Tank Calculation help needed

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Scuba-dan

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Location
Ottawa, Canada
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I did a dive yesterday with a local group here and this was a long drift dive with strong current. The DM heading this dive wanted me to switch my tank 80cu for one of his 117cu steel. So my question is how do I calculate the air I would of taken if I'd used my 80cu for this dive?

Started at 3400 and finished at 1100.

I'm pretty sure I would of drain it but I'm still curious.

Thanks,
 
Yep. You used about 78 CF.
 
Well, people gave you the answer, but didn't teach you to fish . . .

The tank you were using was a steel 117. The working pressure on that tank is 3442 psi -- that means that, to have 117 cf in the tank, you need to have it filled to the +10% pressure, or 3786 psi.

So, if you have 117 cf with 3786 psi, that means you have .0309 cf per psi (or, as a little easier number to work with, every 100 psi in the tank represents 3 cubic feet of gas). So, you used 2300 psi out of your tank, which is just about 69 cubic feet of gas.

The important things to know (because you can do these calculations for any tank) are the capacity of the tank, and at WHAT pressure that tank holds that much gas. This is important, because some tanks hold that volume at the service pressure, and others only hold it at the +10% pressure. And some tanks aren't ever filled to plus ten, so, for example, an Al80 is 77 cf at 3000 psi, which is pretty much the most pressure anybody ever puts in them.

But once you know the capacity and pressure, you can calculate the number of cf per 100 psi, which some of us call the "tank factor" for the tank. That makes figuring out how much gas you have used at the end of a dive very easy -- just figure out how many hundreds of psi you used, and multiple times a simple digit. If you do the math, the tank factor for an Al80 is approximately 2.5; that means that 69 cf would represent 2760 psi out of your tank -- not a safe dive to do!

Now, go fishing!
 
The tank you were using was a steel 117. The working pressure on that tank is 3442 psi -- that means that, to have 117 cf in the tank, you need to have it filled to the +10% pressure, or 3786 psi.

HP cylinders are at rated capacity at rated pressure, not 10% over, right?
 

In other words, Scuba-dan, that 117 CF Faber holds 117 CF at the rated 3442 psi, not 10% over. This agrees with the specifications that I have seen for that cylinder. In order to fish well, it helps to use the correct tackle. So,...

You used 2300 psi out of that 117, right? (3400-1100=2300)

All you have to do is divide the rated capacity of that 117 cylinder (117 cubic feet) by the working pressure (3442 psi), and multiply the result by the pressure difference of air that you used (2300 psi).

(117 / 3442) x 2300 = 78.18 cubic feet used
 
HP cylinders are at rated capacity at rated pressure, not 10% over, right?

That is not always the case. I have seen HP 100 tanks rated at 3180+10% with REE numbers on them. There is actually one for sale on Scubaboard right now. http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/classifieds-tanks-valves-bands/392609-faber-hp100-sale.html

T
hese are different than the typical 3442 HP100's you will find. The same with the 117, they are measured at 3442.

This is the best tank chart I have found - Scuba Cylinder Specifications from Tech Diving Limited - 928-855-9400
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/teric/

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