What is the key difference between small compressed gas cylinders and their larger counterparts?

| August 15, 2021

Pneumatic and hydraulic pumps have many similarities. They both use fluid power for their operation, feature valves that control them and have a pump that’s used as an actuator.

However, there are some key differences to be aware of as you select the best pump type to use for your particular application. For example, pneumatics use compressible gas, while hydraulics use incompressible liquids.

Let’s investigate the differences between hydraulics and pneumatics to help you determine the type of system that will be best to use for your purposes.

About hydraulics

Hydraulic systems are used for generating, controlling and transmitting power via pressurized liquid. All hydraulic systems need a pump and a series of valves that control the force of the actuators.

Hydraulic systems tend to be larger and more complex than their pneumatic counterparts. This means the system will require more room, because the container must hold the liquid that will pass through the system. The larger size and the incompressibility of the fluids used in the system allow hydraulics to lift and move larger items.

While the initial costs associated with hydraulic systems are higher than with pneumatic systems, their ability to lift and move more thanks to the higher pressures of operation makes them the right fit in certain applications that require a higher force.

You will therefore be most likely to find hydraulic applications in large moving systems such as elevators, dams, turbines, wheelchair lifts, dump truck lifts, hydraulic braking systems, machine tools and various amusement park rides.

Hydraulic systems cannot be used in any application involving food or beverages because of the risk of hydraulic oil leaks. These leaks can result in serious problems, so it is appropriate for facilities using hydraulic systems to have the proper materials on hand as well as the know-how to make repairs.

About pneumatics

Pneumatic systems use pressurized air or gas to deliver mechanical motions. While traditionally pneumatic devices tended to be small, handheld systems, there has been an increasing number of large machines relying on pneumatics to perform various functions.

These systems use compressed air or inert gases that run through parts such as a compressor, air tanks, hoses, transition lines and cylinders. The compressor delivers the compressed air through the hoses, and the airflow is regulated by automatic or manual valves. The pneumatic system then turns the energy created by the compressed gas into mechanical energy.

Compared to hydraulic systems, pneumatic systems are generally cheaper, safer and more versatile. Because they do not use the oil that hydraulic systems do, they can be used in areas around food, pharmaceutical products, dental products or biotech laboratories, as there is little risk of contamination.

Pneumatic systems also feature a simple design that cuts down on maintenance and prevents the system from clogging up. Their typically small nature makes them highly portable and easy to install, which helps to keep their initial costs low.

You’ve probably seen pneumatic systems used for vacuum pumps, air compressors, HVAC systems, nail guns, tubes at banks, precision drills at dentist offices and various types of conveyor systems.

For more information about hydraulics and pneumatics, contact the team at Hydraulic Power Sales Inc. today.

FRC Ch. 40 and 41

Which of the following is/are considered therapeutic gases?
1. O2
2. O2-NO mixture
3. O2-He mixture
4. N2O

What factors affect the combustion-supporting properties of O2?
1. concentration
2. partial pressure
3. humidity

What is the most common and least expensive method for commercial production of O2?
-electrolysis of water
-fractional distillation of air
-physical separation by molecular sieves
-chemical decomposition of sodium chlorate

fractional distillation of air

Which of the following methods of producing O2 is commonly used in the home care setting?
-chemical decomposition
-electrolysis
-fractional distillation
-physical separation

Air for medical use in a hospital should be which of the following?
1. particle-free
2. oil-free
3. dry

Which of the following statements about He is false?
-It is an inert gas
-It is odorless
-It is nonflammable
-It is heavier than air

Which of the following gases is used to treat conditions causing hypoxic respiratory failure?
-N2O
-He
-NO
-cyclopropane

Compressed gas cylinders are manufactured from which of the following?
-copper or brass
-seamless steel
-seamless aluminum
-fiberglass

Department of Transportation (DOT) regulations require compressed gas cylinders to be hydrostatically tested for leaks and expansion every how often?
-1 to 2 years
-3 to 5 years
-6 to 8 years
-5 to 10 years

During inspection of the shoulder of a compressed gas cylinder, you note a plus sign (+) next to the test date. This indicates what about the cylinder?
-It is made of spun aluminum, not steel
-It only requires a 10-year DOT inspection
-It can be filled to

It can be filled to 10% above its service pressure

What is the key difference between small compressed gas cylinders (sizes AA to E) and their larger counterparts (sizes F to K)?
-Small gas cylinders do not undergo regular DOT testing
-Small gas cylinders are always filled to lower pressures
-Small gas cy

Small gas cylinders use a yoke (not threaded) connector

When full, a gas cylinder registers a pressure of 2200 psig. After a few hours of use, the pressure gauge reads 1100 psig. The cylinder is now how full?
-one half
-one third
-one fourth
-two thirds

The gauge on an H cylinder of O2 reads 2000 psig. About how long would the contents of this cylinder last, until completely empty, at a flow of 6 L/min?
-1 hour 30 minutes
-17 hours 30 minutes
-18 hours 10 minutes
-21 hours 50 minutes

You are planning a patient transport that will take about 1 1/2 hours. The patient requires manual ventilation with 10 L/min of O2. What is the minimum number of full E cylinders you would take with you?
-2
-3
-4
-5

What safety system is designed to prevent accidental interchanging among low-pressure (less than 200 psig) connectors such as those found on flowmeters and ventilators?
-PISS
-ASSS
-DISS
-CGA

You must connect a large-volume nebulizer to a bedside compressed-air outlet through a flowmeter. You have only standard O2 flowmeters available. Which of the following actions is appropriate?
-Connect the O2 flowmeter to the air outlet with piping tape
-

Use an O2-to-air DISS adapter to join the flowmeter and outlet

How can one determine whether a pressure-reducing valve uses multiple stages for pressure reduction?
-by noting the number of gauges attached to the valve
-by noting the DISS code
-by noting the ASSS code
-by noting the number of pressure relief vents

by noting the number of pressure relief vents

Which of the following are advantages of using a flow restrictor to control the delivery of medical gases to a patient?
1. preset metered flow
2. low cost and simplicity
3. gravity independence
4. wide range of utility

Which of the following is FALSE about a Bourdon gauge?
-It is always used with an adjustable high pressure-reducing valve
-It actually senses pressure but is calibrated to display flow
-It reads a flow higher than actual if downstream pressure increases
-

It will register zero flow when the outlet is completely blocked

If you have to deliver oxygen to a patient from a bedside outlet station, which of the following devices should you select?
-Thorpe tube flowmeter
-Bourdon-type gauge
-pressure-reducing valve
-medical gas regulator

What is the only major factor limiting the use of pressure-compensated Thorpe tube flowmeters?
-downstream resistance
-effect of position (gravity)
-DISS connector availability
-use with gases other than O2

effect of position (gravity)

When using a Bourdon gauge against high outflow resistance, what will the flowmeter reading show?
-exceed actual flow
-be less than actual flow
-equal actual flow
-equal 50 psi

Benefits of properly applied O2 therapy in patients with chronic hypoxemia include all of the following except:
-reversal of pulmonary vasoconstriction
-relief of pulmonary hypertension
-decreased right ventricular workload
-improved pulmonary using capac

improved pulmonary using capacity

You start a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patient on a nasal O2 cannula at 2 L/min. What is the maximum time that should pass before assessing this patient's PaO2 or SaO2?
-2 hours
-8 hours
-12 hours
-72 hours

Which of the following is consistent with the radiographic appearance after prolonged exposure to O2?
-air bronchograms
-pulmonary abscess
-patchy infiltrates
-pneumothorax

A patient with chronic hypercapnia placed on an FIO2 of 0.6 starts hypoventilating. What is a possible cause of this phenomenon?
-decreased cardiac output
-O2 toxicity
-O2-induced hypoventilation
-absorption atelectasis

O2-induced hypoventilation

Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a potentially serious management problem mainly in the care of whom?
-premature or low-birth-weight infants
-cystic fibrosis patients
-children with asthma
-patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS)

premature or low-birth-weight infants

Some strategies for minimizing the risk of fire hazard with O2 therapy include all of the following, except:
-using the lowest effective FIO2
-properly educating patients and caregivers
-avoiding aluminum regulators and other high risk devices
-mixing the

mixing the oxygen with carbon dioxide

Which of the following statements is false about low-flow O2 delivery systems?
-The greater the patient's inspiratory flow, the greater is the FIO2
-All low-flow devices provide variable O2 concentrations
-The O2 provided by a low-flow device is diluted w

The greater the patient's inspiratory flow, the greater is the FIO2

Which of the following are advantages of the nasal cannula as a low-flow O2 delivery system?
1. stability
2. low cost
3. easy application
4. disposability

A 27-year-old woman received from the emergency department is on a nasal cannula at 5 L/min. Approximately what FIO2 is this patient receiving?
-28%
-32%
-35%
-40%

You enter the room of a patient who is receiving nasal O2 through a bubble humidifier at 5 L/min. You immediately notice that the humidifier pressure relief is popping off. Which of the following actions would be most appropriate in this situation?
-Check

Look for crimped or twisted delivery tubing

Disadvantages of standard O2 masks include all of the following except:
-being difficult to apply to patients
-patient discomfort (straps and heat)
-increasing the risk of aspiration
-must be removed for eating

being difficult to apply to patients

A physician orders 2 L/min O2 through a simple mask to a 33-year-old postoperative woman with moderate hypoxemia breathing room air (PaO2 = 52 mm Hg). What would be the correct action at this time?
-Carry out the physician's prescription exactly as writte

Recommend a flow of at least 6 L/min to wash out carbon dioxide (CO2)

A physician orders supplemental O2 for a patient through a nasal cannula at a flow of 12 L/min. When you ask what the goal is, the physician states that the patient should receive about 60% O2. Which of the following should you recommend?
-The O2 should b

-The O2 should be given through a simple mask set at 10 L/min

A patient is receiving O2 through a nonrebreathing mask set at 8 L/min. You notice that the mask's reservoir bag collapses completely before the end of each inspiration. Which of the following actions is appropriate in this case?
-Change to a partial rebr

A 45-year-old patient with congestive heart failure is receiving O2 through a 35% air-entrainment mask. With an O2 input of 6 L/min, what is the total output gas flow?
-16 L/min
-24 L/min
-28 L/min
-36 L/min

You note that the air intake ports surrounding the jet of a 35% air-entrainment mask are partially obstructed by the patient's bedding. Which of the following would you expect?
1. Decrease in the device's total output flow
2. Increase in the percent O2 de

To confirm proper operation of an O2 blending system, what should you do?
1. Test low-pressure alarms and bypass systems
2. Analyze FIO2 at 0.21, 1.00, and prescribed level
3. Confirm air and O2 inlet pressures

In which of the following clinical situations would you recommend hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) therapy, if available?
1. carbon monoxide poisoning
2. respiratory or cardiac arrest
3. severe trauma
4. cyanide poisoning

A patient receiving 3 L/min O2 through a nasal cannula has a measured SpO2 of 93% and no clinical signs of hypoxemia. At this point, what should you recommend?
-decreasing the flow to 2 L/min and rechecking the SpO2
-maintaining the therapy as is and rech

decreasing the flow to 2 L/min and rechecking the SpO2

What is the level of SpO2 typically associated with discontinuation of O2 therapy?
-88%
-90%
-92%
-94%

What does 1 atmospheric pressure absolute (ATA) equal?
1. 101 kPa
2. 50 psi
3. 760 mm Hg

Criteria for initiating hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) therapy on an adult patient suspected of suffering from acute carbon monoxide poisoning include all of the following except:
-history of unconsciousness
-carboxyhemoglobin saturation less than 20%
-presence

carboxyhemoglobin saturation less than 20%

Primary safety concerns in the application of hyperbaric oxygenation include which of the following?
1. sudden decompression
2. electrical fires
3. CO2 accumulation

Physiologic effects of inhaled nitric oxide (NO) include all of the following except:
-recruitment of collapsed alveoli
-improved blood flow to ventilated alveoli
-decreased pulmonary vascular resistance
-reduced intrapulmonary shunting

recruitment of collapsed alveoli

Toxic side effects of inhaled NO includes all of the following except:
-acute pulmonary edema
-direct cellular damage
-impaired surfactant production
-sulfhemoglobinemia

Compared to air, the density of an 80% He and 20% O2 mixture is about which of the following?
-two-thirds as much
-one-half as much
-one-third as much
-one-fifth as much

Before administering a helium-O2 mixture to a patient with large airway obstruction, what should you do?
-Analyze the helium concentration of the mixture
-Heat the cylinder to ensure complete mixing of contents
-Analyze the O2 concentration of the mixture

Analyze the O2 concentration of the mixture

100-FIO2
-----------
FIO2 - 21
1:?
1+? = ?? x liter flow
=total flow

psig x tank factor
-------------------
liter flow

When liquid weight is known

344 L x liquid weight (lb)
---------------------------
flow

When gauge fraction is known

capacity (L) x 860 x gauge fraction (%)
-------------------------------------------
flow

What is the safety system for threaded high pressure connections between small compressed gas cylinders and their attachments?

American Standard Safety System (ASSS) a system of specifications for threaded high-pressure connections between compressed gas cylinders and their attachments. Pin-Indexed Safety System a subsection of ASSS that applies only to valve outlets of small cylinders and employs a yoke and pin connection.

What is the usual method of monitoring the remaining contents in a gas filled cylinder quizlet?

What is the usual method of monitoring the remaining contents in a gas-filled cylinder? Read the pressure gauge.

What are the four types of gas cylinders?

Types of Compressed Gas Cylinders Common examples are nitrogen, helium, hydrogen, oxygen, and carbon dioxide cylinders. Low-pressure cylinders are typically fatter and lighter than high pressure; they have thin-walled, welded seams, and can withstand up to 500 psi.

What are compressed gas cylinders used for?

Compressed gas cylinders are used regularly in science and engineering buildings, machine shops, and retail and campus dining. Researchers, staff, and outside contractors store and use various types of compressed gases for different reasons.