Regenerable, Closed-circuit Oxygen Rebreather With Passive Torso Heating Capability

Area of Science:

• Diving technology
• Materials science
• Environmental engineering

Background:

• Traditional diving rebreathers rely on single-use carbon dioxide (CO2) scrubbers.
• These systems generate waste and lack integrated heating capabilities.
• There is a need for reusable, efficient CO2 scrubbing solutions with added thermal management for divers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and develop a regenerable diving scrubber vest with passive torso heating.
• To evaluate the performance of the prototype against established military diving standards.
• To assess the feasibility of reusable rebreather technology for tactical applications.

Main Methods:

• Selected highly cyclable 5A zeolite physi-sorbents for CO2 scrubbing.
• Integrated sorbents into a durable, drop-stitch patterned vest made from high-temperature resilient, nontoxic materials.
• Developed the Dragon Breath rebreather prototype by integrating the vest with the military Shadow rebreather.
• Tested the prototype against U.S. Navy Experimental Diving Unit technical manual specifications (TM-15-01).

Main Results:

• The regenerable zeolite vest demonstrated comparable endurance to traditional single-use scrubbers.
• Work of breathing metrics for the prototype were consistent with existing rebreather systems.
• The vest successfully integrated with the Shadow rebreather and met performance specifications.

Conclusions:

• The developed diving scrubber vest represents a viable, reusable alternative to conventional CO2 scrubbing systems.
• The integration of passive torso heating offers enhanced diver comfort and operational capability.
• This technology provides a pathway for developing sustainable, tactical reusable rebreathers.