Re: [PSUBS-MAILIST] New means having alot to learn.

["Paul B" <paul_victor@hotmail.com>]

Hi,

Getting O2 from water through electrolysis isn't as easy as it seams, unless 
you own a nuclear submarine with its nearly limitless power. If you do 
electrolysis on the sea water, instead of oxygen and hydrogen, you'll get 
chlorine and hydrogen. Chlorine is poison. As a matter of fact, it was used 
in the chemical warfare during WW II.

To get hydrogen and oxygen, one needs to distill water first (which involves 
boiling the water and then condensing the steam, very hot and very 
energy-consuming, don't forget that water boils at higher temperatures under 
pressure), to be rid of salts completely, and then either add some 
electrolyte creating substance to the water, that does not get consumed 
during electrolysis, or use very high voltage, because pure distilled water 
is a bad electrolyte and does not dissipate into ions easily. Then, provided 
you have accomplished that task successfully, you have to dump excess O2 (if 
you plan on using hydrogen/oxygen gas mixture), because there can't be more 
than 3% O2 in this atmospere, otherwise you will blow up. So you have to 
provide extra apparatus for that as well.

Taking an extra tank of breathing mixture or O2 on board is so much easier.

PS: I have heard of ion filters, which can filter out salts from water 
alltogether. Therefore, you don't have to distill it. Any more information 
about them, anybody?

Sincerely, Paul.

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