Does anyone know of any other shape SCUBA tank that has been tried (successfully or not) other than the standard cylinder? I know the cylinder is typical because of its ease of manufacture and inherent strength, but I was curious if there had ever been another type. I saw the Cousteau special on PBS a while back where they wore slim back pack style units. I know some were rebreather units, and the rest are just housings with regular tanks inside, but that kind of thing would be ideal for streamlining if you could make a tank with that shape.
A wider thinner tank, like a large briefcase size with rounded edges and ends, would be closer to the body and nearer the natural center of gravity. It would also cut down on cross section and potential entanglements. I know all sorts of materials advances have been made just in the last 10 years with Honeycombs, Kevlar laminates and various new alloys. So has this been applied to radically new tank shapes or designs???
Assuming it had the same gas storage as regular tanks I would think the cavers and wreck divers would want this for the obvious benefits.
A wider thinner tank, like a large briefcase size with rounded edges and ends, would be closer to the body and nearer the natural center of gravity. It would also cut down on cross section and potential entanglements. I know all sorts of materials advances have been made just in the last 10 years with Honeycombs, Kevlar laminates and various new alloys. So has this been applied to radically new tank shapes or designs???
Assuming it had the same gas storage as regular tanks I would think the cavers and wreck divers would want this for the obvious benefits.