Vortex: A non-powered active CO2 scrubber for mine refuge chambers

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A mine refuge chamber is an underground shelter used in emergencies where evacuation is nolonger safe or practical, & must prevent CO2 build-up that could lead to suffocation orpoisoning. Currently, mine refuge chambers use passive CO2 absorbing curtains, as there willoften be no means of powering an active CO2 scrubbing system in an emergency. Thecurtains rely on natural airflow to remove the CO2. In low airflow, typical of enclosed spaces,the morphology of the curtains means that only 60% of the scrubbing compound can reactbefore the end of their lifecycle, reducing their lifetime. Furthermore, they generally uselithium hydroxide (LiOH) which is toxic & can cause burns, & the reaction between CO2 andLiOH often causes the chamber to exceed temperatures of ~35°C which can lead to stress,dehydration, nausea & fainting.The curtains are large & cumbersome & have to be rolled out& hung up which can waste precious time in a life or death situation.To address the problems & take advantage of the mkt opportunity, Molecular ProductsLimited are proposing a non-powered, active CO2 & CO draft tube reactor system (Vortex).The system will use latent heat from the scrubbing reaction to create its own airflow &actively remove the CO2 from the air. Advantages over curtains:- Lifetime is increased by over 30% - Vortex will use 85-90% of the available reactant & willself-regulate due to the active airflow, increasing lifetime by at least another 6 hours.- Vortex will produce ~25% less heat energy - uses non-toxic, less exothermically reactiveSofnolime®, so ambient temperature will be significantly lower.- The forced airflow will allow Vortex to retain a more consistent CO2 removing capabilityover its lifetime, similar to powered systems.- 1/5 the volume of a curtain – making easier storage & saving space when in use.- As well as removing CO2 from the atmosphere, the draft tube will also contain Moleculite®,so will remove CO.