Steve

Yes, That is Paul's view on it. Many of us disagree however, and feel he doesn't understand the roles gas path length and tidal movement play and is focused on static gas modelling and as a result the only answer he can come up with is volume is the determining factor. One has to ignore how a rebreather works to arrive at this theory. He isn't wrong as such but rather has opted for an over simplified model that results in a part answer.

For the record, it is well understood that gas moves through a rebreather in steps (breaths) and dwell time is directly related to the size of these steps and the distance from one side of the scrubber to the other. In short (and generally speaking) axials, due to their longer bed length have a longer dwell time. The trade off is a higher WOB.

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