How Scuba Regulators Work
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Scuba regulators reduce the air pressure from the tank to ambient pressure to allow us to breathe underwater. The regulator is in two stages; the first reduces the tank pressure to an intermediate pressure; the second stage, which is usually incorporated into the mouthpiece in modern recreational scuba equipment, reduces it further so that we can breathe at ambient pressure.
Scuba regulators provide air on demand; that is to say that when the diver breathes in the demand valve is opened to provide air and when the diver exhales the air demand valve is closed and the stale air is vented into the water.
First stage regulator
The first stage regulator attaches directly to the scuba tank. The standard connector is an A-clamp, which fits over the valve at the top of the tank and is fastened by tightening a yoke screw, although some European divers use a DIN connector. DIN provides a more secure fastening by screwing directly into the tank valve and can be used with higher cylinder pressures than the A-clamp, but divers with DIN regulators can use a converter to attach their equipment to a US style scuba tank.
It is not only the connector type that can vary though; the mechanism to detect pressure changes can either use a piston, upon which external water pressure acts, or a flexible diaphragm attached to a push rod. Both types of regulator can be either balanced or unbalanced, with the former able to compensate for changes in cylinder pressure and therefore have a larger opening with which to deliver more air.
Finally, some first stage regulators are environmentally sealed; that is to say, rather then the water acting on the mechanism directly, it acts upon a fluid that transmits the pressure to the piston or diaphragm. The advantages of this are that it reduces the risk of internal corrosion or sediment build up inside the first stage as well as providing thermal insulation to the mechanism; this is important in low temperatures to prevent the regulator from freezing up.
The second stage
The second stage regulator is attached to the first stage by a hose that is usually worn over the right shoulder. It consists of a diaphragm and purge valve at the front, the mouthpiece top rear and exhaust bottom rear.
As with the first stage there are different types of second stage scuba regulators – the most common is the downstream valve, where a diaphragm connected to a lever opens or closes a one-way valve. In the other option the lever opens a pilot valve, which in turn opens the main valve, a more complicated design that provides greater airflow for less effort. The greater complexity of the latter makes them both more expensive and harder to maintain.
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