Respiratory protection compressor

A breathing air compressor is a compressor that can be used to fill breathing air bottles for breathing apparatus or diving equipment with breathing air .

It is mostly a multi-stage piston compressor or oil-free membrane compressors (advantage of absolutely oil-free air), as it has to reach pressures of at least 200 bar , but mostly also 300 bar, in order to fill bottles. The membrane compressor reaches a maximum pressure of 6 bar and is suitable for compressed air hose systems. The compressors are usually driven by an electric motor .

The compressed air cylinders with their valves are screwed onto the so-called filling strip . After filling, the line between the cylinder valve and the compressor valve must be vented because the screw connection would not be detachable under pressure.

In order to enable the bottles to be filled more evenly, buffer bottles with a larger volume are often integrated into the system so that the switching frequency of the compressor is significantly reduced. In addition, the necessary filling air is immediately available without the compressor, which is usually depressurized, having to build up the necessary pressure first.

There are stationary or transportable compressors, depending on the application.

The fire brigades carry portable compressors in the breathing apparatus . For cost reasons, stationary compressors are only stationed at larger fire brigades or special bases, which then also fill the bottles of the smaller fire brigades.

The place where the compressor is set up or where the air is sucked in is always important so that the bottles are only filled with pure air. Especially when using the compressor for on-site operations, it is important that the wind direction is observed so that no combustion gases are sucked in.

When filling air cylinders, safety is the top priority. therefore regular maintenance and checks are necessary. A detailed record is to be kept of this. The same applies to the filling itself. Before filling, the breathing air cylinder must be carefully checked for visible damage. In the case of AG bottles, the last test date must not be more than five years ago. The test periods for CFRP bottles (composite bottles) are 3 years and for TG bottles (diving equipment) the period is 2½ years. Breathing air bottles, which are used as work bottles in jump rescues and oil stop hoses, have a test period of 10 years.

literature

Karl-Heinz Knorr: Die Roten Hefte, Heft 15 - Respiratory protection . 14th, revised edition. Kohlhammer, Stuttgart 2008, ISBN 978-3-17-020379-2 .