Quote:
Originally Posted by h.sie
Question: How were the diving-tanks emptied?
- By pump (->battery supply) or
- by pressure air (->compressed air supply)
- or both of them
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That's tough one.
Usually diving tanks were emptied with pressure air to force water out. Diesel exhaust could be used too but that requires battery power to drive the submarine to the surface.
As I understand (and please correct if I'm wrong) there are two kinds diving tanks. Main diving tanks that are open to sea and trimming tanks that are closed tanks. Pumping something out from open tank is useless.
Submarine when submerged are trimmed to have slight negative buoyancy. If enough water can be pumped out from trimming tanks and the pump can withstand the stress created by negative pressure unless replacing air is provided. I should point out that pumping by hand against pressure of 15 to 20 atmospheres is very labour intensive and we are talking about hundreds of liters here.
Also aside from pressure air used to blow diving tanks, submarine carries two other kinds of pressure air. One to fire torpedoes and other to start diesels. Let's forget pressure air to start diesels. In dire situation submarine crew could redirect torpedo pressure air to tanks. Same compressor creates it anyway.
In mythbusters terms I'd say it is plausible to surface without battery power and pressure air.