Determining Air Consumption
To calculate the amount of air consumed during diving, several factors need to be considered. These include the diver’s depth, time spent underwater, breathing rate, and tank capacity.
Formula
The formula commonly used is:
Air Consumption Rate = (Tank Pressure Before Dive – Tank Pressure After Dive) / Time Spent Underwater
Example Calculation
Let’s assume a diver starts with a tank pressure of 3000 psi and ends with 1000 psi after a 60-minute dive. The air consumption rate would be:
(3000 psi – 1000 psi) / 60 minutes = 33.33 psi per minute
Conversion to Liters
To convert the air consumption rate from psi to liters, you need to know the tank’s volume and the conversion factor. Typically, a standard scuba tank has a volume of around 11 liters per 200-bar tank pressure.
Final Result
Based on the example calculation, if the tank pressure is 200 bar, the air consumption rate would be:
33.33 psi * 11 liters / 200 psi = 1.83 liters per minute
By using the formula and adjusting for the specific tank volume and pressure, you can accurately determine the liters of air consumed per minute during diving.