DIVER BREATHING GAS PRODUCED THROUGH CAVITATION IN SEA-WATER Academic Article uri icon

abstract

  • Divers typically work in the ocean environment with their breathing gas supplied from the surface or from compressed gas bottles carried on their backs. A novel approach is to recover the gases naturally dissolved in sea water and supply it to the divers. The objective of this research was to determine the feasibility of producing breathable gas from the cavitation process in sea water. A cavitating piston/cylinder assembly was constructed using a mercury column as the piston to produce the necessary vacuum in a glass cylinder. Various water samples were cavitated by subjecting them to a partial vacuum developed in the piston/cylinder assembly. Water samples of different temperatures, volumes, and salinities were used. The produced gas composition was analyzed for oxygen and carbon-dioxide content using a micro-Scholander gas analyzer which showed an average composition of 30.3% oxygen, 0.9% carbon-dioxide. The remaining 68.8% of the gas was assumed to be nitrogen and water vapor. 1993.

published proceedings

  • OCEAN ENGINEERING

altmetric score

  • 1

author list (cited authors)

  • KLENTZMAN, C. A., RANDALL, R. E., & FIFE, W. P.

citation count

  • 0

complete list of authors

  • KLENTZMAN, CA||RANDALL, RE||FIFE, WP

publication date

  • January 1993