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Re: [PSUBS-MAILIST] new photos
I am new to the list and was hoping for some meaningful discussions. Since
the subject matter today seems to be volatile gasses I would like to point
out that all of the scrubbers that I have used in my submersibles have had
provisions for layer of an inert filtration media (PURAFIL as an example)
upstream of the lithium hydroxide. This layer does not need to be any thicker
than 1" and does a great job of neutralizing offensive odors. For protracted
scientific dives (up to 16/18 hours) it has been a blessing, especially when
everyone breaks out the H.E.R.E. bags after an evening snack of PB&J washed
down with Dr. Pepper!
By way of introduction I have built nine fully classed manned submersibles
and presently own an ASME / PVHO operation in Texas.
I founded Research Submersibles, Ltd. (RSL) in Jamaica, Grand Cayman, and
Turks & Caicos in 1980 and have been out of the pilot's seat since 1998. As
many of you know, RSL pioneered cost effective scientific research and later
was the first modern company (with all due respect to the Swiss) to make
submersibles available to the tourist industry.
I am pleased to say that we see a major increase in demand the manned
submersible market and our company has made the decision to reenter the field.
We will soon begin construction of NEOS 3000 which will be a 1000 meter fully
classed manned submersible. I will be glad to share photos of the boat as she
progresses.
I am in no way being judgmental when I look at some of the boats under
construction/ consideration by list members. I started many years ago with a
scrap hull and clearly have not killed myself (or any one else) over the
years, but some of the concepts that I see give me cause for concern. Aside
from the safety issues I will site dive planes as an example. Modern
submersibles simply don't use dive planes. Propulsion, attitude, and
steering, are accomplished with thrusters (often very small) and I can't
fathom (no pun intended) penetrating the pressure envelope with a dynamic
shaft for main propulsion, the risks are much to great. One of the recurring
themes in designers outlining the specifications of their submersible is "how
fast it can go" when in fact we want to know "how slow can it go, and for how
long." Anyone who has ever seen the bottom go by at anything over 1.5 knots
realizes that slowing down is the first order of business. Certainly, the
ability to overcome strong currents is an important asset and perhaps I am
overlooking the designers intentions.
Years ago a wonderful man (an M.D.,actually) came to Cayman from the
Midwestern USA and did a series of dives with RSL (19 in all I think); I was
fortunate enough to pilot for him on most of those dives. About half way
through the series of dives (which ranged from 800 fsw to 3,200 fsw) he made
a confession to me. In truth, I had let him begin to manipulate some of the
controls, thrusters and simple hard and soft ballast adjustments (for the
thermo/haloclines)...anyway, almost in tears, he showed me photos of the
submersible that he had been working on for years (I won't mention any
names)..and he told me that he was going back home and scrap the entire
vehicle, because he learned how impractical his design assumptions were. He
made the analogy of a man who might undertake the design and construction of
an aircraft without the experience of ever having flown in one!
Anyway, if any of you serious submersible builders would like to join us
after sea trials and see our approach (based on 33 years of nonmilitary
manned submersible experience) we would welcome the opportunity to humbly
share our ideas with you in depth, and perhaps, at depth. I sincerely
apologize for the length of this posting and hope that my injections have not
alienated any reader, that was certainly not my intention. I applaud the site
designer and simply want to stay off of the "DISASTERS" page!
Best Regards:
Phillip Janca
Chairman
HyperTec, Inc.
World Leader in Hyperbaric Technologies
800-218-3588
940-564-5600
940-564-5609 Fax
<A HREF="http://www.hypertec.ws">http://www.hypertec.ws</A>