Purging Procedures for the Draeger LAR V Underwater Breathing Apparatus.

Abstract

The U.S. Naval SEAL teams currently utilize the Draeger LAR V closed-circuit oxygen Underwater Breathing Apparatus (UBA) for clandestine combat swimmer operations. Prior to beginning a dive with a closed-circuit oxygen UBA, a purge procedure is carried out to remove inert gas (nitrogen) from the breathing mixture. This study seeks to establish an optimal purging procedure for the Draeger LAR V. Twenty-four purges were conducted using the current Standard three fill/empty cycle purge procedure; the average oxygen percentage obtained in the breathing mix was 85% with a high of 96% and a low of 73%. Fifty-four Single Fill/Empty Cycle (SFE) purge procedures resulted in an average oxygen percentage of 74% with a high of 89% and a low of 50%. Forty No Fill/Empty Cycle (NFE) purge procedures resulted in an average oxygen percentage of 55% with a high of 82% and a low of 20%. Eighteen 2-hour dives using the two experimental purge procedures showed no significant inert gas buildup during the course of the dive.

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 01, 1984
Accession Number
ADA140673

Entities

People

  • E. D. Thalmann
  • F. K. Butler Jr.

Organizations

  • United States Navy Experimental Diving Unit

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Atmospheres
  • Breathing Apparatus
  • Central Nervous System
  • Divers
  • Diving
  • Gases
  • Mass Spectrometers
  • Nervous System
  • Residuals
  • Respiration
  • Seal Teams
  • Simulations
  • Toxicity
  • Underwater Breathing Apparatus
  • United States
  • Warfare
  • Water

Readers

  • Materials Science
  • Mathematics or Statistics