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by Old School on September 30th, 2006

Old School

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If the bags on the emergency oxygen masks on commercial airliners don't inflate when oxygen is flowing, why have them?

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  • by bbumgarner on September 30th, 2006

    bbumgarner

    Humans don't consume oxygen at a constant rate. You breathe in, then exhale. The bags act as a buffer such that the oxygen delivery system doesn't either waste oxygen when you are exhaling or have to have a complex set of regulators to manage inhaling vs. exhaling (like scuba diving equipment).

    So, the bag keeps accepting the constant, relatively low volume compared to inhaling, stream of oxygen as you exhale. Upon inhaling, you consume oxygen both directly from the delivery system and from the oxygen in the bag.

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