GAS LAW APPLICATION FOR SCUBA DIVING By: BRENDAN THIELE

SCUBA DIVING Scuba Diving allows us to explore the depths of the underwater domain with mobility while having access to air. Using compressed air and a pressure regulator, divers can explore the deep undersea. To avoid dangerous health concerns that can be experienced by altering pressure on one’s body It is VERY IMPORTANT TO HAVE A BASIC UNDERSTANDING OF THE GAS LAWS

WHY?? Equipment for a diver includes a regulator, tank and BCD that controls buoyancy The #1 Rule: DO NOT HOLD YOUR BREATH WHILE SCUBA DIVING WHY??

Why Not to Hold your Breath? The Pressure on us while diving causes cavities in our bodies that contain air to be compressed. If we hold our breath to expand our lungs but do not exhale, the pressure can cause damage to our lungs and can burst lung sacs causing pulmonary barotrauma.

BOYLE’S LAW Applies The Volume of Gas is inversely proportional to its pressure. As volume decreases, the pressure increases and when volume increases, pressure decreases. P1V1 = P2V2 When Scuba Divers descend below the sea level, they add more pressure than normal atmospheric pressure which is equal to 1 atm. When divers dive, the same pressure as the surrounding pressure is provided by the oxygen tank.

BOYLE’S LAW Applies Many aspects of Boyle’s Law Applies to Scuba Diving. As a Scuba Diver descends below the sea level, the water pressure increases around him causing air in his equipment and lungs to compress. As a Scuba Diver ascends up to sea level, the water pressure decreases so the air in his equipment and lungs expand to occupy more volume.

BOYLE’S LAW Applies Continued Many rules for scuba diving are helpful to a diver to compensate for the expansion and compression of air due to the water pressure. As a Scuba Diver descends below the sea level, the water pressure increases around him causing air in his equipment and lungs to compress. As a Scuba Diver ascends up, All the water pressure decreases so the air in his equipment and lungs expand to occupy more volume. If a diver does not ascend slowly, tiny bubbles (Nitrogen) in his blood can cause decompression sickness.

CHARLES LAW Charles Law states the temperature of a gas is directly proportional to its volume when temperature increases, volume increases and when temperature decreases, volume decreases. This generally affects Scuba divers when the tanks are filled. Which is why they are often filled in water where the temperature is kept lower that the surrounding temperature. The significant affect on the diver is there will be less gas volume in the tank at the lower temperature than they expect.

DALTONS LAW Daltons Law is the total pressure that is exerted by the mixture of gases is = the sum of the pressure exerted by each gas if it were alone and was the total volume. The amount of gas absorbed by the diver is proportional to the partial pressure of the gases breathed. Problems can include: Nitrogen Narcosis – can lead to confusion More Nitrogen absorbed requires longer decompression The significant affect on the diver is there will be less gas volume in the tank at the lower temperature than they expect.

HENRY’S LAW Henry’s Law is at a constant temperature, the gas dissolved in a given type of liquid is proportional to the partial pressure of that gas in equilibrium with that liquid. When pressure is increased with depth, the partial pressure of oxygen and nitrogen in the body rises. More of each are dissolved in the body. Problems can include: Not enough decompression of gases Reabsorption of gases If they get too cold, it affects the solubility of gases.

Works Cited http://www.Carolina.com/teacher-resources/interactive/ scuba-diving-and-gas-laws/tr29802.tr http://marinebio/oceans/scuba http://scuba.about.com/ol/whatisscubadiving/aboutscuba diving http://www.thoughtco.com/depth-and-pressure-scuba-diving

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