Submarine Atmospheric Contaminant Scrubbing Technology

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are advanced adsorbents with applicability to military and civilian applications including but not limited to chemical biological protection, chemical warfare agent decontamination, toxic industrial chemical remediation, medical oxygen delivery, and energy storage. These materials have been produced in ton-scale quantities and have seen commercial use in the electronics and specialty chemicals sectors. However, these materials are not currently being used to increase survivability during accidents in enclosed spaces, such as disabled submarines (DISSUB). During a DISSUB, atmospheric contaminants such as nitrogen dioxide, chlorine, and ammonia are produced from battery malfunctions, fires, and the build-up of human waste. These Submarine Escape Action Limit (SEAL) gases reduce the survivability of survivors waiting to be rescued. The proposed work will demonstrate that a MOF-based scrubbing solution is adaptable to the environment inside a submarine, performant in removing SEAL gases, and scalable to outfit in-service and future submarines. Furthermore, this work will explore enhancing current MOF scrubbing performance by examining a variety of passive filter concepts.