, and this is where the psi reading comes into play. To find out how long the tank will last at a flow rate of 2 liters per minute, you can use the formula:

1. Calculate the remaining volume in the tank based on the pressure:

• The proportion of the current pressure to the full pressure (which is typically around 2200 psi for a full E cylinder) helps estimate how much gas is available.

( (1000 psi / 2200 psi) \times 660 L \approx 300 L ) of oxygen remaining.

2. Now, divide this volume by the flow rate to find the duration:

( 300 L / 2 L/min = 150 minutes )

Converting 150 minutes into hours gives 2 hours and 30 minutes.

3. To factor in a safety margin