Jump to content
View in the app

A better way to browse. Learn more.

Baseops Forums

A full-screen app on your home screen with push notifications, badges and more.

To install this app on iOS and iPadOS
  1. Tap the Share icon in Safari
  2. Scroll the menu and tap Add to Home Screen.
  3. Tap Add in the top-right corner.
To install this app on Android
  1. Tap the 3-dot menu (⋮) in the top-right corner of the browser.
  2. Tap Add to Home screen or Install app.
  3. Confirm by tapping Install.

Featured Replies

Plus, the CRU on your harness is super uncomfortable.

Wait, isn't the CRU the same, OBOGS or LOX?

  • Replies 159
  • Views 64k
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Most Popular Posts

  • Unless the organization is jacked from the start

  • Buddy Spike
    Buddy Spike

    5Gs? Really?

  • No shit! However, this will probably be treated like a bad WX day on a Friday: it's obvious that no one will turn a wheel the entire day, but rather than utilize the time to get everyone together an

For those of us that have no experience with OBOGS, can some of y'all chime in on what you don't like about it?

The blacklung you get if that system isn't operating exactly perfectly all the time on every jet.

...every T-6 stud that launches a sortie (and in a perfect world the IPs to) spend the entire mission on OBOGS. We had one EP (for cystals in the O2 system). I realize every system on each aircraft is unique, but if it can be trusted for so many lines a day across the country with up until now a nearly zero failure rate, OBOGS must not be so bad.

100% O2 always seemed more enjoyable to breath than OBOGS at MAX. That's probably just me though.

It isn't pure oxygen, it just concentrates oxygen from the ambient air.

An OBOGS can concentrate up to ~95% O2 (theoretical max is slightly closer to 96%) and often do.

MSOGS = OBOGS???

Every airframe seems to have their own way to say the same thing.

MSOGS on the B-1 is the Molecular Sieve Oxygen Generation System. It sucks bleed air through a zeolyte bed which soaks up much of the Nitrogen. The gas that comes out is around 80-90% O2.

OBOGS is just Onboard Oxygen Generation System. Don't know if the chemistry behind the system in other jets is different.

In the F-16, a single generator failure can result in 3 minutes of usable air prior to having to use the emergency oxygen bottle.

WTFO? Seriously?

FAIL.

Every airframe seems to have their own way to say the same thing.

MSOGS on the B-1 is the Molecular Sieve Oxygen Generation System. It sucks bleed air through a zeolyte bed which soaks up much of the Nitrogen. The gas that comes out is around 80-90% O2.

OBOGS is just Onboard Oxygen Generation System. Don't know if the chemistry behind the system in other jets is different.

Totally different slant for the science nerds..

Anybody try to use a similar system to up the peformance/mileage of an internal combustion engine?

Just thinking out loud

Intake in grams per second is much higher than you'd expect. The zeo filters would probably need to be replaced frequently and my guess is that they aren't cheap. Forced induction and intercooling is fairly simple but the whole gas mileage thing is what kills your combo.

Edited by Standby

It isn't pure oxygen, it just concentrates oxygen from the ambient air.

How do you think they make Lox?

Molecular sieve. Apparently not as badass as it sounds.

But the zeolite dust makes that coats my tonsils is delicious.

How do you think they make Lox?

Cool/compress air until it turns in to liquid. Warm it enough to evaporate off the nitrogen. So, it's not the same as OBOGS, which nobody really knows how it works. It's just fuckin' magic.

Totally different slant for the science nerds..

Anybody try to use a similar system to up the peformance/mileage of an internal combustion engine?

Just thinking out loud

Already thought of and relatively cheap to install - Nitrous Oxide. It's 33% oxygen as opposed to the normal 21% of the atmosphere. So when nitrous is injected, more fuel can be burnt than normal. Like a chemical turbo.

Membrane separators (molecular sieves) are used quite frequently to produce oxygen for scuba diving applications. The only issue is that you're capped at the ~95% mark so you can't really produce the 100% O2 needed for the 20' decompression stop. But, since bottles of O2 are cheap...not an issue. But having a ~$10k device around that lets you pump out any mix from 21% to 95% O2 is quite nice.

All I know is that it aint a good T-6 cross country unless that green light on the 100% switch isn't staring at you on the next day. :drinking:

All I know is that it aint a good T-6 cross country unless that green light on the 100% switch isn't staring at you on the next day. :drinking:

"On, Normal, Normal....######, i mean on On, Max, Normal, Good Blinker...shit i'm hungover"

Yeah...then, the other guy decides it's a good day to pull 5Gs in the closed pull. :bash:

Already thought of and relatively cheap to install - Nitrous Oxide. It's 33% oxygen as opposed to the normal 21% of the atmosphere. So when nitrous is injected, more fuel can be burnt than normal. Like a chemical turbo.

I would rather save Nitrous for the dentist :rock: Knew a few guys back in my youth who loved to make cars go fast with the stuff. I'm the first to admit a lot of stuff is good in theory but is it practical in the real world is a whole new question.

So what happens when you swap out the Nitrous Oxide with Liquid oxygen?

Your engine gets really, really cold and then blows up like a bomb when you add LOX to the combustion process.

I talked to a maintainer who laughed about watching the day they were purging a big container of LOX to clean it or make repairs. The result was a large cloud of oxygen floating away from the tank and across the road. Along comes a deuce and a half hauling a heavy load with the engine working at high RPM. The truck got to a point abeam the tanks and the engine suddenly revved out of limits and blew up. The driver had no idea what the fuck happened.

Edited by SuperWSO

So what happens when you swap out the Nitrous Oxide with Liquid oxygen?

The seemingly slight increase from 21% to 33% oxygen content that nitrous gives is enough to produce a shit-ton of extra horsepower on a given motor, assuming the fuel system can keep up. If it can't, the engine will run seriously lean and burn holes in the pistons. Twice the flame, half the candle.

Top Fuel dragsters use nitromethane as a fuel which provides even more oxygen content. They produce over 6000 horsepower from a 500 cubic inch engine. They also need rebuilt after six seconds of use.

All that said, if the Air Force decides to shit-can a whole bunch of OBOGSes, I'd be pretty curious to see what would happen if somebody slapped one on their POV!

Edited by Majestik Møøse

According to the link, the turbine that drives the fuel and oxygen pumps is 55,000 horsepower! The entire engine produce 1.5 million pounds of thrust. And they did all of this 50 years ago. Unbelievable.

Create an account or sign in to comment

Configure browser push notifications

Chrome (Android)
  1. Tap the lock icon next to the address bar.
  2. Tap Permissions → Notifications.
  3. Adjust your preference.
Chrome (Desktop)
  1. Click the padlock icon in the address bar.
  2. Select Site settings.
  3. Find Notifications and adjust your preference.