Study seeks new means of CO2 removal

The MoD has been evaluating a new product design for unpowered CO2 removal in survival scenarios.

Frazer-Nash Consultancy has completed a study for the UK Ministry of Defence to evaluate the efficiency of carbon dioxide (CO2) removal from distressed submarines.

Operational submarines usually use powered mechanical extraction units to remove CO2 from the air; however alternative means of extraction are required for circumstances in which the units cannot operate such as a survival situation.

The MoD has been evaluating a new product design for unpowered CO2 removal in survival scenarios.

This involves the use of reactive polymer curtains (RPCs) to remove CO2 from the surrounding air by way of a chemical reaction.

Frazer-Nash was appointed to assess the performance of the RPCs using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to map patterns of airflow, and to validate this work against physical trials of RPCs.

The main concern was areas of the submarine that might hold pockets of CO2 at levels that potentially could be life threatening, these are readily identifiable using CFD.

According to George Tebbutt, Project Leader at Frazer-Nash: "The research is an important step forward for the development of submarine safety systems, helping to improve the efficiency of a vital piece of survival equipment".

"If called on in a critical situation, RPCs could provide a valuable lifeline for submariners, ensuring breathable air by effectively removing CO2".

"Having developed and validated this new approach to simulate the CO2 concentration and chemical reaction, we now plan to use this to assess further survival situations and similar scenarios in the future".

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