Oxygen Supply Components

Oxygen is used as a breathing gas in recreations such as technical scuba diving and in emergencies when a person has been deprived of oxygen and needs 100 percent oxygen to be administered. Oxygen systems then need to be rigged or already be rigged to allow responders to administer the oxygen. An oxygen provision system is made up of a number of components.

  1. Tank

    • The tank that holds the oxygen is the most important component of an oxygen system. It is made from either steel or aluminum, with an on/off valve at the top that can be connected to the regulator. On the neck of the tank there are stamped markings. These include the material the tank is made from, maximum fill pressure, hydrostatic test date, inspector, manufacturer and serial number.

    First-Stage Regulator

    • The first-stage regulator is attached to the tank valve when assembled. This is normally a regulator that screws directly into the tank valve, although some oxygen setups such as DAN (divers alert network) units have custom fittings. The regulator converts high-pressure air released from the tank into intermediate pressure to be supplied to the masks. It has connections for both demand and nonrebreather masks and a flow-rate regulator to control how much oxygen is being released to the second stages.

    Demand Second-Stage Regulator

    • The demand valve second-stage regulator is attached to the first stage regulator by a hose. It has a mask that the user can breathe from. The regulator only supplies oxygen when prompted by the person breathing.

    Nonrebreather Second-Stage Mask

    • A nonrebreather second-stage mask is attached to the first-stage regulator via a port located on the first stage. The mask can be used either to supply a constant flow of oxygen to a patient or as a demand valve. The mask consists of two parts. The first is the oxygen bag into which the oxygen flows, which is kept inflated while the system is turned on. The second part covers the mouth and nose and is attached to the face via an elastic cord.