| Abstract: | This article presents a new class of first stage breathing regulators for underwater divers with built-in self-heating capabilities. In this class of regulators, the energy of the high pressure life support gas is used to heat both the inhaled gases and the regulator core in an attempt to combat problems of cold water diving.The thermal characteristics of this regulator are monitored and compared with those of a conventional regulator under different simulated dive temperatures, breathing frequencies and also under free flow conditions.The obtained results show that the self-heated first stage (SHFS) regulator delivered warm gases and performed successfully in zero°C water while the conventional regulator failed even when equipped with the environmental protection kit.This paper emphasizes the potential of the self-heated regulator as an essential part of cold water diving gear. |
