Knowledge (XXG)

Argox

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189:, instead of nitrox. The MOD of argox mixes containing more than about 47% oxygen are limited by oxygen MOD (assuming 1.5 atm ppO2) rather than by argon narcosis MOD. The maximal MOD for argox mixes occurs at 47% oxygen and 53% argon, and is about 73 fsw (22 m). This depth is the theoretical maximum which can be safely attained with any two-component argon/oxygen mix: a larger fraction of oxygen than about 50% will result in oxygen toxicity before this depth, and a larger fraction of argon than about 50% will result in argon narcosis before this depth. 253:
Assuming oxygen, nitrogen and air all have roughly equal narcotic potential, and argon is 2.3 times that, the pressure (P) at which the narcotic potential of 20% argox is the same as air at 5 bar (i.e. 40 metres) can be found from P x (0.2 + (0.8 x 2.3)) = 5. That gives P=2.45 bar, which corresponds
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fire. As such, Mars habitats may have a need for additional gases. One possibility is to take nitrogen and argon from the atmosphere of Mars; however, they are hard to separate from each other. As a result, a Mars habitat may use 40% argon, 40% nitrogen, and 20% oxygen. Another concept for breathing
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decompressing using argox. The provisional results of those studies indicated higher levels of decompression sickness when argox was used, rather than pure oxygen; however, using pure oxygen is not an option for decompression at the pressures for which argox would be used in diving, and no direct
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Some argue that an argox blend with oxygen content similar to that of air could be used as a suit inflation gas in place of pure argon, as such a blend would only have a slightly higher thermal conductivity than pure argon, and unlike pure argon, would be breathable in an emergency. However, there
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gas, meaning that it could only be breathed at comparatively shallow depths above 20 metres (66 ft). However, in an emergency this is enough for adequate decompression time at typical decompression levels between 3 metres (10 ft) and 9 metres (30 ft), and would save a diver from a
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However, as argox is more narcotic than nitrogen (causing it to be more dangerous if a decompression mix is accidentally breathed), and because argox is moderately more expensive than nitrox, and mostly because there has been little research done into the actual (vs. theoretical) physiological
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on deep dives, gives the gas a high thermal conductivity compared with air, making it inappropriate for drysuit inflation. Divers breathing trimix with drysuits usually inflate their drysuits with their decompression gas (usually nitrox or oxygen). A few carry yet another small
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comparison of argon to nitrogen was done. There is also a certain amount of anecdotal evidence within the diving community that informal experimentation with decompression on argon mixtures has resulted in a high incidence of decompression sickness, but no formal studies.
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for emergencies, as is taught in many deep diving courses. Such second bottles are often 3 litres, and may be mounted in various ways from tank bracket to sling mounting. This second bottle can be used for argox, if a drysuit is used.
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has been used to mean the same mix. The blend may consist of varying fractions of argon and oxygen, depending on its intended use. The mixture is made with the same gas blending techniques used to make
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Argon is far more narcotic (about 2.3 times more) than the cheaper and more readily available nitrogen at depth, so it loses out to nitrogen in all roles as a primary breathing gas. If the
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direct ascent. The small size of typical very small suit inflation cylinders mean that their contents would quickly be exhausted if breathed, but this is not so of larger ponies.
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Argox is essentially a theoretical diving gas, being rarely, if ever, used, and usually thought to have no practical applications where its benefits outweigh its drawbacks.
274:"The Caves of Mars - Martian Air Breathing Mice". highmars.org. Archived from the original on 24 July 2007. Retrieved 12 June 2015 193:
aspects of breathing argon during decompression, argox is not currently recommended by any professional agency for this purpose.
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A second class of divers at intermediate depths of 30–45 metres (100–150 ft) which do not require trimix sometimes carry a
472: 412: 360: 555: 427: 375: 331: 487: 178: 584: 162: 106: 234: 224: 122: 158:, hence its use in drysuit inflation. Using argox 20% would slightly degrade this to 74% of that of air. 100:. While it is possible for humans to breathe pure oxygen, a pure oxygen atmosphere was implicated in the 466: 406: 354: 57:, except that for argox, the argon is added to the initial pure oxygen partial-fill, instead of air. 146:
are many problems with the use of suit inflation gas as an emergency breathing gas. Argon is a very
305: 186: 82: 332:"Thermal characteristics of diving garments when using argon as a suit inflation gas (abstract)" 499: 447: 387: 147: 126: 297: 165:
for air owing to narcosis is taken to be 40 metres (130 ft), then for 20% argox (20% O
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that argon, because of its higher molecular mass compared with nitrogen (40 vs. 28
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O evaluated by the physical performance of mouse colonies at simulated depths"
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filters the astronauts' air, the other is vented to the Mars atmosphere.
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Pilmanis Andrew A, Balldin UI, Webb James T, Krause KM (December 2003).
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decompressing using argon mixes, there have been scientific studies of
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air is to use re-usable amine bead carbon dioxide scrubbers. While one
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Gas mixture occasionally used by scuba divers for dry-suit inflation
571:- A discussion of various rarely used and theoretical diving gases. 93: 41: 78: 85:. The Martian atmosphere is composed of approximately: 95% 154:
The thermal conductivity of argon is 68% of that of air or
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Nuckols, Marshall L; Giblo, J; Wood-Putnam, JL (2008).
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is a possible oxygen mixture for human exploration of
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It has been theorised on the basis of the theory of
134:, dedicated to drysuit inflation, containing argon. 374:D'Aoust BG, Stayton L, Smith LS (September 1980). 169:, 80% Ar) it would be 14.5 metres (48 ft). 454:. Archived from the original on April 27, 2009 394:. Archived from the original on April 23, 2009 196:Although there is little research relating to 81:due to the relative abundance of argon in the 342:(4). Archived from the original on 2009-04-12 8: 525:"Accelerated decompression on an argon mix?" 284:Courtland, Rachel (30 September 2015). 267: 246: 464: 404: 352: 7: 25: 426:Rahn H, Rokitka MA (March 1976). 547:Why Argon? Diving applications: 336:Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine 286:"Suiting Up for the Red Planet" 1: 523:Scubaboard.com (2010-03-25). 33:is the informal name for a 601: 302:10.1109/MSPEC.2015.7274192 73:Argox, or half-argox/half- 471:: CS1 maint: unfit URL ( 411:: CS1 maint: unfit URL ( 359:: CS1 maint: unfit URL ( 179:isobaric counterdiffusion 125:, which is used to avoid 69:Human exploration of Mars 48:. Occasionally the term 492:Aviat Space Environ Med 163:maximum operating depth 107:carbon dioxide scrubber 428:"Narcotic potency of N 121:in the breathing gas 18:Argox (breathing gas) 562:on 14 September 2008 440:Undersea Biomed Res 380:Undersea Biomed Res 83:Martian atmosphere 187:decompression gas 173:Decompression gas 127:nitrogen narcosis 113:Drysuit inflation 16:(Redirected from 592: 570: 568: 567: 558:. Archived from 535: 534: 532: 531: 520: 514: 513: 511: 510: 483: 477: 476: 470: 462: 460: 459: 423: 417: 416: 410: 402: 400: 399: 371: 365: 364: 358: 350: 348: 347: 327: 321: 320: 318: 316: 281: 275: 272: 255: 251: 21: 600: 599: 595: 594: 593: 591: 590: 589: 585:Breathing gases 575: 574: 565: 563: 553: 544: 539: 538: 529: 527: 522: 521: 517: 508: 506: 498:(12): 1243–50. 485: 484: 480: 463: 457: 455: 435: 431: 425: 424: 420: 403: 397: 395: 373: 372: 368: 351: 345: 343: 329: 328: 324: 314: 312: 283: 282: 278: 273: 269: 264: 259: 258: 254:to 14.5 metres. 252: 248: 243: 211: 175: 168: 115: 90: 71: 66: 28: 23: 22: 15: 12: 11: 5: 598: 596: 588: 587: 577: 576: 573: 572: 556:"Exotic Gases" 551: 543: 542:External links 540: 537: 536: 515: 478: 433: 429: 418: 386:(3): 199–209. 366: 322: 276: 266: 265: 263: 260: 257: 256: 245: 244: 242: 239: 238: 237: 232: 227: 222: 217: 210: 207: 174: 171: 166: 114: 111: 88: 70: 67: 65: 62: 40:consisting of 26: 24: 14: 13: 10: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 597: 586: 583: 582: 580: 561: 557: 552: 550: 546: 545: 541: 526: 519: 516: 505: 501: 497: 493: 489: 482: 479: 474: 468: 453: 449: 445: 441: 437: 422: 419: 414: 408: 393: 389: 385: 381: 377: 370: 367: 362: 356: 341: 337: 333: 326: 323: 311: 307: 303: 299: 296:(10): 36–38. 295: 291: 290:IEEE Spectrum 287: 280: 277: 271: 268: 261: 250: 247: 240: 236: 233: 231: 228: 226: 223: 221: 218: 216: 213: 212: 208: 206: 203: 199: 194: 190: 188: 184: 180: 172: 170: 164: 159: 157: 152: 149: 143: 140: 135: 133: 128: 124: 120: 112: 110: 108: 103: 99: 95: 91: 84: 80: 76: 68: 64:Possible uses 63: 61: 58: 56: 51: 47: 43: 39: 38:breathing gas 36: 32: 19: 564:. Retrieved 560:the original 554:Tech Diver. 528:. Retrieved 518: 507:. Retrieved 495: 491: 481: 467:cite journal 456:. Retrieved 446:(1): 25–34. 443: 439: 421: 407:cite journal 396:. Retrieved 383: 379: 369: 355:cite journal 344:. Retrieved 339: 335: 325: 313:. Retrieved 293: 289: 279: 270: 249: 201: 197: 195: 191: 182: 176: 160: 153: 144: 136: 116: 72: 59: 49: 35:scuba diving 30: 29: 139:pony bottle 566:2008-08-28 549:Why Argon? 530:2011-02-02 509:2008-08-28 458:2008-08-28 432:, A, and N 398:2008-08-28 346:2008-10-24 262:References 202:astronauts 315:9 January 220:Hydreliox 579:Category 504:14692466 310:46224902 209:See also 148:narcotic 132:cylinder 102:Apollo 1 98:nitrogen 452:1273982 392:7423658 96:, 1.9% 92:, 1.9% 50:argonox 502:  450:  390:  308:  235:Trimix 230:Nitrox 225:Hydrox 215:Heliox 198:divers 156:nitrox 123:trimix 119:helium 75:nitrox 55:nitrox 46:oxygen 306:S2CID 241:Notes 94:argon 42:argon 31:Argox 500:PMID 473:link 448:PMID 413:link 388:PMID 361:link 317:2019 117:The 79:Mars 44:and 298:doi 581:: 496:74 494:. 490:. 469:}} 465:{{ 442:. 438:. 409:}} 405:{{ 382:. 378:. 357:}} 353:{{ 340:35 338:. 334:. 304:. 294:52 292:. 288:. 87:CO 569:. 533:. 512:. 475:) 461:. 444:3 434:2 430:2 415:) 401:. 384:7 363:) 349:. 319:. 300:: 183:u 167:2 89:2 20:)

Index

Argox (breathing gas)
scuba diving
breathing gas
argon
oxygen
nitrox
nitrox
Mars
Martian atmosphere
CO2
argon
nitrogen
Apollo 1
carbon dioxide scrubber
helium
trimix
nitrogen narcosis
cylinder
pony bottle
narcotic
nitrox
maximum operating depth
isobaric counterdiffusion
decompression gas
Heliox
Hydreliox
Hydrox
Nitrox
Trimix
"Suiting Up for the Red Planet"

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