Quote:
Originally Posted by frau kaleun
I didn't realize that hydrogen was an issue on submarines of that era, I've never heard it mentioned with u-boats - only oxygen vs. CO2. If nothing else watching that movie has made me more interested in getting to know the "insides" of the US subs, because I don't have the layout in my head and that made it very disconcerting watching the movie. I kinda felt the way I did when I first watched Das Boot and could tell by the context that something happening was bad, but didn't know all the technical details of why.
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Here are the Soviet Navy's comments about hydrogen concentrations, as written out in P.50 of their 1967
Spravochnik Vakhtennogo Ofitsera (Watch Officer's Guide) by Pronichkin A.P.
et al and as translated by W.B Cramer:
Quote:
3. Controlling Hydrogen Concentration
Under no circumstances should the hydrogen concentration in the battery tanks and battry ventilation tubes exceed 3%.
A hydrogen concentration in the atmosphere in excess of 4% (by volume) constitutes a dangerous explosive mixture of great destructive force, which could easily be ignited not only by an open flame, but also by a highly incandescent object or a spark of any origin.
The maximum hydrogen concentration in submarine compartments should not exceed 2.5%. The hydrogen content in the battery compartments during charging, with normal battery ventilation, should be practically zero. The hydrogen concentration in the battery tanks and battery ventilation tubes, as well as the battery compartments if the hydrogen oxidation instruments are not operating, should be controlled using hydrogen measuring instruments. The hydrogen concentration in the compartments using hydrogen oxidation insturments is controlled by thermometer readings on the test instrument.
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