CHAPTER 7.
WET CHAMBER WATER SYSTEMS
1.
SCOPE. This chapter provides design guidance on supplying, treating,
and disposing of the water used in the PV water-filled chamber or Wet Pot to
provide the occupants with a controlled wet environment. The we pot contains
the water with an air space of at least two feet above the water level and a
level bottom platform or floor to simulate ocean conditions for the diver
entering and leaving the water, and working in the water and on the ocean
floor. Information is provided on the water supply and control of turbidity,
temperature, and the chemical content of the water. For additional
information on water supply, treatment, and disposal, refer to NAVFAC Design
Manuals listed in the references.
Section 1.
WATER SUPPLY
1.
WATER SUPPLY. Water supply for hyperbaric facilities is almost always
obtained from the local drinking water supply main as shown in Figure 7-1.
Experience indicates that even for large systems, such as the Ocean
Simulation Facility at Panama City, Florida, which is 15 feet in diameter by
45 feet long, the water supply presents no serious difficulty.
The designer must first determine the water supply requirements for the wet
pot under consideration. These requirements will usually include the total
volume of the chamber to be filled, the flow required (how rapidly the
chamber must be filled), quality requirements, and frequency of filling. In
most instances, the designer will be able to utilize an existing base or
municipal water supply. NAVFAC Design Manual DM-5, Civil Engineering
(Reference (1)), provides information for establishing a source of water.
a.
Volume. The volume of water in the wet pot will be controlled by
the dimensions necessary to perform the required missions. The designer must
remember that the occupants need an easily removable flat floor on the
hemispheric bottom and a two-foot air space above the water level. In
general, the wet pot should be filled in less than one hour so that the water
can be conditioned for the mission in a few hours. If the mission requires
that the wet pot be emptied or drained frequently, a special holding tank
must be provided for the drained water to be used again.
The designer will be required to make the anticipated needs of the facility
known to the authorities controlling the water supply, who will in turn
determine the effects of these requirements on the existing system. It may
be necessary to provide special lines to the chamber, or to provide a
reservoir which may be filled during hours of low demand on the rest of the
supply system.
b.
Flow Requirements. If the designer anticipates special needs in
the speed with which the chamber must be filled, he will be required to size
the lines accordingly (see Chapter 5) and should also make these needs known
to
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