World's First Artificial Gills Re-breather

[kelemvor]

I kind of think there would be enough LOX in a Spare Air to last 45 minutes.

Sure, a spare air uses a 3cuft container I think. If you could somehow store 3cuft of LOX in it you'd have plenty of gas to breathe. Wikipedia Liquid oxygen has an expansion ratio of 1:861 under 1 standard atmosphere (100 kPa) and 20 °C (68 °F). You'd end up with 2583 cuft of oxygen gas.

Storing LOX in a scuba tank isn't going to work, though. You have to keep it cold (-297f or colder). Otherwise it will gradually boil off into a gaseous form. As that happens pressure in a sealed scuba tank will increase until it eventually explodes (or hopefully, the burst disk goes and releases the gas). This is why LOX is transported in dewars that either have an open top or a pressure relief valve.

It's just as laughable an idea as the original.

 

[Storker]

Storing LOX in a scuba tank isn't going to work, though. You have to keep it cold (-297f or colder). Otherwise it will gradually boil off into a gaseous form.

Not quite. Generally, if you keep the pressure high enough, a gas will become liquid at a given temperature. Provided you are below the critical point. Beyond the critical point, you have neither a gas nor a liquid, but something inbetween. Or neither, but not a solid either.

The critical point of oxygen is at -118.6C (154.6K), 50.5 bar. So, above 155K/-119C/-181F you can't have LOX, you'll have SC O2. Which has a density of roughly one third of LOX.

 

[BRT]

I'm only saying that storing it as a liquid gives plenty of cubic feet. As it boils off it cools. Probably with a little insulation you would end up with a big ball of ice and a 45 minute dive time.

 

[Pao]

I don't know what happens to the money when one of these campaigns fail. But even if you had to return every dime, you could still string everyone along long enough so you could invest it short term for a dividend.

Yes. That could be the real "scam" behind this scam.

 

[fiduce]

I kind of think there would be enough LOX in a Spare Air to last 45 minutes.

A dewar spare air shell would not give you much inner space in those handles ;-)
It's not exactly a milk bottle.
And they tell you can dive 4x45 minutes before you the two canisters are empty.

 

[KenGordon]

Yes. That could be the real "scam" behind this scam.

Or maybe it is money laundering. Perhaps there are no idiot 'investors' just a source of dodgy money.

 

[Neilwood]

Having skimmed a lot of info regarding this, one thing I was taught at a young age comes to mind:
A fool and his money are soon parted.

 

[kelemvor]

I did a little bit of snooping around and found out that this sort of thing happens on Indegogo pretty regularly. One guy was trying to collect money to go catch live dinosaurs. Another company raised a million dollars, with a fictitious device that could scan a plate of food and give you a complete chemical and nutritional breakdown of the food. I did not encounter any reports of a case where charges were pressed. It sorta looks like this whole thing is completely legal. I don't know what happens to the money when one of these campaigns fail. But even if you had to return every dime, you could still string everyone along long enough so you could invest it short term for a dividend.

I'm pretty sure when the campaign gets funded but the product is never shipped all the money goes to boat manufacturers and resort owners.

 

[Pao]

I'm pretty sure when the campaign gets funded but the product is never shipped all the money goes to boat manufacturers and resort owners.

How about SCUBA equipment manufacturers? These people just might opt to pursue their dream of breathing underwater . Knowing the mentality of these victims, this might be the perfect opportunity for the "marketing savvy" equipment manufactures to make more money.

 

[grf88]

Looks like a lot of people are working hard to get this scam stopped. Here an individual has started their own Indiegogo campaign to debunk it.
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/triton-world-s-last-artificial-gills-scam#/story