X-Message-Number: 2023 Date: Tue, 23 Mar 93 22:25 PST From: (Keith Lofstrom) Subject: CRYONICS: foam insulation - fireproofing? Lets assume that at some point in the future, we have a REALLY CARELESS caretaker, who lets a fire start near the patient care room (using a candle to look for leaks?). There will be all that flammable hydrocarbon-based foam, and all that liquid oxygen that distilled out of the boiled off liquid nitrogen that hasn't been changed in years. Kaboom? Or patient flambe? I hope the designer of the room thinks about fireproofing, such that if any given chunk of foam catches fire, it doesn't spread to the rest of the chunks. Bathing a still-frozen patient to remove deposited smoke could be really interesting. Of course, this may also be a problem with LOX and stainless steel dewars, as well, but the required ignition energy is probably far higher. By the way, how fast does LOX collect in the dewars now, and how is it removed now? If the LN2 we get is 1% LOX (as a wild guess), then we could be collecting 40 liters of LOX per Bigfoot per year. Since O2 is heavier than N2, a significant amount probably settles down from the atmosphere as well, every time the dewar is opened to show some gawking tourist. Could lead to a big surprise in 20 years ... :-( Keith -- Keith Lofstrom Voice (503)-520-1993 KLIC --- Keith Lofstrom Integrated Circuits --- "Your Ideas in Silicon" Design Contracting in Bipolar and CMOS - Analog, Digital, and Power ICs Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=2023