But as they say, necessity is the mother of invention. So, submarines have their means of producing oxygen continuously to help their crew stay underwater for days at a stretch.
There is complete detachment from natural phenomena like wind, rain, sunlight, cold, and the overall diurnal cycle as a whole. The most critical aspect is the balance of gases in such a corralled environment. All of us need a perfect environment like the present atmospheric conditions to survive comfortably. This involves the exact composition of gases with normal levels of saturation and pressure.
Any deviation discursion from that delicate balance can jeopardize our lives and our means to function. Breathable air has a density of 1. Moreover, for living, the safe pressure limits for air and life-saving oxygen gas are to Torr and Torr respectively. So, per day, the consumption of oxygen amounts to around a whopping litres of oxygen for an average healthy person.
For even a small research submarine with a complement of 10 crew, the consumption would be a humongous liters of oxygen per day. So, storage of such huge amounts with surplus margins is itself a great challenge. Hence, the generation of oxygen for continual supply is one of the major cornerstones for submarine accommodation and systems design. Let us have look at the various means and their chemistries for the generation of oxygen in submarines. This is one of the oldest and simplest technologies for the generation of oxygen.
This is based on the simple chemistry behind the decomposition of water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen respectively. Before the process of electrolysis, desalination is carried out to remove salt content from the water. Two classic techniques are deployed for this:. The oldest and simplest technique, where sea-water is boiled off, the water is evaporated as vapours salts are crystallized and removed , and the water vapour is condensed back by colling off the steam through a variety of techniques.
This is based on the differential concentration techniques where saline water is passed through fine pores of diaphanous membrane-grade substances at calculated high pressures where freshwater is collected at the other side at low pressure and salt content gets trapped as residues. The process is iterated and continued round the clock. After the desalination, the electrolytic process takes place in what is known as an ion-exchange system.
So, the water treated is disposed of other electrolytes. The neutral oxygen, later in the gaseous state, bubbled above the anode is entrapped and stored in Oxygen Tanks. It has been proven that approximately 15 cells of about amps are required to produce sufficient oxygen for about people.
This is a more advanced, expensive, and risky process but can produce a constant supply in all conditions. This is commonly used in aircraft, fighter warships, mines, and even spacecraft. So, in submarine technologies, this is often deployed, optimizing the combustible risks and better supply performance.
The chief sources of oxygen are mainly superoxides, chlorates, perchlorates, ozonides, etc. The iron or ferrous compound acts as a substrate for continued and prolonged combustion. So, the reaction can be defined as:. Alternately, potassium or lithium chlorates or perchlorates can also be used.
A combustion time of minutes can produce roughly SCF of oxygen at high temperatures. Smoke and salts are removed by filtration. Actually, you have to get used to a variety of different smells. Living compartments are tight and not that well ventilated. You can smell food being prepared, hydraulic oil, amines, trash and so on.
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Do tanks have toilets? Mobile Newsletter chat avatar. Mobile Newsletter chat subscribe. Prev NEXT. There are three main problems of life support in the closed environment of submarine: Maintaining the air quality Maintaining a fresh water supply Maintaining temperature. Nitrogen 78 percent Oxygen 21 percent Argon 0.
Oxygen has to be replenished as it is consumed. If the percentage of oxygen in the air falls too low, a person suffocates. Carbon dioxide must be removed from the air. As the concentration of carbon dioxide rises, it becomes a toxin. The moisture that we exhale in our breath must be removed. Cite This! Print Citation. Try Our Crossword Puzzle!
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