Dixon Rings are based on technology developed in 1948 – due to there size the common 3mm ring has a surface area of 2378m3/m3 which along with there void space of over 90% and HETP as low at 5.88cm they offer the perfect packing for a number of industries including those of submarines in which carbon dioxide can be fatal if left to saturate the air in a submarine.
"Using the rings to take out carbon dioxide from exhaled air is a process that will have many uses and it's a very exciting project to be involved with."
The combination of salt water liquid and the Dixon Rings creates a small 'gas scrubbing unit' that takes out the CO2 and safely discharges it into the sea.
The process of CO2 removal here is know as scrubbing which works by packing thousands of Dixon Rings into a column with gas and liquid flowing counter current to each other.
By developing the technology it is hoped to be able to extend the time submersibles can spend carrying out deep sea work.
Available in diameters of 1/16", 1/8" and 1/4", Dixon Rings can be packed in their millions into distillation columns, producing a remarkably large surface area in a small volume