DIVING LAWS:
1. Galileo Galilei (Evangelista Toriceili and Balise Pascal)
Discovered:
PSIA = Absolute (in Water PSI and Atmospheric PSI)
PSIG = Gauge (in Water PSI Only)
14.7 PSI = 1 Atmosphere (Atmospheric PSI Only)
.445 PSI = 1 ft. of sea water (in Water PSI)
760 mm HG = 14.7 PSI / 1 ATA (Atmospheric PSI Only)
(mm HG = millimeters of mercury)
2. Boyle’s Law
Discovered:
P1 V1 = P2 V2 where P = ATA’s and V = Ft.3
NOTE: “For any gas at a constant temperature, the volume of the gas will
vary inversely with the pressure.”
3. Charles’ Law
Discovered:
V1 = V2 where V = Ft.3 and T = °F
T1 T2
NOTE: Extension of Boyle’s Law with Temperature
4. Gay-Lussac’s Law
Discovered:
P1 = P2 where P = ATA’s and T = °F
T1 T2
NOTE: “For any gas at a constant volume, the pressure of the gas will vary
directly as the absolute temperature.”
/conversion/tmp/activity_task_scratch/769730649.doc 1
5. The General Gas Law
Discovered:
P1 V1 = P2 V2 where P = ATA’s, V = Ft.3 and T = °F
T1 T2
NOTE: Combination of Boyle’s Law, Charles’ Law and Gay-Lussac’s Law.
6. Dalton’s Law
Discovered:
Oxygen Partial Pressure while Diving
ATA’s x O2 % = PPO2
ATA’s x Inert Gas % = PPI
760 mm HG x CO2 % = mm HG (mm HG = millimeters of mercury)
Safe Diving Parameters: ( .9 – 1.6 ) Max. PPO2’s
1 ATA = 33 ft. of sea water
2 ATA’s = 33 fsw
3 ATA’s = 66 fsw
1 ATA = 760 mm HG
SAT: Oxygen Partial Pressure in the DDC (Storage)
Gauge Depth x O2 in Gas + O2 in Air = PPO2
33
Safe Storage Parameters: SAT ( .25 - .8 ) Max PPO2’s
NOTE: “The total pressure exerted by a mixture of gases is equal to the sum
of the pressures of each of the different gases making up the
mixture, with each gas acting as if it alone was present and occupied
the total volume.”
7. Henry’s Law
Discovered:
The Foundation to Decompression Tables
NOTE: “The amount of any given gas that will dissolve in a liquid at a given
temperature is a function of the partial pressure of the gas in
contact with the liquid and the solubility coefficient of the gas in the
particular liquid.”
/conversion/tmp/activity_task_scratch/769730649.doc 2
* Because a large percentage of the human body is water, the law simply states that
as one dives deeper and deeper, more gas will dissolve in the body tissues and that
upon ascent, the dissolved gas must be released.
FIGURING BOTTOM PSI AT DEPTH:
PSIG of Depth x .445 PSI per fsw + 135 PSI minimum manifold PSI = Ideal Bottom
PSI for Diver
FORMULAS:
Working Dive
Depth ATA’s (x) 1 or 1.5 scf breath per diver per minute (x) minutes of dive time (=)
Total scf Consumed (x) $ per scf (=) Total $
Floodable Volume for Tankage
Depth Storage ATA’s (x) Tankage scf (=) Blowdown Gas needed for Blowdown scf’s
Cylinder scf
Volume of Cylinder (x) psi of cylinder (÷) 14.7 psi (=) Total scf
/conversion/tmp/activity_task_scratch/769730649.doc 3
