Submersibles with batteries inside the 

 pressure hull have operated for many years 

 with no ill effects on the occupants; indeed, 

 military submariners have over a half-cen- 

 tury of experience in this field with no ill 

 effects. So, for all practical purposes, empiri- 

 cal data shows that accumulation of hydro- 

 gen during an 8- to 12-hour dive, or even 

 longer, does not reach quantities detrimental 

 to occupants. Explosions during charging are 

 not infrequent and represent the greatest 

 gassing hazards. Recently a device called a 

 "Hydrocap" has been introduced by the Hy- 

 dro-Catylator Corporation of Hialeah, Flor- 

 ida. The Hydrocap (Figs. 7.6 and 7.7) is used 

 in place of a conventional battery vent cap, 

 and it contains a palladium catalyst which 

 recombines the hydrogen and ambient oxy- 

 gen into water vapor which is condensed and 

 returned to the battery. Use of these caps 



during charge and discharge is a significant 

 deterrent to hydrogen explosions and also 

 aids maintenance by automatically "topping 

 off the cells with the reconstituted water. 

 Several submersible builders have adopted 

 Hydrocaps (Perry Submarine Builders, In- 

 ternational Hydrodynamics) and find them 

 to be all that the manufacturer claims. 



Battery Location, Protection and 

 Compensation 



Submersible builders elect one of three 

 procedures to protect batteries from the rig- 

 ors of the deep sea: The majority (48%) place 

 the batteries outside the pressure hull, en- 

 capsulate them within a dielectric fluid and 

 subject them to ambient pressure; .32 percent 

 place the batteries inside the pressure hull; 

 and 20 percent enclose the batteries within a 

 pressure-resistant capsule external to the 



MONEL COVER 



2-3/32 SHORT NECK 



I 

 2-15/32 REGULAR 



I 

 2-27/32 LONG NECK 



PALLADIUM CATALYST 



TREATED 

 PROTECTIVE FIBER 



GLASS CONDENSER 



ASBESTOS PAPER 

 LINER 



STEATITE CERAMIC 

 CATALYST HOLDER 



BASE LOCK 



VAPOR SEALL 

 VENT 



SHORT NECK 1-11/16 



REGULAR 2-1/16 



LONG NECK 2-7/16 



SHORT NECK 1/2 



REGULAR 7/8 



LONG NECK 1-1/8 



HYDROCAP 



'|(YDRO-CATYLATOR CORPORATION 



3511 E nth COURT BOV 3648 

 HIALEAH, FLORIDA 33013 



Fig, 7 7 Design of Hydrocaps. (Hydro-Catytator Corp ) 



325 



