Compressed air in SH3... | Forums

[Werner_U-292]

What all is the compressed air used for in SH3? I was under the impression that it was used as an oxygen supply for the sub crews and for blowing the water out of the tanks when trying to come to the surface quickly... However last night I performed a test with my crew where I stayed submerged for a long period and time compressed. I watched my CO2 level rise all the way up and my crew reported "50% oxygen left", but my compressed air hadn't moved. So does this mean that the compressed air is used solely for surfacing and has nothing to do with the air they breathe? What else do you use compressed air for in SH3? I never checked my gauges much before GW's, now I'm noticing stuff like this...

[Baldricks_Mate]

Actually the dialouge is misleading. The meter is correctly named but the result, 50% oxygen, is not entirely accurate in describing the problem. Fresh oxygen from any source will not scrub the Co2 or Co from the air and its the effects of these gases that are the problem. Getting more oxygen is not the problem. The problem is the saturation level of "bad" gases.

Put the air in your car to recirculate and wind up all the windows and go for a long drive, you will be sleepy. Similar problem.

The only fix to to exchange the stale air for fresh. The ability to scrub air was still along way off.

[lecek]

German subs could use their engine exaust to fill up their dive takes with air when they surface. In this way they didn't have to have compressed air to surface.

In SH3 compressed air is used to blow ballast and surface as fast as you can. If you have just surfaced in rough weather your crew might blow a little ballast automatically if the engines are getting swamped too much.

You used compressed air to shoot torpedoes. I am under the impression that they recover most of the air right away so that you don't leave bubles on the surface. I assume for game purposes that this is why you don't loose any air in SH3 when you fire torps.

[Werner_U-292]

Originally posted by Baldricks_Mate:
Actually the dialouge is misleading. The meter is correctly named but the result, 50% oxygen, is not entirely accurate in describing the problem. Fresh oxygen from any source will not scrub the Co2 or Co from the air and its the effects of these gases that are the problem. Getting more oxygen is not the problem. The problem is the saturation level of "bad" gases.

Put the air in your car to recirculate and wind up all the windows and go for a long drive, you will be sleepy. Similar problem.

The only fix to to exchange the stale air for fresh. The ability to scrub air was still along way off.

I'm familiar with the reasons why CO2 is such a problem. Like you said, you could have all the oxygen in the world but without getting rid of the CO2 you would have problems. My question at hand was what else do you use Compressed air for in SH3, aside from surfacing? Because the needle doesnt go down even under heavy CO2 polution. A little story: last night was the first time I realized you could blow your tanks with air multiple times under water. I've been playing this game for years and just figured this out - an example of how poorly this kind of thing is documented in SH3

[Kaleun1961]

Compressed air was not used for breathing, as several members have already pointed out. It was used for surfacing and for ejecting torpedoes from the tubes. The only air available for breathing was the air inside of the sub itself. The compressed air was held in storage tanks, or flasks as they were sometimes called. While it was not intended for breathing, there was inevitably an increase of air pressure inside the sub, due to the inevitable leakage of compressed air from the various air lines and connectors. Over time, as the boat was submerged, this high pressure air would leak from the lines and increase the air pressure inside the hull. There's a scene in Das Boot where you see them surfacing; when the Kaleun unscrews the hatch, it flies open on its own, due to the air pressure inside the sub being much higher than the air pressure outside the sub. Das Boot is a great U-boat film, in my opinion the best ever, in part due to its attention to small details like this.

The problem of carbon dioxide is due to its concentration in levels high enough to cause poisoning. In an enclosed space you will die of carbon dioxide poisoning before you run out of oxygen. At the point of asphyxiation, there is still enough oxygen in the air to sustain life; it's just that you die of carbon dioxide poisoning before you run out of oxygen.

I shudder every time I hear a story of children playing and hiding in an abandoned fridge or freezer. I'm sure it's the law everywhere to remove their doors before disposal, but it still happens from time to time.

[Blood_Splat]

At first I thought it wouldn't be a bad death when the oxygen ran out. I thought you would just get sleepy and die. It must've been horrible for the crewmen that went out like that.

[feinmann_xv]

On CO2 poisoning:

http://www.emedicinehealth.com/wilderness_carbon_dioxid...icity/article_em.htm

Nothing pretty about going into convulsions or seeing people vomiting all over the place...

!S

[bunkerratt]

guess i'll toss in my 2 cents...as a diver i always see the common mistake of folks think it's always oxyegen it's" breathing air" o2 is VERY TOXIC under pressure..also a fast way to see if you have o2 probs is to squeeze your finger nail on the thumb...if it stays grey..you have probs..sry i'll shut my soup cooler