New battery-powered air respirator for positive pressure protection suits (PPPS) used for safeguard against biological and chemical agents in the workplace.
Our task was to redesign a new and reliable battery-powered air respirator for PPPS. The device constantly pumps filtered clean air into the suit and keeps it under pressure so that external agents cannot penetrate the suit. In the contaminated area, the unit needs to function flawlessly. The system must maintain an overpressure in the suit in a very narrow range, and that overpressure in relation to the external pressure must not exceed 5mbar, an extremely low value. For example, we can feel 80mbar per meter of water depth. The biggest challenge was the lack of the external pressure measurement, such that the reference is unknown, but this overpressure must be indirectly estimated. We have devised a novel control concept based on the knowledge of electrical motor and turbine parameters. Based on measuring motor power and turbine speed, we estimate the supply of fresh air in the suit and, over the inlet, pressure.
New battery-powered air respirator for positive pressure protection suits (PPPS) used for safeguard against biological and chemical agents in the workplace.
