In submarine technology a vent is a

valve A valve is a device or natural object that regulates, directs or controls the flow of a fluid (gases, liquids, fluidized solids, or slurries) by opening, closing, or partially obstructing various passageways. Valves are technically fitting ...

fitted to the top of a submarine's ballast tanks to let

air The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing f ...

escape from the top of the ballast tank and be replaced by water entering through the opening(s) called "flood ports" or "floods" at the bottom of the tank. In earlier times, the openings at the bottom of the ballast tank were fitted with valves known as Kingston valves. These valves were eliminated in the U.S. Navy between the World Wars. When on the surface a submarine's ballast tanks are filled with air which gives the vessel its

buoyancy Buoyancy (), or upthrust, is an upward force exerted by a fluid that opposes the weight of a partially or fully immersed object. In a column of fluid, pressure increases with depth as a result of the weight of the overlying fluid. Thus the ...

and in order for the submarine to submerge water is taken into the ballast tanks through the flood ports at the bottom of the tanks, effacing this excess buoyancy. As the ballast tanks contain air when on the surface it is necessary to allow this air to escape, so that water may then enter the tanks, and this air is allowed to escape via the opened vents in the top of the ballast tanks. The vents which are used to allow water to enter the submarine's main ballast tanks when it submerges are the main vents and it is air escaping through these that accounts for the spray sometimes seen when submarines dive. To get a submarine to surface, the main vents in the top of the tank are closed and high-

pressure Pressure (symbol: ''p'' or ''P'') is the force applied perpendicular to the surface of an object per unit area over which that force is distributed. Gauge pressure (also spelled ''gage'' pressure)The preferred spelling varies by country and e ...

compressed air is blown into the ballast tanks, forcing the water out through the flood ports at the bottom of the tank. Replacing ballast water with lighter air reduces the vessel's total mass. When the weight of the vessel becomes less than the weight of the volume of displaced water, buoyancy becomes positive, in accordance with

Archimedes' principle Archimedes' principle (also spelled Archimedes's principle) states that the upward buoyant force that is exerted on a body immersed in a fluid, whether fully or partially, is equal to the weight of the fluid that the body displaces. Archimedes' ...

and the submarine begins to rise. The displacement of a submerged submarine with full ballast tanks is greater than the displacement on the surface with empty ballast tanks where buoyancy equilibrium is restored. Once on the surface, in order to conserve supplies of compressed air, a lower-pressure compressor is then used to remove the remainder of the water from the tanks.

See also