Re: [PSUBS-MAILIST] Snow White navigation (was: Snow White virus)

["Richard Gordon" <lrrg@wantree.com.au>]

Has anyone got any info on using electrolysis to liberate oxygen atoms from
water for use by your rebreather system? This would probably be a pretty
effective system as you would not have to store HP gas on board (aside from
an emergency backup tank). The downside would be that you would only be
producing oxygen when you have elecricity. If you lost power for some
reason, you would lose oxygen too. Perhaps this could work in conjunction
wih a standard O2 supply.

I know that big subs have O2 generators of this type, but I do not know how
readily the technology can be miniaturized. Again, opinions please.

Rich
----- Original Message -----
From: Michael B. Holt <mholt@richmond.edu>
To: <personal_submersibles@psubs.org>
Sent: Friday, March 02, 2001 10:35 PM
Subject: [PSUBS-MAILIST] Snow White navigation (was: Snow White virus)


> "Sean T. Stevenson" wrote:
> >
> > How much room do you have in your sub?  As far as DR is concerned,
> > I like to lay out a chart and use a pencil...
>
> Somehow, plotting a course with a chart and pencil always looks
> more accurate, doesn't it?
>
> > Assuming you have
> > an electronic solution in mind, are you talking about a GPS unit
> > or some sort of ECS?  Electronically I can see using a fluxgate
> > compass and external knotmeter to provide NMEA info on course and
> > speed, with the GPS overriding when the signal becomes
> > available (when you are surfaced).
>
> As I said, I supsect this sort of thing is available.  Probably
> in a high-end GPS unit, come to think of it.  This is just
> a thought-experiment.
>
> > Adjustment for current would need to be made according to a
> > tide/current atlas, but the information in these publications
> > is generally surface oriented.
>
> Come to think of it, is there any charting done with submarines
> in mind?
>
> > How much of a discrepancy will there be at depth?
>
> Good question.  Possibly none.
>
> > As for staying out of  the way of traffic - you're in a
> > submarine... just who are you expecting to run into?
>
> I'm more worried about fishing boats and the like on their way
> to wherever they are going.  They'll stay in certain lanes,
> if only out of habit.
>
> This does get back to the question of "What do you expect
> to do with your submarine?"  Submarine use can probably be
> divided into a very few specific categories, based mostly
> on the range and endurance of the boat.  How many of us
> expect to wander any distance?  Will there be a repeat of
> Simon Lake's 1898 trip that covered 1000 miles, part of it
> in the Atlantic Ocean?  I doubt it.  Most of these boats
> will drop to the bottom, cruise for a short distance and
> get back to the support site rather quickly.
>
>
>
> Mike
>