BSAC - The Sports Diver Nitrox Workshop - Student Workbook The Sports Diver Nitrox Workshop Student Workbook The British Sub Aqua Club Copyright © BS-AC 2006 BSAC - The Sports Diver Nitrox Workshop - Student Workbook First published in the United Kingdom in 2006 Copyright © The British Sub-Aqua Club 2006 The British Sub-Aqua Club, Telford's Quay, South Pier Road, Ellesmere Port, Cheshire CH65 4FL Telephone: 05-350 6200 Fax: 05-350 625 www.bsac.org This Student Manual may not, in whole or part, be copied, photocopied, reproduced or translated, or converted to any electronic or readable form without prior written consent of The British Sub-Aqua Club. 2 Copyright © BS-AC 2006 BSAC - The Sports Diver Nitrox Workshop - Student Workbook Sports Diver Supplementary Training Nitrox Workshop The workshop presents the nitrox-related elements contained within the 2007 Diver Training Programme BSAC Sports Diver course. Divers who have not received any basic nitrox training should attend the ‘Ocean Diver Nitrox Workshop’ before attending this workshop. Aim The key objectives of this workshop are: To further the learning of qualified divers The workshop extends the your knowledge by expanding on the implications of nitrox diving as the maximum operating depth is increased to 35 metres. To enable BSAC Sports Divers (or similar) to plan and execute nitrox dives for gas mixes up to 36% using computers/tables controlled by the MOD of the selected gas You will be enabled to plan and execute decompression dives using an appropriately calculated nitrox mix up to a maximum oxygen percentage of 36%. Copyright © BS-AC 2006 3 BSAC - The Sports Diver Nitrox Workshop - Student Workbook Sports Diver The Sports Diver qualification enables you to: Dive within maximum operating depth (MOD) of the gas carried You must observe the maximum operating depth of the chosen gas. If you plan to dive to 35 metres, you must chose an appropriate nitrox mix that enables you to achieve your planned decompression profile safely. Plan decompression dives on nitrox tables or nitrox computers You can take advantage of the reduced nitrogen content of an enriched nitrox mix, allowing you to benefit from longer no stop times than when breathing air (Nitrox 2). Dive within the depth limit of the diver’s experience or qualification A diver’s experience should always be progressive in terms of depth or type of dive. If you have crossed over from an alternative agency you may have certification constraints until further training is conducted. Your Diving Officer should be able to advise on this. Oxygen Partial Pressures This section covers some of the basic definitions for managing oxygen when diving at depth. It is aimed at providing an understanding of the rudimentary calculations that allow for safe diving with enriched nitrox. Oxygen becomes increasingly toxic as the partial pressure of oxygen increases, and the BSAC has set a limit on the partial pressure of oxygen breathed. That limit is .4 bar, and this should be further 4 Copyright © BS-AC 2006 BSAC - The Sports Diver Nitrox Workshop - Student Workbook reduced if exertion is planned during the dive. Fraction of oxygen (FO2) in mix The fraction of oxygen in the mix is defined by a decimal representation of the final mix percentage for calculation requirements. ● FO2 = % divided by 100 ● e.g. FO2 of Nitrox 36 = 0.36 Oxygen partial pressure (PO2) The notation for oxygen partial pressure varies between documents and agencies. Sometimes ppO2 or ppO2 are used. Both are incorrect. Oxygen partial pressure is simply defined as: ● PO2 = FO2 x absolute pressure Oxygen partial pressure = Fraction of oxygen times absolute pressure. Example - Nitrox 32 at 30 m Given this information, you can calculate the oxygen partial pressure: ● PO2 = 0.32 x 4.0 bar = 1.28 bar Safety limit Oxygen becomes toxic (poisonous) at high partial pressures. To reduce the risk of oxygen toxicity, there is a defined safe diving limit for decompression diving: ● Maximum recommended PO2 is 1.4 bar This rule is relaxed for two standard mixes of Nitrox 32 and Nitrox 36 when executing a no stop dive. The maximum PO2 of .44 bar is allowed. Copyright © BS-AC 2006 5 BSAC - The Sports Diver Nitrox Workshop - Student Workbook Maximum Operating Depth (MOD) The depth at which the PO2 of the mix reaches 1.4 bar The Maximum Operating Depth (MOD) of a nitrox mix is the depth at which the PO2 limit is reached. The BSAC PO2 limit is .4 bar for Sports Divers, but this may be further reduced if exertion is expected during the dive. Example You can calculate the maximum operating depth using the following formula: ● (PO2)max ÷ oxygen fraction = MOD The result of the calculation is an absolute pressure. To convert this into a depth it needs to be converted into a gauge pressure by subtracting bar; and then multiplied by 0 to convert to metres. Assuming the same gas, Nitrox 32, as the previous example and substituting numbers for the words: ● 1.40 bar ÷ 0.32 bar = 4.38 bar (33.8 m) Do not exceed your MOD To avoid oxygen toxicity, BSAC Safe Diving recommends that divers should not exceed the MOD of their chosen gas. Bear this in mind when planning your “just deeper” alternative option. Select a mix with an MOD greater than your “just deeper” planned depth On the day, even the best laid plans sometimes go wrong and some degree of flexibility is required. For example, the planned dive turns out to be marginally deeper than expected. Selecting an MOD greater than the planned depth provides some additional flexibility if, for example, a diver is uncomfortable in the water and their buoyancy is not quite what it should be. The allowance enables them to safely 6 Copyright © BS-AC 2006 BSAC - The Sports Diver Nitrox Workshop - Student Workbook complete the dive without fear of oxygen toxicity. Limits of 36%=30m and 32%=35m still OK for No-Stop dives only The standard mixes of Nitrox 32 and Nitrox 36, for no-stop diving, provide a calculated PO2 of .44 bar. Although this exceeds the recommendation for decompression diving, i.e., .40 bar, this is allowable due to the no-stop diving constraint, which minimises the risk of encountering oxygen toxicity by limiting the time of exposure. Partial Pressure table To simplify and reduce the probability of a calculation error, the BSAC has provided a partial pressure look-up table in the back of the BSAC Nitrox Tables. The ‘x’ axis shows the percentage of oxygen in the mix in % increments starting with air (2%). The ‘y’ axis shows the depth in 3 metre intervals starting at 3 metres and aligns with the BSAC ’88 and Nitrox tables. The following example illustrates the advantages of a table versus mathematical calculations. What is the maximum MOD for nitrox 32%? Identify 32% on the ‘x’ axis. The PO2 at the MOD should never exceed .4 bar. Move down the column looking for the number .40. The table stops at .38 bar, because the next incremental depth increment of 3 metres would cause the PO2 to exceed the maximum allowable of .40 bar. Move across until the ‘y’ axis is intercepted, where the following answer is obtained. Copyright © BS-AC 2006 7 BSAC - The Sports Diver Nitrox Workshop - Student Workbook Answer: 33 metres The calculated answer from the previous slide was 33.8 metres for an exact PO2 of .40 bar. The table rounds down introducing a further safety factor, but above all keeps the process simple and less prone to mathematical errors. Using the waterproof ‘BSAC Nitrox Tables’ at a dive site, allows you to simply and quickly look up the MOD on the day. For no-stop dives only: If performing a no-stop dive on Nitrox 32, you may plan to a deeper maximum operating depth of 35 metres. Max depth is 35 metres Remember that Nitrox 36 has a maximum operating depth of 30 metres for a no stop dive. Partial Pressure table This next example explains how you can obtain the partial pressure of oxygen at the target depth for a given mix from the partial pressure 8 Copyright © BS-AC 2006 BSAC - The Sports Diver Nitrox Workshop - Student Workbook table. What is the PO2 of nitrox 32% at 30 metres? Along the ‘x’ axis, locate the 32% oxygen fraction column. On the ‘y’ axis, locate the depth of 30 metres. Locate in the table where the two columns intersect. This provides you with the required PO2 in bar. Answer: 1.28 bar This answer is identical to the previously calculated value. Partial Pressure Table reduces calculation errors. Overall, this is a very good way of finding PO2. Knowing the PO2 at the target depth beforehand helps you avoid accidentally exceeding the critical limit of .40 bar for your dive gas. Copyright © BS-AC 2006 BSAC - The Sports Diver Nitrox Workshop - Student Workbook Oxygen Exposure Oxygen has been discussed as being toxic in general terms. The next section goes into more detail, highlighting just how much oxygen is too much. Oxygen Toxicity is the main concern when nitrox diving and is the limiting factor for achievable depth. Oxygen Partial Pressure Scale (bar) The bar on the graphic moves from normoxic oxygen levels to hyperoxic conditions. Hyperoxic conditions can be fatal. At high concentrations oxygen is toxic For safe diving the PO2 is limited to .40 bar avoiding the more extreme exposures. Know and observe your MOD to control the PO2! Exceeding the limits of human tolerance of oxygen can be life threatening. By planning properly and not exceeding the MOD the risk of oxygen toxicity can be managed.