Pneumatic Diversity Vent



The Pneumatic Diversity Vent is the primary component of the Transportation Tubes in the Portal series. Although the component itself was not present in the first Portal, this component is the only means of supplying pneumatic pressures to push products throughout the Aperture Science computer-aided Enrichment Center, and opposite to the Vital Apparatus Vent.

As the second part of its name suggests, the Pneumatic Diversity Vent's purpose is also to redirect various products to a different location of the Enrichment Center if it were needed there.

Functionality
The pneumatic pressures providing the suctions in the Transportation Tubes have existed since Portal, and has remained prevalent throughout Portal 2. The Pneumatic Diversity Vents are the source of the powerful vacuums in Transportation Tubes, and will therefore suck up any object(s) near it to provide continuous transportation if other Pneumatic Diversity Vent components are nearby. It is never demonstrated just how powerful the suction truly is in Portal 2, however in an early E3 2010 footage when the components were a testing mechanic, these components were originally able to remove various panels from their positions.

These components have transported a wide range of Aperture products such as Cubes (including Weighted Cubes and Edgeless Cubes), Turrets, elevators from a Chamberlock-specific Tube network (straight direction Tubes only), and other such objects to various locations they are needed.

There have been cases where Chell would board a Tube to be transported with the help of the pneumatic pressures. In Portal, after Chell had escaped from her testing tracks, she boards a damaged Transportation Tube, but is unexpectedly pulled back into a Test Chamber by GLaDOS.

GLaDOS appears to be the only source of operating the pneumatic pulls in the Tubes. This is proven in Portal after Chell boards into the Tubes; the Cubes are directed elsewhere, yet Chell was brought another direction. Her power over these Vents are also demonstrated in Portal 2, near a catwalk scene where the Oracle Turret can be found; unveiling entire Tubes to have been completely non-functional after the destruction of GLaDOS.