12 boys lost in flooded Thai cave

[Bob DBF]

Cracking open the valve to breathe periodically makes sense. I haven’t read any detail on how they used the oxygen tanks. Those large oxygen tanks have different fittings than that of Scuba tanks, so you won’t be able to connect Scuba regulator.

Aboard a submarine a direct O2 bleed is used to increase the O2 level in the boat, I would think that they would do the same in the cave. I don't know what they did to lower the CO2 level, or if it got high enough during the rescue to take measures to reduce it.



Bob

 

[Dan]

Aboard a submarine a direct O2 bleed is used to increase the O2 level in the boat, I would think that they would do the same in the cave. I don't know what they did to lower the CO2 level, or if it got high enough during the rescue to take measures to reduce it.

Bob

My guess, by purging the area with O2, the CO2 level would drop due to the blending / dilution / mixing. It won’t be perfect mixing. Further away from the O2 tank valve, the CO2 level would still be high.

From my high school physics, assuming an ideal gas law of mixing a liter of gas 1 (consisting of 15.0% O2, 6.0% CO2, 79.0% N2) with a liter of gas 2 (consisting of 100% O2) at ambient pressure and temperature, the 2 liters of blend gas would be consisting of 57.5% O2, 3.0% CO2, 39.5% N2.

The further away you are from the O2 tank, the higher the CO2 level would be, approaching to the old CO2 level of 6.0%. Similarly with the O2 level, it would be approaching the old level of 15.0%. As a result, I would sit as close as I can to the O2 tank.

 

[KevinNM]

Cracking open the valve to breathe periodically makes sense. I haven’t read any detail on how they used the oxygen tanks. Those large oxygen tanks have different fittings than that of Scuba tanks, so you won’t be able to connect Scuba regulator.

Any competent machinist with a lathe can fix the valve compatibility issue. Not saying that is what they did, but it's just not a big deal in an operation of this scale and national importance.

 

[Storker]

Thai rescue diver: 'We are not heroes'

I beg to differ.

 

[Miyaru]

Interview with Ben Reymenants
interesting read on how many people were involved inside the cave. Many names will probably be always behind the scenes.....hopefully a documentary will credit them all.

Edit: BBC radio interview

 

[Neilwood]

Thai rescue diver: 'We are not heroes'

I beg to differ.
View attachment 468780

Agreed. When you are performing a skill that, should you make a wrong choice or have something break, could end your life and you are doing it in the service of others - that is heroism.

 

[cs4160]

Agreed. When you are performing a skill that, should you make a wrong choice or have something break, could end your life and you are doing it in the service of others - that is heroism.

Well said.

 

[LStewart]

My apologies if I missed this being already posted (it's more details about the difficulty of the rescue) - https://goo.gl/gt8D6C
Truly amazing!

 

[tech_diver]

A lot of us in the scuba industry could be making a lot more money working in any other business. Compare a tennis instructor to a scuba instructor as an example. But I believe there is something special about the experience of being underwater. I want to believe that we give something unique to humanity in the ability to go underwater.

But then, I see pictures of scuba tourists harassing a puffer fish into inflating or pulling a nurse shark around by the tail and I start to wonder if I should have devoted my life to helping blind children, comforting old people or feeding the impoverished.

Once in a while, some event somewhere in the world helps remind me that going underwater is special. That it isn't just about vacation and beaches.

A special thanks to all the brave cave divers who showed what divers can be. These divers reflect the best of our sport and ourselves.

Thank you.

_

 

[PeterNBiddle]

Thank you @taiman for a much better informed answer as to ketamine s rather than my observations gleaned from watching junkies and horses being gelded.

You seriously know how to party.