Argon, Is it warmer?

[sheck33]

If how warm you are only depended on the gas used in the suit than Argon would be the warmer choice simply because it's thermal conductivity is lower than a O2/N2 mix, since both N2 and O2 each have a higher thermal conductivity than Ar.

However the comparision gets harder when more parameters are involved. But even so, simply because of the above mentioned fact i would not be at all surprised that Argon is considered warmer.

Krypton or Xenon would even be better as an insulating gas in a suit as their thermal conductivity is even lower. But these gasses, Xenon in particular, would be very expensive as well.

Radon would be the best gas if it werent so darn radioactive

 

[kpauley]

I guess the trick to staying warm is to pick your favorite study and stuff your suit with it.

What are the insulation properties of shredded paper?

nradov once bubbled...


I saw that study, it was rather amusing. They used the wrong kind of insulation, and that overwhelmed any differences between the inflation gasses, so of course the divers got cold. There were other flaws in the experimental methods as well but that was the big one.

The US Navy did similar tests years ago, and did them correctly (i.e. with thick and noncompressible Thinsulate insulation), and found that argon definitely does help.

Here's a web page with the heat transfer calculations in case anyone is interested. http://www.decompression.org/maiken/Why_Argon.htm

 

[danw2002]

this has been a fun thread, but anyone coming to the party late, one thing i would sugest is going to the site below and really reading the study, it is good and helps one understand some things about air(and other gases) and how it insulates...i for one will use my argon up here in the Pacific NW....=-) http://www.decompression.org/maiken/Why_Argon.htm ]Navy gas test...[/URL]

 

[MadReefer]

If those Norweigian divers woud have used DUI's 200g thinsulate they would not have complained about being cold. I test dove DUIs undies at Clearsprings Scuba park (Terrell Texas) two weeks ago. Water temps at 45 ffw was 51. The dive was 52 mins long (eight mins short of the poor bastards in Norway), and I was toasty warm...even with a wrinkle in the collar which soaked my clothing, but not the Thinsulate.

It's all about the undies.

MAD:upset:

 

[MadReefer]

Sweden...Still a brutal way to define thermal conductivity of gases


Mad
:bonk: