Re: [PSUBS-MAILIST] measurment of CO content.

["Dale" <heinzind@cadvision.com>]

-----Original Message-----
From: Erik Michael Muller <emm03@uow.edu.au>
To: Personal_Submersibles@psubs.org <Personal_Submersibles@psubs.org>
Date: Tuesday, June 25, 2002 11:46 PM
Subject: [PSUBS-MAILIST] measurment of CO content.


>Hi folks,
>I am new to the list, but am keen to construct a dry ambient
>submersible...if I can get anywhere near enough money together.
>Anyhow,
>After scouring the archives and the web, I have been unable to find
>any discussion on a way to measure the CO build up, real-time:
>
>In the case of an ambient sub, I am thinking that for shallow depths
>where air is not consumed very quickly, especially considering there
>is no physical exertion, then the limit of dive time might be more a
>dependant on how quickly CO builds up.  I suppose this is in turn
>dependant on how big a volume you are breathing, but does anyone have
>ideas of how soon the air becomes too toxic to usefully stay
>awake?I.e., how many times can I realistically and safely breathe the
>same volume of air?
>
>This led onto a thought of how to measure CO content in the air. Does
>anyone know of a simple way to do this?  My crazy brain went on to
>design a device where the ambient air is bubbled through a solution
>containing some colored pH indicator, which i thought would become
>redder as carbonic acid from the CO in the air built up, although I am
>not sure how practical this is. If anyone wants to try it, I would be
>very interested to find out (red cabbage is hideously expensive in
>Australia, and black market red cabbages are no good).
>
>Anyhow, I hope I havent said anything outrageously silly/contraversial
>or annoying...
>Thanks!
>E.Muller
>

good question I have asked myself a few times..  With the K250, George
recomends 1.5 hrs max.  although he states that you can survive about 6 hrs
with the air inside (no additional air, or scrubbers)  this is a fairly
small space.  I have been in the sub as long as 1 hr 15 min, with no
noticible stuffyness or anything..
as for a simple co2 monitor, I was looking at my "new busby" the other day,
and noticed some simple solutions in there, similar to what you were
proposing.. I am going to try and build one myself and see how well I do..


dale.