In: Physics
How many breaths will a worker be able to take when he enters a vessel that contains 100% nitrogen before losing consiousness.
Assume a breath involves the intake of gas into the lungs that expands in volume between 5L and 6L (i.e. 350 mL of gas is taken in/expelled). The gas in the vessel is pure nitrogen and the original composition of the gases in the lungs is 21% oxygen, 79% nitrogen, Also assume 45 breaths per minute. It is assumed that loss of consciousness occurs when the average concentration of oxygen in the lungs drops below 11%.