Rapture Air

* See also Utility Stuff
* See also Utility_Distribution
* See also FrankenTrees
* See also TechnicalDrawings
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The Underwater City needs a 'proper' Air System to keep it livable. 
Such a system would need multiple redundant systems and capacity to make sure that everyone didn't die.
Some Little Sister Vents ( being there only because of that element of the Story ) really are NOT good enough.
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You Can't Open Windows To Let In Fresh Air :
You certainly can't open them to the Ocean in Rapture to get fresh air. Interiors in only a few places have windows into larger (but still limited) interior spaces. So strong/disagreeable/toxic smells/fumes have to be taken away by the ventilation system. Industrial venting is a must - so not to poison inhabited air environments. There even has to be careful use of things like cleaning chemicals, which can foul large volumes of air very quickly. Ordinances would have to exist to enforce strict guidelines of such things.
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WHAT IS ACTUALLY BEHIND THOSE "VENTS" :
SO were those fancy Cover thingees added to the original vent systems -- They originally wouldn't have been left open - rather they would be covered by a grill to keep unwanted things out.
Art Deco 'Grill'
Further back in the large air system, the ducting would be made large enough for human access ( perhaps immediately behind that small hole it is that large ). It would be a metal lined Air Duct within hidden utility spaces (if it follows its alleged original use, which would predate ADAM and Lil' Sisters, and BE VERY UNLIKELY to have been retrofitted everywhere just for 'Little Sister' use).
Where does it connect to ? Presumably it goes back towards the re-circulation systems bringing in 'new' air from Rapture's farms, and the 'used' exhaust air would go the opposite direction ( with CO2 to be used/removed by the growing plants ). SO you need air movement BOTH directions ( the paths preferably not closely located so that the 'new' air has a chance to spread into the living space ). There would be large fans within that system to force movement, and in continual use (air generally doesn't flow by itself).
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There would be many Tubes Moving Air Across Rapture :
The distances involved - even with many Farms near Arcadia used for air recycling ( around Ceres Green on my map ), is often at least A MILE. The air flow has to be pushed that far through air trunklines ( using staged fans - air pumps ). Some buildings probably utilized compressed air for one direction, and made use of the small pressure differential to push the 'spent' air through return 'vents'.
Of course there would be Vent Safety Cutoff Valves between city sections to prevent the spread of possible flooding. Those would be capable of handling the blocking of full sea pressure ( > 280 lb/sq-in ).
Redundant airflow paths would exist, with excess capacity, so that in case of failures sections of Rapture would not easily face loss of their fresh air supply.
Emergency air may be possible, at least in key areas like Control Centers and Accessways, which would be maintained while areas with air problems could be repaired and proper circulation restored. Portable Oxygen breathing units would be strategically placed for emergency needs.
The MMORPG would have some areas in the city Ruins where the circulation has broken down/been blocked, and are being restored as part of the Player activities. Many Farm units regenerating the oxygen also likely need restoration, if not continuous maintenance.
MMORPG Farmer John Achievement Ramp ... ( "Air For Rapture - Its A Good Thing !!!" )
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Air System Network in Rapture :
How did breathable air get around Rapture to come out of those vents the Little Sisters use ?
CO2 removal, O2 addition - changing bad air into good. CO2 build up becomes toxic.
Plants to recycle air - various genetic modifications to improve efficiency and also a useful byproduct of agriculture ( which would have huge masses of growing plants - possibly too much requiring purposefully  CREATING CO2 to make them grow ).
Surface intake/outlets - to draw fresh air into city.
Electrolysis using electricity to split water into O2 and H2 - but that solution still requires a CO2 scrubber mechanism. ( the 'H2' discarded or used on the surface as fuel ) -
Circulation pipes, fans, sensors, controls to move new air in and old air out to be renewed
Safety systems ( seals at bulkheads to block catastrophic flooding via the air channels )
Utility system - sharing the utility network with heat/power/etc ...  The air has to be distributed (in both directions) to every corner of Rapture.  The communities outside Rapture would need similar systems.
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Movement of Air in Rapture :
* CO2 needed by farms - used air is circulated thru and renewed
* Heating to maintain ambient temperature ( heat loss to cold cold ocean thru all building surfaces or rock tunnels )
* Excess CO2 needs to be vented - in air replaced with normal fresh O2. Fewer people left in the city and most other activities stopping after 'the fall' meant less CO2 generated which was a good thing with the circulation system also running half damaged.
* Industrial fumes need to be vented ( they also produce excessive CO2 ). Many are located on Mt Ryan near the surface and have their own venting systems at the 100 ft depth zone)
* Circulation - long distance ducting (air compression ???) parts of city are miles from The Surface Air Intakes
* Frankentrees (CO2 -> O2) many of the mutant trees created by Langford were planted in various locations around Rapture.
* Dehumidifiers in Rapture ???
** Heated air off Hephaestus Steam (Heat) lines
** Chiller units to precipitate water out of air ( Cold from heat-exchangers with the Ocean )
** Dampness from constant slow leakage in whole Rapture environment
** Fresh air from surface intakes (ocean air) - would be one of the large Dehumidifier installation
* There are areas that haven't had good circulation for a long time ( well sealed sections in particular ) that will need restoration of the air system before Citizens can work in them. Use of 'Breather equipment' for such situations is required.
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Dehumidifiers Needed in Rapture ??  :
Cold, seeping concrete ... ( Water gets thru slowly one way or another - particularly with that much outside pressure ).
Fortunately there is an abundance of power in Rapture for such systems.
Residential areas would likely be kept at reasonable humidity, though other areas less inhabited would not need to be as controlled.  In 'Ruined' Rapture many of the humidity control systems broke down.
Fortunately the electrical system standards in Rapture were designed to operate assuming 100 % humidity, using sealed conduits and junction boxes ( witness many lights still on in many totally flooded areas ).
We see those little wall mounted diaphragm-accordion things pix moving - They could be dehumidifiers.
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Those Vents :
The whole Little Sister 'Vent' thing itself is a bit weird - The Air distribution conduits/passages go on for miles ( and there have to be valves and you have fan blades to push that air around too ).  Are we expected to believe that the Little Sisters constantly crawled thru them all that way (to somewhere) ?
Cats can go thru the same 'Vents' that the Little Sisters go thru ( Might be used to handle any 'Vermin' that also could make use of the vents ). Also, there must be repair access at various places - Air does not 'wear out' the Vent conduits/shafts, but corrosion from drips/condensation/dust can do damage. There may have been special machines used to inspect the Vents ( and to deploy 'good ole' Duct-tape to patch places ). Large return air passages would be man accessible/sized.
Like Tree-Frogs, Lil Sisters perhaps have little suction cups on their fingers to navigate those Ventilation shafts ( the vertical sheet-metal-lined airshafts ) -- Unless they really just Sleep there and get Walked back 'Home' by their Big Daddies ...
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Would You Need an Overcoat in Rapture ?? :
The ocean water outside Rapture is near freezing in temperature, so heat bleeds out of structures constantly.
Many places in Rapture would not be well-heated ( some even intentionally to give a semblance of 'weather' to the inside spaces ).
So overcoats for workers, if not also other citizens who go to the 'cold' areas. Cold also means precipitation of water from the air.
Later, when things in Rapture deteriorated, the maintenance of the Heating System was affected. So even more, 'dressing warm' would be required of the inhabitants.
With all the dripping water to compound the issue, you'd best have your overcoat also be waterproof ( Hence the Splicer type called "Ducky" ).
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Humidity - McDonagh's Bane :
Leaks/seepage through walls ( particularly with outside water pressure ) constantly add moisture (controlled by traps and sealed false walls). Precipitation (on cold surfaces) imperils electric circuits. Corrosion, mold, mess.
Leaks in the steam heating systems (used in buildings) adds humidity.
Air is Recycled :
* It is a closed system ( goes out to 'Re-Oxygenate' and comes back )
* Most doesn't come from Surface ( except some emergency systems, and some for industries )
* Recycled at farms/forests ( which NEED the CO2 for their plants to grow )
* Air is heated ( using hot water from Hephaestus geothermal source ) at/nearby the local destination ( the hot water is piped all over Rapture )
* Dehumidifiers may be used in some local areas (an added expense).
Chillers can be used to reduce/control humidity. The Long air pipes ( crossing the city from the recycling sources ) can be exposed to cold from the near-freezing sea water, which can precipitate alot of the humidity ( It then is reheated to normal temperature at its destination ).
Air being sent around Rapture might be compressed (to allow smaller pipes) in at least one direction, and can have humidity water removed from that air as part of the process ( compressed air can be used to power small things on the receiving end, and also can force 'spent' air in the opposite direction (Positive Pressure) without blowers - on a small scale ).
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The Smell of Rotting Corpses :
Not just year-old corpses ( or somehow ones that manage to still be there after 8 years like in BS2 -- more unlikely ones out in the Ocean ). Nice fresh ones like in "Fontaine's Department Store" ?? Remnant ADAM mutates bacteria too fast or ?
Air circulation in parts of Rapture are not what they used to be ( Splicers' nose falling off perhaps being 'a Plus' ? ). One wonders how exactly DID they condition Little Sisters to deal with this aspect ...
We saw plenty of flies around, though it might be a little 'off-putting' to have realism in THIS way for the MMORPG.
Cold areas can influence 'freshness'. Vermin can effect how long corpses stay 'intact'. Real corpses hair and fingernails sometimes keep growing for months after the death, so what effect might adding ADAM to the situation have ?
As far as I know, there are no 'Smell' interfaces for computer games yet. Smell-O-Vision had not caught on in Rapture ( actually mentioned in Popeye Cartoon in late 1940s ) -- Olfactory version of game suggested at same time the BioShock Movie was proposed ...
Comments from your NPC Team Lackeys - "Ugh, that's a ripe one", "Break out the gas masks" ...
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Filtered Air - Guaranteed !!! :
Mention of fishy/sea smell - You probably had in much of Rapture (even pre- 'Fall') -- All those leaks aren't artesian spring water after all -- Made me think of air fresheners/filters that more affluent people might have for their homes/offices/restaurants/clubs ( some of those neat machines we see all over the place ... )
Filters and filter service companies then as businesses for Rapture ... Prestige is NOT having a home that smells like a fish-market or a dockyard. Ionizing filter technology was probably developed after the City's leak problem was made clear and alleviated the worst of the smell problem.
Now if they ever figured out how to have the tap water NOT taste fishy ...
Just one of many issues for New Rapture to solve.
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Some Sections of Rapture Pressurized to Sea Pressure :
Some local inhabitants faced with unfixable and deteriorating leak problems decided to run their air pressure upto above that of the sea outside. It can keep the water from flooding the area ( as long as they can provide the gas that escapes the leaks now ). A few (?) pounds differential would be alot easier on a faulty structure than holding out the 9 to 18+ atmospheres in the rest of the City. Much easier to patch that instead of getting the pressure of a fire hose in the face.
Of course that 'high-pressure' area cannot easily be entered by outsiders without diving suits. Depending on the local compression, the suits worn might not be able to be removed while there ( You get 'the bends' when you return to normal pressure, and it can take days of slowly decompression to prevent it ).
Another effect is what happens when oxygen is present at many atmospheres of pressure - Things almost explode because they burn so rapidly.
Air from the City O2-generators/air-regenerators can be compressed upto whatever the local pressure needs to be and the heating system still flows in its closed system ( It is pumped from Hephaestus at above Sea Pressure already ).
The environment is not pleasant and would only be tolerated by those who were desperate ( inhabitants who's pressure integrity was slowly failing ). Sound thru the denser air sounds odd, and various senses are greatly effected by the high ambient pressure.
It would likely be a place that had been well isolated, without a usable haven to move to and transportation blocked to prevent escape/relocation from the deteriorating area.
Such an environment also affords some protection as it is not easy to operate there for denizens of lower pressure areas ( who have to move/interact always in those heavy diving suits ) - giving any local defenders a substantial advantage.
You can also directly access the Sea to do fishing/farming/machinery, and use ordinary scuba gear ( instead of the diving hard-suits ).
Various Quests/Missions in the MMORPG would deal with people in such odd places.
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Arcadia (Oxygen and Free Admission)
As mentioned in the game, there are other people selling Oxygen in Rapture ( even before Arcadia started to do so linky : Arcadia_and_Oxygen ).  Initially there probably was air being pumped from the Ocean surface ( There are shallower spots, and certainly the Lighthouse is there to support the machinery ).  
Once the Farms were in operation, they would produce alot of Oxygen, and more importantly scrub the CO2 out of the air, though they might possible have needed more CO2 than Rapture produced to grow the needed food.
Langford's ADAM super-trees ( if they even are that ) would also produce wood - a valuable product - possibly the main product, with the oxygen being secondary.
The Audio Diaries mention that Arcadia was originally open to the public, but was later closed ( 'civil war' and Saturnine problem ... ).  How much admission was charged is not specified, but consider you have to pay these days to get into a National Park.   (The Novel - has that 'Lutz' kid kidnapped by Saturnine in Arcadia ???  Tasty blood for their 'ceremonies' (drank blood ?) or traded to Bootleggers for ADAM ???)
If Ryan was going to charge for Oxygen, wouldn't he have done it from the start,  ie- 'Sweat of Your Brow" .??  Or was Free Admission just the 'loss leader', and other things inside would be the profit makers ( 'Concession' popcorn, like in our modern theater complexes) ?   Is it possible that Ryan opened it (for free) later when the 'Closed In' psychosis started affecting citizens  ( Seeing if it would help, before trying more expensive measures - Sofia Lamb psychology, etc ... )
Also, was the Oxygen selling started AFTER they closed Arcadia during the 'civil war', and now it had to pay for its upkeep ?  The Vague set of Accu-Vox recordings hardly answer much of these questions.
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Electrolysis : 
 
Note - the Hydrogen needs to be handled separately 
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