Diving chamber
A diving chamber is a vessel for human occupation, which may have an entrance that can be sealed to hold an internal pressure significantly higher than ambient pressure, a pressurised gas system to control the internal pressure, and a supply of breathing gas for the occupants.
"Hyperbaric chamber" redirects here. Not to be confused with hypobaric chamber or hyperbaric medicine.Acronym
DDC
- Decompression chamber
- Deck decompression chamber
- Recompression chamber
- Hyperbaric chamber
- Saturation chamber
- Diver training
- Therapeutic recompression
- Surface decompression
- Saturation diving
- Diving physiology research
There are two main functions for diving chambers:
Decompression chamber, a hyperbaric chamber used to decompress
surface-supplied divers
Recompression chamber, a hyperbaric chamber used to treat or prevent .
decompression sickness
to take surface supplied divers who have been brought up from underwater through their remaining decompression as either after an ambient pressure ascent or after transfer under pressure from a dry bell. (decompression chambers)
surface decompression
to train divers to adapt to hyperbaric conditions and decompression routines and test their performance under pressure.
to treat divers for decompression sickness (recompression chambers)
to treat people using raised oxygen partial pressure in for conditions unrelated to diving.[2]
hyperbaric oxygen therapy
in saturation diving life support systems
in scientific research requiring elevated gas pressures.
The support vessel at risk of capsize or sinking.
Unacceptable fire or explosion hazard.
Failure of the hyperbaric life support system.
A medical problem which cannot be dealt with on site.
Pre-use checks will be conducted on the system to ensure that it is safe to operate.
The intended occupants will be checked and authorised for compression, and will enter the chamber.
The pressure door will be closed, communications established with the occupants, and pressurisation started.
The operator will monitor and control the rate of pressurisation and monitor the condition of the occupants.
Once pressurised, the operator will monitor the pressure, the run time, the chamber gas and if applicable, the independent breathing gas supply. The chamber gas quality may be controlled by carbon dioxide scrubber systems, filters and air conditioner systems and addition of oxygen as required, or by periodic or continuous ventilation by adding fresh compressed air while simultaneously releasing some of the chamber air.
When decompression is started, the operator will notify the occupants and release chamber gas to the atmosphere or to scavenge pumps if it to be recycled. The rate of pressure reduction is controlled to follow the specified decompression schedule within tolerance.
Compression and decompression may be interrupted if the occupants experience problems caused by the pressure change, such as ear or sinus squeezes, or symptoms of .
decompression illness
When decompression is completed, chamber pressure is equalised with ambient pressure and the doors may be opened. Occupants may exit, and will usually be checked for absence of ill-effects.
The chamber will receive post-operation service as required to be ready for the next operation or for storage as applicable.
(decompression accident)
Byford Dolphin
– Disorder caused by dissolved gases forming bubbles in tissues
Decompression sickness
– Chamber for transporting divers vertically through the water
Diving bell
– Definitions of technical terms, jargon, diver slang and acronyms used in underwater diving
Glossary of underwater diving terminology
– Medical treatment at raised ambient pressure
Hyperbaric medicine
– Portable pressure vessel to transport a person under pressure.
Hyperbaric stretcher
– Opening in the base of a hull, platform, or chamber giving access to the water below
Moon pool
– Diving decompression technique
Saturation diving
– Underwater diving breathing gas supplied from the surface
Surface-supplied diving
first use of diving chamber by British Royal Navy divers—detail drawings on subject
"Divers Go to Greater Depths With Aid of Chamber" Popular Mechanics, December 1930
Decompression Chamber in detail
The short film is available for free viewing and download at the Internet Archive.