How does air get re-oxygenated in an airplane?

[JEDI]

ie: 15hr flight to Asia

How?

 

[Leper Messiah]

It's not a totally sealed enviroment, IIRC, its just compressed. So they're taking in and exhuasting alot of air and stuff like that.

 

[wischeez]

Ever heard of liquid oxygen?


Actually it's air bled off the engines through coolers and fed into the cabin.

 

[AlienCraft]

Oxygen is not added to the cabin except in cases where the masks are deployed. THAT comes from a chemical reaction occuring in a small bottle above your head.
If you're wondering about the cabin air, it is compressed when the door is sealed.
They may use a CO2 scrubber system to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide. There is plenty of O2.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

I thought they would constantly take in air from the outside and process it to vent in some O2...

 

[Yzzim]

probably something I'd never think about, as breathing comes natural to me.

 

[InverseOfNeo]

Originally posted by: DLeRium
I thought they would constantly take in air from the outside and process it to vent in some O2...

I thought so too. I read an article somewhere over the summer about the company that makes the control system for such valves on the A380 and this guy that used to work for them that said they were not safe. And that it would open the exit valve while the entry valve was still open....creating a fast decompression of the plane rendering everyone unconcious, similar to what happend to golfer Payne Stewart.

 

[SilentRavens]

I was under the impression that in flight, air is constantly being compressed and put into the cabin, while at the same time a certain amount of cabin air is constantly being exhausted out from the plane.

Though the idea of a sealed enviroment and some form of CO2 scrubbers also makes sense.

 

[Bozono]

Air isn't recycled on a Commercial Flight, save an Emergency.

 

[FoBoT]

air outside is air

they bring air in and you breathe it
the air leaves and some more air comes in


airplanes are not in outer space, they are in air

so there is no magic involved, they just pressurize the cabin for your comfort. so they bring outside air into the cabin.
its all air and nothing but the air

here is a more technical explaination

http://avstop.com/AC/FlightTraingHandbook/PressurizedAirplanes.html

 

[Dunbar]

Originally posted by: wischeez
Actually it's air bled off the engines through coolers and fed into the cabin.

True, air is bled off the high pressure compressor, fed into air packs and "mixed" to create the right temperature. Newer planes don't introduce as much "fresh" air into the cabin to save gas. Since bleeding air off the engines reduces efficiency, it increases fuel burn.

Just to clarify, pressurization is not a comfort issue, you'd be brain dead without it.