Re: [PSUBS-MAILIST] scrubber

[Nathanael Henderson <jude@pconline.com>]

On Thu, 1 Feb 2001, Alain Gagnon wrote:

> hi list i looked over and there is so many things about scrubber, but i
> would need something more consistent like a receipe or something,is
> there anyone who ever built a scrubber unit? plan calculation, parts,
> where to get ? thanks in advance

    I have a hazmat rebreather (the personal wearable version of a sub
scrubber system) and it's really very idiot proof technology.   Get a
piece of large diameter PVC or some other box/tube, seal off the ends with
fine mesh screen (keep one or both ends removeable), fill with scrubber
(calcium/sodium hydroxide granules) and slap a fan on one end to pull
air through.   This removes carbon dioxide from the air.   Throw in an
oxygen tank (pure oxygen, NOT air) to add more oxygen as it gets used up
(you can buy small oxygen sensors that will tell you how much O2 is in the
air, or a barometer to compensate for the pressure drops as oxygen is used
up) and you're in business.   If you don't trust it (and it's wise not to
trust anything too far) seal yourself up on land for a few hours with an
outside observer that can pop the hatch if you start acting strangely/pass
out.    A great resource on rebreather technology is

    http://www.nwdesigns.com/rebreathers/

   They have a very active mailing list and extensive web site, and will
even give you a good price on scrubber (Sofnolime(tm), at $99 for a 20
kilo keg plus $25 handling fee per order plus shipping.  Prices go down to
$74 a keg on large orders (10+ kegs).  Definately check out the web site,
though, they have very good info on oxygen consumption rates and how long
scrubber lasts for instance.



'Than
Surf the probability curve.