ABSTRACT
This chapter describes unmanned research on semi-closed rebreathers with constant premix dosage.
Implementation of the new diving technologies and constructions developed carried some risk related to manned experiments. Therefore, a laboratory stand that could be used to carry out unmanned research on the underwater breathing apparatus was built. Its use should reduce the risk in such research. Models of a similar laboratory stand prototype have been developed in some countries.
Modernization of the laboratory stand breathing machine was the basic technical problem that was solved before unmanned research was begun. The aim of the modernization was to develop a pressure attachment that enables oxygen uptake from the breathing atmosphere, then humidifying and replacing oxygen taken from the atmosphere by a suitable amount of carbon dioxide emitted. A solution to this problem was to enable modeling of the processes occurring in semi-closed rebreathers. This was expected to save time, costs of diving equipment design, and costs of developing decompression schedules. As there was no verified mathematical model available, it was necessary to reconstruct the prototype after each series of the preliminary investigations. Moreover, the verified model was to make it possible to evaluate the diving systems in use.
