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

Completed

Not Energy Related
Fossil Fuels: Oil Gas and Coal(Coal, Other Coal)

Applied Research and Development

PHYSICAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS (Chemistry)

Not Cross-cutting

Project Contact
Molecular Products Limited

Smart - Proof of Concept

Innovate UK

01 October 2015

31 July 2016

10 months

£100,000

East of England

Competition Call: 1505_SmartRd2_POC - Smart - Proof of Concept. Activity Unknown

Project Contact, Molecular Products Limited

A mine refuge chamber is an underground shelter used in emergencies where evacuation is no longer safe or practical, & must prevent CO2 build-up that could lead to suffocation or poisoning. Currently, mine refuge chambers use passive CO2 absorbing curtains, as there will often be no means of powering an active CO2 scrubbing system in an emergency. The curtains 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 react before the end of their lifecycle, reducing their lifetime. Furthermore, they generally use lithium hydroxide (LiOH) which is toxic & can cause burns, & the reaction between CO2 and LiOH 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 Products Limited 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 & will self-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 reactive Sofnolime , so ambient temperature will be significantly lower. - The forced airflow will allow Vortex to retain a more consistent CO2 removing capability over 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.

13/02/18