A Performance Assessment of a Chemical Based Technology for the Dissub Co2 Removal System in Royal Navy Submarines Using Computational Fluid Dynamic Modelling

Having identified a deficiency in the Royal Navy's present DIStressed SUBmarine (DISSUB) Carbon Dioxide (CO₂) removal system the Marine Environment Sustainability and Habitability (MESH) Integrated Project Team (IPT) (now Maritime Equipment Transformation (MET)) has run a project to select and install a new CO₂ removal system. This uses a chemical based technology in the form of Reactive Polymer Curtains (RPCs) to absorb CO₂ from the air.

In order to maximise the potential benefits and better inform the deployment of this product, Frazer-Nash Consultancy has been contracted by MESH IPT to undertake a study using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) to numerically simulate the airflow and CO₂ absorption reaction in a realistic survival situation in the forward compartment of a T-Class submarine.

This paper reports the results of an assessment of the proposed deployment strategy for the RPCs based on the CO₂ levels throughout the compartment, with particular attention to the CO₂ levels around the crew. This will provide an input to the guidelines for deployment of RPCs in survival conditions.