Advance Hybrid Air Scrubber

To address the Navy need for rapid removal of multiple classes of pollutants from submersibles via one compact air scrubber, Physical Optics Corporation (POC) proposes to develop a new Advanced Hybrid Air Scrubber (AHAS) based on sequential application of multiple sorption/scrubbing processes. The innovation in integrating multiple scrubbing processes into a single system allows efficient removal of multiple classes of pollutants with final by-products of only oxygen and water. This reduces the use of consumables and allows continuous operation of >10 hours using a 28 V DC source. The low pressure drop across the AHAS, which is approximately the size of desktop computer, supports energy efficiency in moving air through the system, reducing total pollutant concentration by 50% in 5 min, and operational capability in 1 to 6 atm at 29 to 140 degrees F. In Phase I, POC will combine the various pollutant removal technologies to develop a laboratory-scale prototype of TRL >3. Phase I test results will lead to the design of a full-scale AHAS capable of removing pollutants from up to 1,700 cu ft of enclosed volume, and development, in Phase II, of a full-scale prototype of TRL >6 that will meet all Navy requirements.