05/09/2025
Kirby Morgan SL17C
Is dive helmet is fitted with a Divex ultrajewel regulator inlet and exhaust valve. This is arguably the industry standard for Mixed Gas, Closed Bell Saturation Diving.
The Ultrajewel inlet allows an increased flow of gas to the hat at deeper pressures with low resistance and the exhaust valve on the chin captures the gas mix and sends it back to a reclaim system on the ship to be scrubbed, filtered, cleaned and topped up with oxygen before getting sent back down to the divers.
Whats the purpose of the reclaim system?
HeO2 is what Sat divers breath at depth. Helium is an expensive and finite resource that can't be syntheticly produced so the less we waste, the better. It's a valuable gas across a wide range of industries, not just a wasted party trick.
A little formula of averages.
Helium, +/- $0.30c per litre
Per Diver high load breathing rate - 40ltr per min (As per IMCA ref.)
Depth 100m = 11 ata (10ata depth + 1ata surface pressure)
(11 x 40)0.3 =
440 x 0.3 = 132
1 diver will breath about $132 of helium p/min
If 2 Divers have a 6 hour lockout time on a bellrun at 100m without a reclaim system it would cost about $100k including wages for the team.
To all the keyboard warriors, feel free to correct the math 🙃
Dive safe.
