Pentagon Appropriations for scrubber research

lakelanddiver1978 · 14th December 2007, 17:31

I work in politics and came across this in a military appropriations rider that was attached to a bill I was working on. Anyone have any idea what Micropore is spending 1.6 million on?

"$1.6 million for Micropore, Inc.'s work on Reactive Plastic CO2 Absorbent Production Capacity, a critical technology improvement for rebreathers used by SEALS, subs, mines, etc."

Justin

Caves&Bunnies · 14th December 2007, 17:48

Quote: (Originally Posted by lakelanddiver1978)

I work in politics and came across this in a military appropriations rider that was attached to a bill I was working on. Anyone have any idea what Micropore is spending 1.6 million on?

"$1.6 million for Micropore, Inc.'s work on Reactive Plastic CO2 Absorbent Production Capacity, a critical technology improvement for rebreathers used by SEALS, subs, mines, etc."

Justin

We used MP Scrubbers in the Nuclear Submarine environment. They are emergency atmosphere control scrubbers, and used when sealing off compartments with a contaminated atmosphere. They were reactive to certain chemicals, although I don't remember which. Cool thing is, we used o2 rebreathers for firefighting, just don't get the canisters exposed to saltwater as they would literally explode! Do you think they met OSHA standards?

JCdesign97 · 14th December 2007, 17:49

Not sure exactly, but I assume it has something to do with work on Reactive Plastic CO2 Absorbent Production Capacity ... for rebreathers used by SEALS, subs, mines, etc.

And whatever it is, I'm all for it!

***diverklondike*** · 14th December 2007, 18:10

It's pretty straight forward...

Their cartridges are all "Reactive Plastic CO2 Absorbents".

The EAC products that they sell to the recreational dive industry are only one part of a very broad line of products that is based on the same technology.

Here is a link to their web site... ExtendAir

lakelanddiver1978 · 15th December 2007, 00:13

I guess my point was that I assumed that scrubber technology was pretty much played out, at least at the military leve. 1.6 million seems like a lot of money for R&D on basic scrubber techology, unless something new is in the pipeline.

Justin

***diverklondike*** · 15th December 2007, 02:10

Quote: (Originally Posted by lakelanddiver1978)

I guess my point was that I assumed that scrubber technology was pretty much played out, at least at the military leve. 1.6 million seems like a lot of money for R&D on basic scrubber techology, unless something new is in the pipeline.

Justin

The recreational scuba industry is just one of many industries that has needs for C02 scrubber technology. A simple review of the Micropore website sheds some light on this. Many of these applications have much tighter tolerances in weight/performance and related efficiencies.

M

OceanOpportunity · 15th December 2007, 13:47

1.6M actually is not much at all as far as R&D goes. Given that Micropore is really the only show in town for well-tested, standardized plug-and play-scrubbers, I'm sure it took all of 1.6, and more, to get there.

Quote: (Originally Posted by lakelanddiver1978)

I guess my point was that I assumed that scrubber technology was pretty much played out, at least at the military leve. 1.6 million seems like a lot of money for R&D on basic scrubber techology, unless something new is in the pipeline.

Justin

**Dave Sutton** · 15th December 2007, 14:21

Quote: (Originally Posted by diverklondike)

The recreational scuba industry is just one of many industries that has needs for C02 scrubber technology.

It's actually a pretty insignificant part of the equation, compared to other industries. Here's an example: The dry-escape rebreather (coal mine escape system) that I have been consulting on for the last year (using a custom build lithium based Micropore scrubber) is looking to go to a production volume of (get this) 10 *thousand* units over three years. Micropore could abandon the entire recreational market and never even notice. (Governmant Mandated) Industrial Applications, Submarines and Space Vehicles are where the money is.

Dave

14th December 2007, 17:31	#1 (permalink)
lakelanddiver1978 New Member Current Rebreather/s: Sport Kiss Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Lakeland Florida Posts: 25	Pentagon Appropriations for scrubber research I work in politics and came across this in a military appropriations rider that was attached to a bill I was working on. Anyone have any idea what Micropore is spending 1.6 million on? "$1.6 million for Micropore, Inc.'s work on Reactive Plastic CO2 Absorbent Production Capacity, a critical technology improvement for rebreathers used by SEALS, subs, mines, etc." Justin
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14th December 2007, 17:48	#2 (permalink)
Caves&Bunnies New Member Current Rebreather/s: Other CCR Other Rebreather/s: Other CCR Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Florida Posts: 14	Re: Pentagon Appropriations for scrubber research Quote: (Originally Posted by lakelanddiver1978) I work in politics and came across this in a military appropriations rider that was attached to a bill I was working on. Anyone have any idea what Micropore is spending 1.6 million on? "$1.6 million for Micropore, Inc.'s work on Reactive Plastic CO2 Absorbent Production Capacity, a critical technology improvement for rebreathers used by SEALS, subs, mines, etc." Justin We used MP Scrubbers in the Nuclear Submarine environment. They are emergency atmosphere control scrubbers, and used when sealing off compartments with a contaminated atmosphere. They were reactive to certain chemicals, although I don't remember which. Cool thing is, we used o2 rebreathers for firefighting, just don't get the canisters exposed to saltwater as they would literally explode! Do you think they met OSHA standards? __________________ Cheers Mike Edmonston NAUI Instructor#46984 Technical Scuba Training Center, FL. www.floridatechdive.com *Ask me about Great Deals on Dive Gear and Classes for Rebreather World members *
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14th December 2007, 17:49	#3 (permalink)
JCdesign97 My unit can beat up yours Current Rebreather/s: Optima Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: PA, USA Posts: 350	Re: Pentagon Appropriations for scrubber research Not sure exactly, but I assume it has something to do with work on Reactive Plastic CO2 Absorbent Production Capacity ... for rebreathers used by SEALS, subs, mines, etc. And whatever it is, I'm all for it! __________________ Cheers, John
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14th December 2007, 18:10	#4 (permalink)
*diverklondike* Moderator Current Rebreather/s: Inspiration Classic Other CCR Other Rebreather/s: Inspiration Classic Other CCR Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Delaware, USA Posts: 1,463	Re: Pentagon Appropriations for scrubber research It's pretty straight forward... Their cartridges are all "Reactive Plastic CO2 Absorbents". The EAC products that they sell to the recreational dive industry are only one part of a very broad line of products that is based on the same technology. Here is a link to their web site... ExtendAir
(Online)

15th December 2007, 00:13	#5 (permalink)
lakelanddiver1978 New Member Current Rebreather/s: Sport Kiss Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Lakeland Florida Posts: 25	Re: Pentagon Appropriations for scrubber research I guess my point was that I assumed that scrubber technology was pretty much played out, at least at the military leve. 1.6 million seems like a lot of money for R&D on basic scrubber techology, unless something new is in the pipeline. Justin
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15th December 2007, 02:10	#6 (permalink)
*diverklondike* Moderator Current Rebreather/s: Inspiration Classic Other CCR Other Rebreather/s: Inspiration Classic Other CCR Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Delaware, USA Posts: 1,463	Re: Pentagon Appropriations for scrubber research Quote: (Originally Posted by lakelanddiver1978) I guess my point was that I assumed that scrubber technology was pretty much played out, at least at the military leve. 1.6 million seems like a lot of money for R&D on basic scrubber techology, unless something new is in the pipeline. Justin The recreational scuba industry is just one of many industries that has needs for C02 scrubber technology. A simple review of the Micropore website sheds some light on this. Many of these applications have much tighter tolerances in weight/performance and related efficiencies. M
(Online)

15th December 2007, 13:47	#7 (permalink)
OceanOpportunity for a world of water Current Rebreather/s: Other CCR Dolphin Home Build Other Rebreather/s: Not Bought Yet Inspiration Classic Other CCR Dolphin Home Build Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Providence, RI USA Posts: 481	Re: Pentagon Appropriations for scrubber research 1.6M actually is not much at all as far as R&D goes. Given that Micropore is really the only show in town for well-tested, standardized plug-and play-scrubbers, I'm sure it took all of 1.6, and more, to get there. Quote: (Originally Posted by lakelanddiver1978) I guess my point was that I assumed that scrubber technology was pretty much played out, at least at the military leve. 1.6 million seems like a lot of money for R&D on basic scrubber techology, unless something new is in the pipeline. Justin __________________ Michael Lombardi Oceans of Opportunity www.oceanopportunity.com Elected Director, Society for Human Performance in Extreme Environments MN'07, The Explorers Club Project Manager, Diving a Dream
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15th December 2007, 14:21	#8 (permalink)
Dave Sutton Living on Animal Farm Current Rebreather/s: Sport Kiss MK 15.X rEvo Other CCR Azimuth Home Build Other Rebreather/s: Classic Kiss rEvo Other CCR Azimuth Home Build Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Narragansett, Rhode Island and Hackettstown, New Jersey Posts: 2,512	Re: Pentagon Appropriations for scrubber research Quote: (Originally Posted by diverklondike) The recreational scuba industry is just one of many industries that has needs for C02 scrubber technology. It's actually a pretty insignificant part of the equation, compared to other industries. Here's an example: The dry-escape rebreather (coal mine escape system) that I have been consulting on for the last year (using a custom build lithium based Micropore scrubber) is looking to go to a production volume of (get this) 10 thousand units over three years. Micropore could abandon the entire recreational market and never even notice. (Governmant Mandated) Industrial Applications, Submarines and Space Vehicles are where the money is. Dave __________________ . "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others" Professional Small Boy: Never Successfully Cubicled.
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