Helicopter Aircrew Breathing Device

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The Helicopter Aircrew Breathing Device or HABD (also known as a Helicopter Emergency Egress Device HEED or SEA[ clarification needed ] [1] ) is an item of survival equipment which was adopted by the military to increase the chances of survival for embarked troops and aircrew trapped in an aircraft which has ditched (crashed into a body of water). It is a form of self contained underwater breathing apparatus (scuba) which consists of a small cylinder pressurized with atmospheric air and first stage regulator worn in a pouch on the user's life vest; a pressure gauge; an air hose and a second-stage demand regulator that delivers air to the user's mouth when the internal pressure of the mouthpiece drops during inhalation, and is ruggedly constructed to survive impacts associated with emergency ditchings.

Contents

History and Design

Since a full-size scuba cylinder would be prohibitively bulky and heavy, especially for troops already laden with full combat gear, the HABD must be small and thus limited in capacity. It provides roughly two minutes of air at the surface. This decreases rapidly with depth and with the increased breathing rate that accompanies stress. Despite this limited capacity, the amount of air they provide has aided in survival.

Helicopter ditchings usually come with little warning, often while the pilot is attempting a ship landing or other low-altitude maneuver. Because they are top-heavy, ditched helicopters usually flip upside-down after hitting the water. The occupants will be subjected to violent motions and a rush of incoming water, which causes unsecured gear to wash through the cabin and can knock occupants unconscious. Jet fuel and hydraulic fluid may seep into the cabin and can cause blindness to open eyes and lung damage if inhaled. Occupants in a ditched helicopter will be upside-down, disoriented, often in the dark, and sinking. Immersion in cold water evokes a "gasp" response in humans, which can reduce their breath-holding ability to as little as 15 seconds. [2] The HABD, properly used, provides personnel with a tool to help ward off panic and provide more time to escape.[ citation needed ]

The device was developed by Larry Williamson, a diver, in the late 1970's. [3] Soon after introduction to the dive market other industries began to investigate if they could use 'Spare Air' apparatus in their situations as well. It was modified and sold to the military in 1984 under the name Helicopter Emergency Egress Device (HEED) to provide additional time to help helicopter personnel escape from a submerged helicopter in the event of ditching. It is now used by most military and government organizations in the US and in most developed countries around the world.[ citation needed ] Several dozen lives have been saved and many more people have reduced injuries due to the use of this product.[ citation needed ] The Navy[ clarification needed ] has also adopted the product to protect personnel from smoke inhalation in the case of an engine room fire.[ citation needed ]

Technical specifications

Cylinder capacitye1.5cf/42.5 liters free air [4]
MaterialAluminum [4]
Cylinder length10.5"/26.67 cm [4]
Rated pressure3,000 psi/206 bar [4]
Weight3 lbs/1.36 kg
Duration of air supplyApproximately 12-15 breaths at 33 ft/10m assuming 1.5 litre breath volume. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scuba set</span> Self-contained underwater breathing apparatus

A scuba set, originally just scuba, is any breathing apparatus that is entirely carried by an underwater diver and provides the diver with breathing gas at the ambient pressure. Scuba is an anacronym for self-contained underwater breathing apparatus. Although strictly speaking the scuba set is only the diving equipment that is required for providing breathing gas to the diver, general usage includes the harness or rigging by which it is carried and those accessories which are integral parts of the harness and breathing apparatus assembly, such as a jacket or wing style buoyancy compensator and instruments mounted in a combined housing with the pressure gauge. In the looser sense, scuba set has been used to refer to all the diving equipment used by the scuba diver, though this would more commonly and accurately be termed scuba equipment or scuba gear. Scuba is overwhelmingly the most common underwater breathing system used by recreational divers and is also used in professional diving when it provides advantages, usually of mobility and range, over surface-supplied diving systems and is allowed by the relevant legislation and code of practice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aqua-Lung</span> Original name for open-circuit scuba equipment

Aqua-Lung was the first open-circuit, self-contained underwater breathing apparatus to achieve worldwide popularity and commercial success. This class of equipment is now commonly referred to as a twin-hose diving regulator, or demand valve. The Aqua-Lung was invented in France during the winter of 1942–1943 by two Frenchmen: engineer Émile Gagnan and Jacques Cousteau, who was a Naval Lieutenant. It allowed Cousteau and Gagnan to film and explore underwater more easily.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ice diving</span> Underwater diving under ice

Ice diving is a type of penetration diving where the dive takes place under ice. Because diving under ice places the diver in an overhead environment typically with only a single entry/exit point, it requires special procedures and equipment. Ice diving is done for purposes of recreation, scientific research, public safety and other professional or commercial reasons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Self-contained breathing apparatus</span> Breathing gas supply system carried by the user

A self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) is a device worn to provide an autonomous supply of breathable gas in an atmosphere that is immediately dangerous to life or health. They are typically used in firefighting and industry. The term self-contained means that the SCBA is not dependent on a remote supply of breathing gas. If designed for use under water, it is also known as a scuba set. When not used underwater, they are sometimes called industrial breathing sets. Some types are also referred to as a compressed air breathing apparatus (CABA) or simply breathing apparatus (BA). Unofficial names include air pack, air tank, oxygen cylinder or simply pack, which are mostly used in firefighting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rebreather</span> Portable apparatus to recycle breathing gas

A rebreather is a breathing apparatus that absorbs the carbon dioxide of a user's exhaled breath to permit the rebreathing (recycling) of the substantially unused oxygen content, and unused inert content when present, of each breath. Oxygen is added to replenish the amount metabolised by the user. This differs from open-circuit breathing apparatus, where the exhaled gas is discharged directly into the environment. The purpose is to extend the breathing endurance of a limited gas supply, while also eliminating the bubbles otherwise produced by an open circuit system. The latter advantage over other systems is useful for covert military operations by frogmen, as well as for undisturbed observation of underwater wildlife. A rebreather is generally understood to be a portable apparatus carried by the user. The same technology on a vehicle or non-mobile installation is more likely to be referred to as a life-support system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diving regulator</span> Mechanism that controls the pressure of a breathing gas supply for diving

A diving regulator or underwater diving regulator is a pressure regulator that controls the pressure of breathing gas for underwater diving. The most commonly recognised application is to reduce pressurized breathing gas to ambient pressure and deliver it to the diver, but there are also other types of gas pressure regulator used for diving applications. The gas may be air or one of a variety of specially blended breathing gases. The gas may be supplied from a scuba cylinder carried by the diver, in which case it is called a scuba regulator, or via a hose from a compressor or high-pressure storage cylinders at the surface in surface-supplied diving. A gas pressure regulator has one or more valves in series which reduce pressure from the source, and use the downstream pressure as feedback to control the delivered pressure, or the upstream pressure as feedback to prevent excessive flow rates, lowering the pressure at each stage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Breathing apparatus</span> Equipment allowing or assisting the user to breath in a hostile environment

A breathing apparatus or breathing set is equipment which allows a person to breathe in a hostile environment where breathing would otherwise be impossible, difficult, harmful, or hazardous, or assists a person to breathe. A respirator, medical ventilator, or resuscitator may also be considered to be breathing apparatus. Equipment that supplies or recycles breathing gas other than ambient air in a space used by several people is usually referred to as being part of a life-support system, and a life-support system for one person may include breathing apparatus, when the breathing gas is specifically supplied to the user rather than to the enclosure in which the user is the occupant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oxygen mask</span> Interface between the oxygen delivery system and the human user

An oxygen mask is a mask that provides a method to transfer breathing oxygen gas from a storage tank to the lungs. Oxygen masks may cover only the nose and mouth or the entire face. They may be made of plastic, silicone, or rubber. In certain circumstances, oxygen may be delivered via a nasal cannula instead of a mask.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Escape breathing apparatus</span> Self contained breathing apparatus providing gas to escape from a hazardous environment

Escape breathing apparatus, also called escape respirators, escape sets, self-rescuer masks, emergency life saving apparatus (ELSA), emergency escape breathing devices (EEBD), and Respiratory Protective Smoke Escape Devices (RPED), are portable breathing apparatus that provide the wearer with respiratory protection for a limited period, intended for escape from or through an environment where there is no breathable ambient atmosphere. This includes escape through water and in areas containing harmful gases or fumes or other atmospheres immediately dangerous to life or health (IDLH).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alternative air source</span> Emergency supply of breathing gas for an underwater diver

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Snorkel (swimming)</span> Tube for breathing face down at the surface of the water

A snorkel is a device used for breathing atmospheric air when the wearer's head is face downwards in the water with the mouth and the nose submerged. It may be either a separate unit, or integrated into a swimming or diving mask. The integrated version is only suitable for surface snorkeling, while the separate device may also be used for underwater activities such as spearfishing, freediving, finswimming, underwater hockey, underwater rugby and for surface breathing while wearing scuba equipment. A standard snorkel is a curved tube with a shape usually resembling the letter "L" or "J", fitted with a mouthpiece at the lower end and made from plastic, synthetic elastomers, rubber, or light metal. The snorkel may have a loop or a clip to attach it to the head strap of the diving mask or swimming goggles, or may be tucked between the mask-strap and the head. Some snorkels are fitted with a float valve at the top to prevent flooding if the top opening is immersed, and some are fitted with a water trap and purge valve, intended for draining water from the tube.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Breathing performance of regulators</span> Tests of underwater breathing apparatus

The breathing performance of regulators is a measure of the ability of a breathing gas regulator to meet the demands placed on it at varying ambient pressures and temperatures, and under varying breathing loads, for the range of breathing gases it may be expected to deliver. Performance is an important factor in design and selection of breathing regulators for any application, but particularly for underwater diving, as the range of ambient operating pressures and temperatures, and variety of breathing gases is broader in this application. A diving regulator is a device that reduces the high pressure in a diving cylinder or surface supply hose to the same pressure as the diver's surroundings. It is desirable that breathing from a regulator requires low effort even when supplying large amounts of breathing gas as this is commonly the limiting factor for underwater exertion, and can be critical during diving emergencies. It is also preferable that the gas is delivered smoothly without any sudden changes in resistance while inhaling or exhaling, and that the regulator does not lock up and either fail to supply gas or free-flow. Although these factors may be judged subjectively, it is convenient to have standards by which the many different types and manufactures of regulators may be objectively compared.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Helicopter Underwater Escape Training</span>

Helicopter Underwater Egress Training ; often abbreviated as HUET, pronounced hue-wet, hue-way or you-way) is training provided to helicopter flight crews, offshore oil and gas industry, law enforcement personnel, and military personnel who are regularly transported by helicopters over water. As the name implies, the purpose of this training is to prepare passengers and crew for an emergency evacuation or egress in the event of a crash landing on water.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mechanism of diving regulators</span> Arrangement and function of the components of regulators for underwater diving

The mechanism of diving regulators is the arrangement of components and function of gas pressure regulators used in the systems which supply breathing gases for underwater diving. Both free-flow and demand regulators use mechanical feedback of the downstream pressure to control the opening of a valve which controls gas flow from the upstream, high-pressure side, to the downstream, low-pressure side of each stage. Flow capacity must be sufficient to allow the downstream pressure to be maintained at maximum demand, and sensitivity must be appropriate to deliver maximum required flow rate with a small variation in downstream pressure, and for a large variation in supply pressure, without instability of flow. Open circuit scuba regulators must also deliver against a variable ambient pressure. They must be robust and reliable, as they are life-support equipment which must function in the relatively hostile seawater environment, and the human interface must be comfortable over periods of several hours.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glossary of breathing apparatus terminology</span> Definitions of technical terms used in connection with breathing apparatus

A breathing apparatus or breathing set is equipment which allows a person to breathe in a hostile environment where breathing would otherwise be impossible, difficult, harmful, or hazardous, or assists a person to breathe. A respirator, medical ventilator, or resuscitator may also be considered to be breathing apparatus. Equipment that supplies or recycles breathing gas other than ambient air in a space used by several people is usually referred to as being part of a life-support system, and a life-support system for one person may include breathing apparatus, when the breathing gas is specifically supplied to the user rather than to the enclosure in which the user is the occupant.

References

  1. "HEEDS III". www.aviationsurvival.com. Archived from the original on 2010-03-23. Retrieved 2020-01-11.
  2. The Requirements for an Emergency Breathing System (EBS) in Over-Water Helicopter and Fixed Wing Aircraft Operations. RTO-AG-341 AC/323(HFM-054)TP/33 (Report). North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Research and Technology Organization. May 2001.[ permanent dead link ]
  3. "Why Spare Air!". www.spareair.com. Archived from the original on 23 January 2023. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "Helicopter Aircrew Breathing Device User's Manual". aqualung.com. Archived from the original on 20 September 2023. Retrieved 15 September 2019 via manualzz.com.