Argon in your dry suit?

[swimmer_spe]

So, on a Facebook site, Some divers mentioned that they would rather use argon in their dry suits for warmth.

My thought is... What the???

 

[Aquavelvet]

Argon is a little bit better insulator than air or Nitrox and significantly better than Trimix. Every little bit helps in cold water.


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[fire_diver]

Yep, argon is a larger molecule so it helps keep you a little warmer.

 

[ScubaToneDog]

Been there tried that. Save your money. Studies show no difference. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/12067149/
Placebo effect maybe? There really isn't a difference. Denser gas, yes. Dense enough to actually feel a difference....no.

 

[JohnN]

Hmmmmm. . Thermal conductivity (Thermal Conductivity of some common Materials and Gases)

Thermal conductivity is the quantity of heat transmitted through a unit thickness in a direction normal to a surface of unit area, due to a unit temperature gradient under steady state conditions.

(higher numbers conduct heat more easily)

all @ 25 oC

Air

0.024
Nitrogen 0.024
Oxygen 0.024
Helium 0.142

Argon 0.016​

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

I use it in winter. Seems to make a difference ... I can extend my dive significantly before I run out of thermal units.

Maybe it's all in my head. Not that it makes any difference ... it's not my head that feels warmer, it's the rest of my body. And if that means I can more comfortably extend my dive, it's worth the investment.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[macado]

I'm of the opinion it doesn't make a huge difference although I haven't used it extensively (maybe 25 dives). Water from 34F-45F. I've been told that if I did a full suit flush that I would notice a difference but I haven't tried that yet.

Nowadays most people doing long dives in New England have switched to heated vests.

 

[OtherHalf]

Been there tried that. Save your money. Studies show no difference. Thermal insulation properties of argon - PubMed Mobile
Placebo effect maybe? There really isn't a difference. Denser gas, yes. Dense enough to actually feel a difference....no.

Study only compares between air and argon. Helium transmits heat much more effectively than either. Argon is so popular with the tech crowd mainly because so many use a higher helium mix as their backgas. Kinda comparing apples and oranges. If you find a study comparing a trimix/heliox/hydrox/hydreliox to argon you will likely find different results.

Material		Thermal conductivity (W/m K)*
Argon (25°C)		0.016
Air at 0° C		0.024
Helium (20°C)		0.138
Hydrogen(20°C)		0.172
Nitrogen(20°C)		0.0234
Oxygen(20°C)		0.0238

 

[tbone1004]

you need a separate suit inflation system when using trimix, that's just a fact of life. You can see that with the conductivity numbers posted above. The advantage of argon is minimal compared to air, you are better off getting an "Argon inflation system" and just filling it with nice cheap air or whatever nitrox you have banked than dealing with argon due to having to have a haskel booster and worrying about contamination etc. Spend the money on a heated vest system and you will see infinite benefits. You're in the $1k range for heated vests, but they are worth every penny

 

[TSandM]

I did several self-controlled studies on Argon. They were not, of course, blinded. But I came to the conclusion that there was some benefit to using it. There's a lot more benefit to a heating vest, but as somebody already said, you have to use an auxiliary suit inflation system with trimix anyway, so if you already have to have the equipment, there is no particular reason not to use it and put Argon in it in winter water. I use my heated vest now instead, but it was far more expensive than an Argon setup.