Airlock

:For the brewing device, see Fermentation lock.

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An airlock is a device which permits the passage of objects, people, etc between a pressure vessel and its surrounding space while minimizing the change of pressure in the vessel. It consists of two airtight doors which are never open simultaneously. A small volume of high pressure air, equal to the volume of the chamber between the doors, is reduced to the lower pressure space each time the airlock is operated.

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In cold climates, two doors arranged in an airlock configuration are common in entrance ways to buildings. While not airtight, the double-doors minimize the direct flow of air in or out of the building, just like a real airlock. Revolving doors may be used for the same purpose.

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The same principle, used with water, is found in the locks used on canals.

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Pressure vessel: A pressure vessel is a structure designed to contain a fluid at a different pressure to the pressure surrounding the structure without changing volume....

Door: :This article is about the door as an architectural element. There is an article about The Doors who were a four-person musical band of the 1960s and early 1970s....

Volume: Volume, also called capacity, is a quantification of how much space an object occupies. The SI unit for volume is the cubic metre. American spelling is cubic meter....