What's the difference between an oxygen canister and oxygen generating cylinder, as in qf30 vs value jet592?

Question

i have read that the qantas flight 30 incident was the first aviation incident involving an oxygen canister or bottle. however, in 1996 in the US, valuejet flight 592 plunged into the everglades due to a fire caused by an oxygen generating cylinder. what's the difference between these two oxygen tanks?

Answer 1

An oxygen cylinder generally refers to a cylinder pressurized with oxygen. Some are fixed in the aircraft for use by the crew or the passengers through the overhead masks and some are portable. An oxygen canister is a device when activated internally ignites and the byproduct is oxygen. They are generally fixed overhead for the passenger masks or located in the seat back for use with the passenger masks.The Value Jet flight was carrying expired oxygen canisters, or oxygen generators as they are referred to, in the cargo hold being returned to be disposed of. They were not equipment on that particular aircraft.

Answer 2

an oxygen canister is the one that generates oxygen as a chemical reaction activated when passenger pull the larnyard when oxygen mask had dropped.

an oxygen cylinder contains oxygen filled to near full capacity for us by crew or passenger.

Because of weight crew uses oxygen from cylinders while passenger will use the chemically generated oxygen.

Answer 3

A bottle holds pressurized gas, just as you would see a mechanic take an airbottle out to a car/plane/trailer and fill up the tire with compressed air.

The o2 generators utilize a chemical reaction that is initiated when the 3 chemicals are mixed... which occurs when you pull down on the mask. The resultant chemical reaction generates about 15-20 minutes of o2 for your mask. The problem with Valujet 592 was the generators when they fire off, exotherm up to around 500 degrees F and they were improperly rigged/packed/shipped... so the chain reaction created a fire that incredibly intense and brought down the aircraft.