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Art, Saturation means that all of your tissues have adjusted to the current = PP (Partial Pressure) of the gases you are breathing. Most of the time = you are saturated at sea level PPs! When your breathing mixture PPs change your tissues start absorbing or = releasing gases depending on whether the PP of a particular gas has gone = up or down. This means that your tissues can be releasing and absorbing = at the same time! This will normally happen when you change gas = mixtures. For example, if you have a tank of 32% Nitrox and you start = breathing out of your regulator at sea level your tissues will = immediately start releasing nitrogen. The oxygen is much more complex = because it is metabolized. So saturation diving simply means that ALL of your tissues have adjusted = to the current PPs. When this has happened is a matter of definition = because in theory you are never totally adjusted (absorption is slower = and slower as the PPs approach one another), so you define saturation as = meaning "close enough" to be considered saturated. Since absorption = rates also depend on the particular tissue, all computer models define = saturation as when the slowest modeled tissue has adjusted to the = ambient PPs. As far as I know nobody knows whether the slowest tissue = modeled is as slow or faster than the slowest real tissue in your body. Now to your question: You can saturation dive on any mixture you want. = What mixture you use depends on the depth and other safety and task = related issues. Anker ------------------------- Anker Berg-Sonne (508) 897-1750 anker@ul*.co* -----Original Message----- From: Art Paltz [SMTP:Art.Paltz@R2*.CO*] Sent: Wednesday, May 14, 1997 10:15 PM To: 'techdiver@aquanaut.com' Subject: RE: Deep on AIR Thanks for quick responses! I'm new to the list and wasn't sure if=20 people were just worried about exceeding 1.6 ATA, breathing high=20 partial pressures, or long nitrogen exposures. I think this brings up=20 another question which I might actually be able to answer for myself.=20 I was going to ask for an explanation on what is "saturation diving".=20 From a few previous posts and the information I got to my last=20 question, I assume saturation diving is diving to the point where your=20 body can't absorb anymore? My second part, which I think I've=20 answered for myself was, is the "saturation" on nitrogen? To clarify,=20 I assumed you could "saturate" on He but I didn't know if you could=20 also saturate on nitrogen. I assume when someone is doing a=20 saturation dive it's on O2 and He only? If I understood the=20 information correctly, saturating on nitrogen would be harmful? Don't=20 exactly understand the physiology of it but I can gather it's not a=20 good thing. I usually never take anything on faith that something someone says is=20 correct. I figure if all the people on this list actually agree on=20 something, it's a pretty good assumption that the information is=20 correct. :-) Thanks again, Safe diving, Art. art.paltz@r2*.co* Last Dive 4/13/97, Shark River Inlet, 45ft/40 minutes, 41 degrees=20 F,21% O2 -- Send mail for the `techdiver' mailing list to `techdiver@aquanaut.com'. Send list subscription requests to `techdiver-request@aquanaut.com'. -- Send mail for the `techdiver' mailing list to `techdiver@aquanaut.com'. Send list subscription requests to `techdiver-request@aquanaut.com'.
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