MIL-O-37997_Oxygen Gas.pdf

This is a Military Specification (MIL-O-37997) issued December 18, 1985, establishing requirements for filled oxygen cylinders (USP, high pressure) for medical applications in Department of Defense use. The specification covers oxygen gas conforming to United States Pharmacopeial standards, cylinder design and construction, valve specifications, closure and markings, charging procedures, and quality assurance provisions.

Key technical requirements include: cylinders must conform to Federal Specification RR-C-901/3 with Department of Transportation 3AA steel fabrication; all medical cylinders must be supplied with valve caps and neck flanges per MIL-C-17376/3; permanent markings must include potency (60 months), expiration dates stenciled in white on opposite sides, and serial numbers prefixed by "KX"; cylinders must be evacuated to 3 inches of mercury or greater before charging and filled according to cylinder design. Valves must meet MIL-V-2 requirements with specific inlet and outlet connections (size 4 inlet for D cylinders, size 6 inlet for M and H cylinders); valve materials must comply with NASA NHB 8060.1 Group 1 Type D specifications, with restrictions on aluminum, magnesium, and titanium in direct oxygen contact. Quality assurance requires contractor responsibility for inspection; leakage testing by immersion following filling constitutes failure of test; acceptable quality levels (AQL) are 1.0 percent defective for major cylinder defects and 2.5 percent for minor defects, with 0.4 AQL for valves. Packaging options include Level A (no preservation), Level B (palletized with strapping for cylinders over 30 inches; boxes per PPP-B-601 for smaller cylinders), or Level C (commercial practice). The specification covers NSNs 6505-00-132-5181 (Size D), 6505-00-132-5199 (Size H), and 6505-00-132-5225 (Size M), with custodian activities Army-MD, Navy-MS, Air Force-O3 and coordinating activity VA-OSS.