Using a Compressor when Farmers have been spreading slurry

[Whats the solution]

Hi I live in a rural area. I wanted to fill some cylinders today but decided against it as the Farmers have been spreading manure on all the fields. I gather rotting cow muck gives off Hydrogen Sulphide, Carbon Dioxide, Methane and Ammonia. I just wonder if, this is filtered by the compressor filter and personal filter or, if I need to be concerned about these goig through the Compressor and into my Cylinders. I don't want to be breathing these gases in concentration when at depth. So, what are your opinions please. This is not a joke it is a serious query.

[iain/hsm]

Hi I live in a rural area. I wanted to fill some cylinders today but decided against it as the Farmers have been spreading manure on all the fields. I gather rotting cow muck gives off Hydrogen Sulphide, Carbon Dioxide, Methane and Ammonia. I just wonder if, this is filtered by the compressor filter and personal filter or, if I need to be concerned about these goig through the Compressor and into my Cylinders. I don't want to be breathing these gases in concentration when at depth. So, what are your opinions please. This is not a joke it is a serious query.
This is a reply, but not an answer.

First rule of thumb is use your head. If it were an old tractor belching out exhaust fumes or a lorry parked engine running next to your compressor you wouldn’t need the question. So my take would be if you can avoid using the pump while “muck spreading” then do so.

Second rule is know how good your filter system is in the first place. Your suggestion of a personal filter would suggest to me at least that you need help to re think your filter set up. Knowing what kit you have in the first place the make, model age and set up would be a good place to start. Photo of both the compressor and filter set up would also be helpful

No point us talking air purity to modern BSEn 12021 standards when you have and old compressor set up for BS4001 at best.

As for the chemistry CNG biogas etc all contain H2S its toxic for engines let alone divers the effective removal in a gas stream is by adsorbing, that is the filter chemical holds the H2S chain but is just as happy to desorb it back into the gas stream if or when the chemical agent gets wet.

And this effect is bad news for a scuba filter system to handle effectively. The adsorption rate is around 30:1 the chemical in your scuba filter being used would be the activated carbon.

The methane component would be also “adsorbed” collected out if you like at room temperature and the activated carbon in your filter tower would again be the chemical working double time and so on but critical is your compressor set up.

Point is if your running an oil lubricated compressor the filter chemical has a bad enough time adsorbing the hydrocarbons from the compressor oil and the carry over to be further burdened with adsorbing the additional farmers muck.

[Nickpicks]

I don't think general filters will remove those. A carbon filter would catch the CO2, but I don't know about the others.

If you say what type of compressor and what filters you're using, I expect Iain will pop along to advise.

<edit - he beat me to it! ;) >

[iain/hsm]

I don't think general filters will remove those. A carbon filter would catch the CO2, but I don't know about the others.

If you say what type of compressor and what filters you're using, I expect Iain will pop along to advise.

<edit - he beat me to it! ;) >

LOL Can't see how.................But I'm kind of interested how activated carbon would catch CO2

[Paulo]

Me too. Maybe I should be using B&Qs finest charcoal as my scrubber

[Nickpicks]

LOL Can't see how.................But I'm kind of interested how activated carbon would catch CO2

Sorry, I must be talking bollocks. I must have mis-read it on the internet. ;)

[iain/hsm]

Me too. Maybe I should be using B&Qs finest charcoal as my scrubber

Paulo
And here I was saving my stock of Lithium Hydroxide just for you dude.

Incidentally I have a drum of Sofnolime that went out of expiry June 2005. It was originally part of a LEBA (Long Endurance Breathing Apparatus) program
we were involved with, long term storage, temperature storage etc, we just didn't stop. They told me it was for diving equipment but subsequently the term "Homeland Security"
use has crept into the correspondence over the years. The compressor in question has to operate from a cold long term storage temperature of minus 30C, start up and run without problems filling cylinders
that pass a modified breathing air purity with no chemical filtration filter towers whatsoever, be serviceable "in the field" with a minimum of basic tools, not even a torque wrench, pump to 350 bar and weight
under 100Kgs Oh and live out its life never being used for twenty years inside a storage container.

I just pity the folk who got the job to provide the diesel generator to run the darn thing and light up the lights, unless its one of those contraptions that glow in the dark and melt snow for miles around.
Would make farmer Giles and his methane generating cows a walk in the park I guess :grin:

[iain/hsm]

Sorry, I must be talking bollocks. I must have mis-read it on the internet. ;)

On the contrary your absolutely correct Activated Carbon is used to adsorb C02 just not using the type and grade used in diving and you also need a two stage vapour swing absorber
be make it effective. The stuff divers buy off Ebay and the like from China isn't very good at it. But for example with flue gas emissions from coal burning power stations with the very latest technology you can not only adsorb C02 but desorb it as well and collect around 100 tons a day from a typical coal burning power station (the like they have in China) and with the collected C02 you can compress it then liquefy it and that you can use in oil refineries for oil recovery. And so the cycle of global pollution continues.

I built a compressor for London Aquarium when it was first built, 1997 The then client Moria Aquarium a consortium from Japan were concerned that we didn't kill the fish off as some cost £100,000 to catch in the wild and ship over with vets etc so the quality of the water was critical. On the first air sample test in the building it failed, the CO2 was higher than allowable for breathing air for the divers. Something to do with the bus timetable over Westminster bridge, and you wonder why those in the House of Lords are half asleep.

[Whats the solution]

Hi IAIN/HSM
Thank you for your reply. The Compressor is electric - MCH 6 Coltri. I'll organise a phot tomorrow and try and post it on this site. again, many thanks for you comments.

Actually I though in the end it would be more useful to explain what I have in the ay of filters. A Coltri filter on the compressor, and a Beaver Personal filter on the end of the whip before connecting to the recipient cylinder. I have also bought a Coltri Personal filter and wondered whether to replace the beaver of add this to the filling line as well. What do you guys think best?