Diving suit heater

Claim 1

A portable heating system for attachment to a pressurized oxygen containing gas source used for breathing in combination with a protective diving garment of the wet suit variety and adapted to supply a heated fluid through tube means in said protective dividing garment in order to warm the same, comprising: connection means adapted for connecting to said oxygen containing breathing gas source; a vortex tube connected to said connecting means to heat the breathing gas; a heat exchanger; said vortex tube having a first outlet means to said heat exchanger and a second outlet means; said heat exchanger having an inlet fed with hot gas from said first outlet means of said vortex tube and having an exhaust tube which carries the gas after heat exchange in the exchanger to mixing valve means serving to regulate the gas pressure for breathing purposes; a gas driven turbine fed by cold gas from said second outlet means of said vortex tube in combination with pump means driven by said turbine to circulate heat transfer fluid through said heat exchanger; a heat transfer fluid in said heat exchanger selected from the group consisting of fresh water, sea water and ethylene glycol; valve means to control air flow and venting from said pressurized oxygen containing breathing gas source; tube means in the diver''s suit which are connected to the heat exchanger to carry said heat transfer fluid for heating the diver; said mixing valve means being fed by the exhaust gas from the turbine and the exhaust gas from the heat exchanger to regulate gas pressure for breathing purposes; and, insulated water tight chambers to protect the turbine-pump combination and seal the heat exchanger.