- Kerosene Flash Point & Barometer Pressure reading on Mt Everest.
- Kerosene Flash Point & Barometer Pressure reading on Mt Everest.
Oxygen content in air at Everest Summit has been a keen topic of interest among mountaineering community well before Mr Tenzing and Hillary first conquered the highest point on Earth on 29th May 1953. Alexander Kellas, a British Doctor and mountaineer had actually predicted as early as 1920 that the Everest could be climbed, but the extreme altitude of 8848 m with the consequent oxygen deprivation had foiled previous attempts. One reason for the success of the 1953 expedition was the work done by the British physiologist Griffith Pugh in 1952 when he studied many of the physiological factors at high altitude including the oxygen requirements.
Prediction of Barometer air pressure at Everest Height of 8848 m using several calculations has yielded several results ranging from 220 to 275 mm. It was also known that for same altitude on earth on different Latitudes of same height, air pressure varies significantly. As per ICAO, standard atmosphere for aircraft, the predicted air pressure was considerably lower then actual at Mt. Everest. As high as 30 mm air pressure variation is possible for same altitude (8848 m), between the Everest at current latitude and if any other mountain situated at around 60 latitude either near North Pole or South Pole.( Ref 83_JAP_barometricEVEREST.pdf).
Actual direct measurement of Barometer Pressure on Everest summit was first time measured in history in Oct 1981, as 253 mm. Second time direct measurement in May 1997, result was within 1 mm of 253 mm, this is the number till now being used by mountaineers for all physiological calculation related to Oxygen content in air on Everest Summit. (Ref: Everest Physiology )
So, the direct measurement of Air Pressure on Everest Summit is 253 mm. that is incidentally one third of the mean sea level value.
Therefore, Flash Point of Kerosene sample having 38 deg C should give uncorrected flash point on Everest at 8848 m altitude = 38 - 0.033 ( 760 - 253) = 21.2 deg C.
What is Flash Point of the above sample on Mt. Everest - very simple, don't require any calculation, because it is 38 deg C on Mt Everest, also 38 C on Mount Rainier (4392 m), or Mt. Kazbek, Russia (5033m) or Mt Fuji, Japan (3776 m).
So what is the Flash Point of Kerosene sample on Moon, if Flash Point of the same sample is 38 deg C at New York ?
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