Oxygen serves two primary functions: respiration support and combustion facilitation. Beyond these fundamental roles, it has numerous applications that capitalize on its oxidizing properties across various industries.
1. Healthcare
Oxygen is crucial for respiration in oxygen-deficient environments, including underwater diving, mountaineering, high-altitude aviation, space exploration, and medical emergency situations. In healthcare settings, it aids in treating patients with respiratory disorders and during surgical procedures, ensuring adequate oxygenation to sustain vital physiological functions.
2. Metallurgical Processes
In steelmaking, introducing high-purity oxygen initiates oxidation reactions with carbon, phosphorus, sulfur, and silicon. This not only reduces the carbon content in steel but also purifies the material by removing impurities. The exothermic nature of these oxidation reactions generates sufficient heat to maintain the required smelting temperature, significantly shortening production cycles and enhancing steel quality. In iron production within blast furnaces, increasing the oxygen concentration in the combustion air reduces coke consumption and boosts output. Similarly, in non-ferrous metal smelting, oxygen-enriched processes expedite production timelines and improve overall efficiency.
3. Chemical Industry
Within the synthetic ammonia manufacturing process, oxygen acts as an oxidant for raw materials, intensifying reaction kinetics and enhancing fertilizer production yields. It is integral to high-temperature processes such as heavy oil cracking and coal gasification, enabling the conversion of feedstocks into valuable chemical intermediates and fuels.
4. Defense and Aerospace
Liquid oxygen is a highly efficient oxidizer and the propellant of choice for modern rocket engines, providing the necessary thrust for space launches. In supersonic aviation, it supports combustion in high-performance engines. Additionally, when combined with combustible materials, liquid oxygen forms powerful explosives, commonly utilized in specialized certain mining applications.
5. Other Applications
Oxygen, when combined with combustible gases like acetylene or propane, creates oxy-fuel flames used extensively in metal welding and cutting. This technique is particularly prevalent in the mechanical engineering sector due to its precision, efficiency, and ease of operation, making it the preferred method for industrial fabrication and construction projects.
