Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 31, 2026
10:29
Experimental Methodology for Estimation of Local Heat Fluxes and Burning Rates in Steady Laminar Boundary Layer Diffusion Flames
Published on: June 1, 2016
Relationship between oxygen concentration and temperature in an exothermic warming device
Ben Brooks1, Charles D Deakin2
1Blackpool Teaching Hospitals, NHS Foundation Trust, Blackpool, UK.
Emergency Medicine Journal : EMJ
|April 19, 2017
Summary
Using supplemental oxygen with exothermic warming blankets significantly increases burn risk in trauma patients. Higher oxygen levels can cause dangerous temperatures, necessitating vigilance and product safety improvements.
Area of Science:
- Emergency Medicine
- Biomedical Engineering
- Patient Safety
Background:
- Hypothermia management is crucial for trauma patient outcomes.
- Exothermic (oxygen-activated) warming blankets are used to prevent hypothermia.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of ambient oxygen concentration on exothermic warming blanket performance.
- To evaluate the safety and thermal injury risk associated with these devices.
Main Methods:
- A mannequin was used with an exothermic blanket in a sealed oxygen tent.
- Temperature probes measured mannequin surface temperature under varying oxygen concentrations (21%-90%).
- Nine trials were conducted, recording maximum temperatures and rate of rise.
Main Results:
- At 21% oxygen, the blanket reached 52°C, meeting specifications.
- At 30% oxygen, the temperature beneath the heating pack reached 72.5°C, exceeding the burn threshold.
- Increased oxygen concentration led to a significant, localized temperature increase.
Conclusions:
- Supplemental oxygen use with exothermic blankets poses a significant thermal injury risk.
- Prehospital providers must be vigilant about heat and fire risk with high-flow oxygen.
- Manufacturers should enhance the safety features of exothermic warming blankets.
Related Concept Videos
02:55Temperature Dependence on Reaction Rate
The Collision Theory
Atoms, molecules, or ions must collide before they can react with each other. Atoms must be close together to form chemical bonds. This premise is the basis for a theory that explains many observations regarding chemical kinetics, including factors affecting reaction rates.
The collision theory is based on the postulates that (i) the reaction rate is proportional to the rate of reactant collisions, (ii) the reacting species collide in an orientation allowing contact between...
Atoms, molecules, or ions must collide before they can react with each other. Atoms must be close together to form chemical bonds. This premise is the basis for a theory that explains many observations regarding chemical kinetics, including factors affecting reaction rates.
The collision theory is based on the postulates that (i) the reaction rate is proportional to the rate of reactant collisions, (ii) the reacting species collide in an orientation allowing contact between...
02:19Le Chatelier's Principle: Changing Temperature
Consistent with the law of mass action, an equilibrium stressed by a change in concentration will shift to re-establish equilibrium without any change in the value of the equilibrium constant, K. When an equilibrium shifts in response to a temperature change, however, it is re-established with a different relative composition that exhibits a different value for the equilibrium constant.
To understand this phenomenon, consider the elementary reaction:
To understand this phenomenon, consider the elementary reaction:
02:11Effects of Temperature on Free Energy
The spontaneity of a process depends upon the temperature of the system. Phase transitions, for example, will proceed spontaneously in one direction or the other depending upon the temperature of the substance in question. Likewise, some chemical reactions can also exhibit temperature-dependent spontaneities. To illustrate this concept, the equation relating free energy change to the enthalpy and entropy changes for the process is considered:
02:28Effect of Temperature Change on Reaction Rate
The Arrhenius equation,
01:11Temperature and Thermal Equilibrium
Heat and temperature are essential concepts for everyone every day. The study of heat and temperature is part of an area of physics known as thermodynamics. It is not always easy to distinguish heat and temperature.
The concept of temperature has evolved from the common concepts of hot and cold. The scientific definition of temperature explains more than just our sense of hot and cold. Temperature is operationally defined as the quantity measured with a thermometer. Furthermore, temperature is...
The concept of temperature has evolved from the common concepts of hot and cold. The scientific definition of temperature explains more than just our sense of hot and cold. Temperature is operationally defined as the quantity measured with a thermometer. Furthermore, temperature is...
01:17Heat Capacity: Problem-Solving
The heat capacity of a gas is the amount of heat energy required to raise the temperature of a unit mass of gas by one degree Celsius. It is an important thermodynamic property of gases, and its determination is essential in many industrial and scientific applications. Here are the steps to solve problems related to the heat capacities of gases:
Determine the type of gas: The heat capacity of a gas depends on its molecular structure and the degree of freedom of its molecules. Different types of...
Determine the type of gas: The heat capacity of a gas depends on its molecular structure and the degree of freedom of its molecules. Different types of...