Scrubber cartridge build in the counter lung
Oxygen rebreathers are mainly used in the mining industry. Later, these systems were further developed for underwater use. The purpose of oxygen breathers for diving was primarily for military applications. The unique feature of a closed breathing system that allows divers to dive without visible bubbles was the reason for the military success. An important wish was that the systems should be as compact and simple as possible. For this reason, these systems are often equipped with a scrubber located in the counter lung. Most of these rebreathers are so-called pendulum systems. The diver breathes in and out through 1 hose. As a result, the CO2-rich gas will be led through the scrubber during exhalation and again during inhalation. The gas moves back and forth, hence the name pendulum. There are some manufacturers who have nevertheless separated the inhalation and exhalation tubes, passing the gas through two compartments to achieve separation between the inhaled and exhaled gas.
In mining, it was very important to be able to change cartridges quickly. From the very first models, manufacturers have used disposable cartridges that could be changed with two screws.
Finally, we know of very early systems in which the lung was not in a holder bag, but was loose in the counter lung.
No 9. is not a scrubber but a chemical cooler to cool the breathing air.
Therebreathersite was founded by Jan Willem Bech in 1999. After a diving career of many years, he decided to start technical diving in 1999. He immediately noticed that at that time there was almost no website that contained the history of closed breathing systems. The start for the website led to a huge collection that offered about 1,300 pages of information until 2019. In 2019, a fresh start was made with the website now freely available online for everyone. Therebreathersite is a source of information for divers, researchers, technicians and students. I hope you enjoy browsing the content!