The whole reason for cleaning valves that will be used in oxygen services is to get rid of ignition materials or sources. Clippard Industrial Engineer Steve Schutte says there are several ignition sources recognized by industry standards. “For example, small particles that strike a material with enough velocity to generate heat. Enough heat and the particle ignites itself, the surrounding material, or both. And when fed by pure oxygen, the flame can be considerable.” Other ignition sources cited by Schutte include adiabatic compression, frictional heating, mechanical impact, and electrical-arc ignition.