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Bill,

It is both temperature and depth related, according to the Navy.  While I
can understand temperature, depth is still a mystery to me because of my
knowledge of how the human body works.  CO2 is a direct by-product of
metabolism.  You make more, the harder you work.  That's why breathing
rates increase with activity.

 But what I DON'T understand is why depth would be a limiting factor on
scrubber life.   I can't see how the body would produce MORE CO2 at depth,
since you are only able to metabolize so much oxygen, water, and glucose to
leave a waste product of CO2 at any given time.  So it's not like the body
is releasing more CO2 at depth than at the surface.

The only thing I can assume (before someone pipes up on the list and gives
me the correct answer) is that it has something to do with gas transfer and
the catalytic reaction calcium hydroxide undergoes under pressure.  I
produced a documentary, several years ago all about Lime.  I thought, at
that time, that I learned all there is to know about this chemical.  I
guess I was wrong.  If I don't get a complete answer from someone here,
I'll go back to my sources in the chemical industry, and find out why it
should matter.

Rob Wolov, if you're still out there, lets hear it.  Maybe Pete has an
answer too.

Kevin.

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