Quote: (Originally Posted by
Mdemon)
If there is a fire then I agree - I don't think the results will be pretty.
As far as sparking goes - is this a red herring? The spark isn't actually anything burning, just energy. Whilst this might ignite flammable gasses, there are none present - O2 isn't. I'm not sure whether there is enough energy in a static spark to actually ignite material, even if surrounded in O2.
Would make for an interesting experiment!
Now try the following at home.... Take an old fashioned frying pan and put it on an induction cooking plate. Turn up to 12 and wait for it to catch flames. It will happen although there is no fire or flame. My point here is that you don't need a fire to start a fire. Just the old known fire triangle. Fuel, Oxygen and Temperature. But hey you're a CCR diver you knew this allready. The oxygen fires caused by adiabatic heating don't need a flame either.
Fuel? Plenty of that. All the sythetic fabrics work well. In addition their may be plenty of contamination in the form of grease (natural from skin or artificual)
Oxygen? Well yeah at relatively high pressure
Temperature? Hmmmm, well my 37 degrees Celcius or your 100 degrees Fahrenheid is well below the spontenous inflammation point of most materials... The discharge in pure oxygen will not do much (Nitrogen may be oxidized in minute quantities and the 3*O2 will form 2*O3 (=Ozone) but both are endothermic reactions meaning the heath will be absorbed suffocating the reaction. Now the arc won't be in pure oxygen will it? It will start and end at the source off the static electricity.
Theoretically friction may do the job as well but is even less likely... Still pure O2 under pressure and drysuits don't mix well. (Unless off course you have this carbon fiber lined undersuit that gets rid off static electricity before it builds up)
If you don't beleive me then DON'T TRY PROVING IT by inflating your suit at 100m using 100% O2 and press the button of your EMPTY (you need no gas just the sparc) cigarette ligher against your undersuit. You might not survice it if after all I'm right....