CASE STUDY: Air purification in a defence bunker
AIR PURIFICATION AND CO2 REMOVAL IN A BUNKER
In a bunker, air does not flow in and out freely as it does in an ordinary building. Ventilation is controlled, air exchange is deliberately limited, and most of the air is recirculated inside the space. Under these conditions, the CO2 produced by the occupants’ breathing is not a one-off peak to deal with once. It is a continuous flow. It has to be removed quickly and steadily, at the same rate it is generated, so that it does not build up over time in a small, sealed volume.
For a 116 m³ bunker designed to hold 20 people, BMB Purification supplied a purifier dedicated to CO2 removal, able to sustain this fast, continuous removal.
CUSTOMER REQUIREMENT
Ensure safe, breathable air for 20 people inside a bunker with a volume of 116 m³ and a controlled ventilation system that recirculates the air with limited exchange. The occupants produce CO2 continuously through breathing, estimated at around 0.8 m³/h per person. For the whole group, that is a removal requirement in the order of 16 m³/h.
THECNOLOGY EMPLOYED
A purifier dedicated to CO2 removal, sized for the bunker volume (116 m³) and for the CO2 flow rate to be treated in a recirculated-air environment.
RESULTS
The challenge in this project was not only technical but also about continuity. CO2 had to be removed quickly and steadily to keep pace with the uninterrupted output of 20 people in a space with limited air exchange, where recirculated air alone cannot keep the CO2 concentration under control over time.
KEY STRENGHT
– Purifier sizing calibrated on a small, defined volume (116 m³) and a known, continuous CO2 load (20 people, 0.8 m³/h per person).
– A solution designed for a recirculated-air environment, where natural air exchange alone cannot keep the air breathable over time.
– Fast, constant removal capacity to keep pace with uninterrupted CO2 production, not a single peak to neutralise.
that others don’t know how to treat.
AMONG OUR CLIENTS
AIR PURIFICATION AND CO2 REMOVAL IN A DEFENCE BUNKER: THE CONTEXT
A bunker does not exchange air with the outside like any other building. Its ventilation is a system engineered down to the smallest detail. When the air is largely recirculated for security and isolation reasons, the quality of the indoor atmosphere depends almost entirely on what is installed to keep it breathable. This is the kind of setting in which BMB Purification was brought in to supply a dedicated purifier.
AIR PURIFICATION AND CO2 REMOVAL SYSTEM FOR A DEFENCE BUNKER
THE CHALLENGES
SIZING FOR CONTINUOUS REMOVAL, NOT AN OCCASIONAL INTERVENTION
The bunker holds up to 20 people in 116 m³ of air, with limited, largely recirculated air exchange. Each occupant produces about 0.8 m³/h of CO2. For the whole group, that is a load in the order of 16 m³/h that never stops, because people keep breathing for as long as they are inside. The purifier therefore had to be sized not for a peak but for continuous operation that keeps pace with production, in a volume too small for even a temporary build-up to go unnoticed.
THE SOLUTION
DEDICATED PURIFIER FOR CONTINUOUS CO2 REMOVAL
BMB Purification’s answer was a dedicated purifier sized for the CO2 load described above and designed to run continuously within a recirculated-air circuit. It is not an occasional intervention but a permanent part of the bunker’s ventilation system.
TURNKEY PLANT
Each industrial air filtration system plant realized by BMB is custom designed after thorough field study. The initial study of condition, context and potential problems allows or technicians to propose targeted and tailored solutions, appointed plants and specific technologies for any kind of problem.
See also our industrial wastewater purification plants.
MANUFACTORING AND INSTALLATION
Each plant produced by BMB is designed, built and tested in-house. The installation is planned and carried out by our specialized technicians.
MAINTENANCE ASSISTANCE
BMB offers complete and custom service for plant assistence and maintenance: oordinary maintenance, extraordinary availability and remote monitoring.
PLANT DESIGN
Our plants are designed in compliance with the most updated law and engineering standars, are applied to needs of client so as optimize the investment.
FAQs: Questions and answers on CO2 removal in a bunker
What is a CO2 purifier for confined spaces?
It is a system that continuously removes the carbon dioxide produced by the occupants’ breathing. It keeps the air breathable in spaces where exchange with outside air is limited or absent, such as bunkers, shelters and other sealed recirculated-air environments.
What is the difference between air exchange and air recirculation in a sealed space?
Air exchange brings fresh air in from outside, while recirculation treats the air already inside and puts it back into circulation. In a bunker with limited air exchange, recirculation alone does not remove CO2. A dedicated system is needed to actively remove it, otherwise the concentration keeps rising.
