Oxygen isn’t Flammable

In Girl in the Glass, we learn the oxygen tanks aboard the Valencia are kept in the aft compartment, the farthest spot from the ship’s vital structures. As Officer Riggs explains:

“Their location is intentionally distant from crew quarters. Oxygen is highly flammable, and if the tanks explode, we’d rather lose the aft hold than split the Valencia in two.”

Declan couldn’t let faulty science slide:

“Technically, oxygen isn’t flammable,” he corrected Officer Riggs. “It’s not even combustible. Oxygen simply provides the energy to let an existing fire grow rapidly, as you phrased it, explosively.”

Of course, Professor Riordan is correct. While Oxygen is not flammable, it is an oxidizing agent. This means it supports and accelerates the combustion of other materials, but doesn't burn itself. For a fire to occur, three elements are needed. 1. A fuel source, 2. An ignition source, and 3. An oxidizer, like oxygen.  

Oxygen facilitates the chemical reactions that occur during combustion. The availability of oxygen increases the intensity of fire, causing it to burn hotter and faster. 

Combustion requires fuel, ignition, and oxygen. As an example:

To start a fire, you need 1. Fuel (like wood or paper) that needs to be 2. Ignited (with a spark or flame) in the presence of 3. An oxidizer, usually oxygen. Without oxygen, combustion cannot occur. 

Three elements of combustion