3 ms·

Liquid oxygen is definitely not the cheapest industrial liquid after water. Just the temperature required to maintain liquid oxygen makes this false on its face

Liquid oxygen is definitely not the cheapest industrial liquid after water. Just the temperature required to maintain liquid oxygen makes this false on its face. Even oxygen gas isn't the cheapest gas.

pfdietz 4y ago
NASA in 2001 paid $0.67/gallon for liquid oxygen. What industrial liquid aside from water (or things dissolved in water) is that cheap?
- tuatoru 4y ago
  Just recently methanol was $378/ton in small amounts. In 2019 it was between $200/ton and $300/ton. I'm too lazy to do the price deflation--and I wouldn't know what deflator to use--but that seems like it would have been at least comparable. Fuel oil may have been similar. Sulfuric acid $170/ton in 2022.
  - Robotbeat 4y ago
    Liquid oxygen is about $100/tonne in large quantities, and the price can be even lower if you pay for large scale, on-site generation.
    - londons_explore 4y ago
      Liquid oxygen pricing is mostly the electricity pricing... Equipment cost is small in comparison. Which means it varies widely depending on where in the world you're wanting it. It isn't valuable enough to ship far.
      - Robotbeat 4y ago
        It takes about 200kWh per tonne of oxygen separated. If it’s mostly electricity price (therefore total price is at most twice the electricity price), and your industrial electricity is 7¢/kWh (common in the US), then you’re saying the total price of liquid oxygen is no more than about $30/tonne, even lower than my $100/tonne.
  - daniel-cussen 4y ago
Robotbeat 4y ago
Really? What’s cheaper? Oxygen is around $0.10 per kilogram in bulk. The only pure gas that’s cheaper is maybe nitrogen. I’m not sure liquid nitrogen is cheaper than oxygen, however, since the boiling point is significantly lower. What industrial liquid other than water is cheaper than liquid oxygen? What is significantly lower than $100/tonne?

3 ms·

Liquid oxygen is definitely not the cheapest industrial liquid after water. Just the temperature required to maintain liquid oxygen makes this false on its face

by daveguy 4y ago

pfdietz 4y ago
NASA in 2001 paid $0.67/gallon for liquid oxygen. What industrial liquid aside from water (or things dissolved in water) is that cheap?
- tuatoru 4y ago
  Just recently methanol was $378/ton in small amounts. In 2019 it was between $200/ton and $300/ton. I'm too lazy to do the price deflation--and I wouldn't know what deflator to use--but that seems like it would have been at least comparable. Fuel oil may have been similar. Sulfuric acid $170/ton in 2022.
  - Robotbeat 4y ago
    Liquid oxygen is about $100/tonne in large quantities, and the price can be even lower if you pay for large scale, on-site generation.
    - londons_explore 4y ago
      Liquid oxygen pricing is mostly the electricity pricing... Equipment cost is small in comparison. Which means it varies widely depending on where in the world you're wanting it. It isn't valuable enough to ship far.
      - Robotbeat 4y ago
        It takes about 200kWh per tonne of oxygen separated. If it’s mostly electricity price (therefore total price is at most twice the electricity price), and your industrial electricity is 7¢/kWh (common in the US), then you’re saying the total price of liquid oxygen is no more than about $30/tonne, even lower than my $100/tonne.
  - daniel-cussen 4y ago
Robotbeat 4y ago
Really? What’s cheaper? Oxygen is around $0.10 per kilogram in bulk. The only pure gas that’s cheaper is maybe nitrogen. I’m not sure liquid nitrogen is cheaper than oxygen, however, since the boiling point is significantly lower. What industrial liquid other than water is cheaper than liquid oxygen? What is significantly lower than $100/tonne?