Approximately how much displacing gas is needed to drop oxygen concentration by 5%?

To drop the oxygen concentration by 5%, it is crucial to understand the relationship between the concentration of a displacing gas and its effect on oxygen levels in the air. Air is composed of approximately 21% oxygen, and to achieve a reduction of 5%, the percentage of the displacing gas must be sufficient to replace a portion of the oxygen.

If you introduce a gas that is not oxygen, such as nitrogen or carbon dioxide, it will occupy space in the atmosphere, leading to a decrease in the percentage of oxygen present. When considering how much of this displacing gas is required, it is known that for every 1% decrease in oxygen concentration, about 5% more of the displacing gas must be present.

Therefore, to displace enough oxygen to cause a 5% drop in concentration, approximately 25% of the gas mixture would have to be composed of the displacing gas. This is based on a typical model of mixing gases where the displaced volume must equate to the volume of the gas being replaced.

This method emphasizes the calculation of total displacement ratio necessary to achieve the desired oxygen decrease, confirming that 25% is the correct proportion of displacing gas needed to cause a 5% reduction in oxygen