Self-contained
breathing apparatus
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 (e.g., through a long
hose). If designed for use under water, it is
also known as a scuba set (self-contained
underwater breathing apparatus). 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.
Toronto firefighter wearing an SCBA
In an atmosphere that may be oxygen-
deficient, an air supply is carried on
the back.
An open circuit SCBA typically has three
main components: a high-pressure gas
storage cylinder, (e.g., 2,216 to 5,500 psi
(15,280 to 37,920 kPa), about 150 to 374
atmospheres), a pressure regulator, and a
respiratory interface, which may be a
mouthpiece, half mask or full-face mask,
assembled and mounted on a framed
carrying harness.[1]
A self-contained breathing apparatus may
fall into one of two categories: open-circuit
or closed-circuit.[2]
Types
Closed-circuit
Siebe Gorman Savox in a coal mining
museum
The closed-circuit type, also known as a
rebreather, operates by filtering,
supplementing, and recirculating exhaled
gas. It is used when a longer-duration
supply of breathing gas is needed, such as
in mine rescue and in long tunnels, and
going through passages too narrow for a
big open-circuit air cylinder. Before open-
circuit SCBA's were developed, most
industrial breathing sets were rebreathers,
such as the Siebe Gorman Proto, Siebe
Gorman Savox, or Siebe Gorman Salvus.
An example of modern rebreather SCBAs
would be the SEFA.
Open-circuit
A person wearing an MSA brand
breathing mask with a Nomex hood.
This face piece attaches with a
regulator to form a full SCBA.
SCBA packs carried on a rack in a
firetruck
Open-circuit industrial breathing sets are
filled with filtered, compressed air. Typical
open-circuit systems have two stage
regulators. The first stage reduces the
pressure from storage pressure of up to
more than 300 bar to about 10 bar for
supply to the second stage on the mask,
which further reduces it to just above
atmospheric pressure via a demand valve
when the pressure drops on inhalation. A
positive pressure mask has the demaand
valve set to close when the pressure inside
the mask is slightly above the external
ambient pressure, so when the mask is
removed from the face or leaks around the
skirt, the demand valve will free-flow.
An open-circuit rescue or firefighting SCBA
has a full-face mask, also called the face-
piece, a demand regulator, air cylinder,
pressure gauge, (sometimes with an
integrated PASS device), and a harness
with adjustable shoulder straps and waist
belt which lets it be worn on the back. The
air cylinder is commonly 4 liter, 6 liter, or
6.8 liter, but other sizes are also available.
The endurance of the cylinder can be
calculated from the volume, pressure and
breathing rate of the user. The formula:
volume (in liters) × pressure (in bars) / 40
(litres per minute) - 10 minutes (the 10
minutes is a safety margin, or reserve), so
a 6-liter cylinder, of 300 bar, is 6 × 300 / 40
- 10 = 35 minutes working duration. The
fitness and level of exertion of the wearer
affect breathing rate, and result in
variations of the actual usable time of the
SCBA.
SCBA pack with PASS device (ADSU)
Air cylinders are made of aluminium, steel,
or of a composite construction (usually
glass or carbon-fiber wrapped.) The
composite cylinders are the lightest in
weight and are therefore preferred by fire
departments (UK: fire and rescue services
previously called fire brigades), but they
also have the shortest lifespan and must
be taken out of service after 15 years. Air
cylinders must be hydrostatically tested
every 5 years. During extended operations,
empty air cylinders can be quickly
replaced with fresh ones and then refilled
from larger tanks in a cascade storage
system or from an air compressor brought
to the scene.
Positive versus negative pressure
Open circuit SCBAs use either "positive
pressure" or "negative pressure" operation.
A negative pressure system relies on the
internal pressure of the mask dropping to
below the ambient pressure to activate
flow. if the mask does not seal perfectly,
some leakage of ambient gas into the
mask will occur, which can be a problem
with toxic or irritant smoke and fumes.
A positive pressure system slightly
pressurises the interior of the mask and
activates flow when the pressure
difference is reduced, but still slightly
above ambient. If the mask leaks, there
will be continuous flow to maintain the
pressure, and no inward leakage is
possible. With a good fit this is
economical on gas and prevents
contamination. If the mask falls off the
regulator will continuously expend gas
trying to raise the pressure, and may
consume a significant amount of gas
before it is corrected.
Although the performance of both types of
SCBA may be similar under optimum
conditions, this "fail safe" behaviour
makes a positive pressure SCBA
preferable for most applications. As there
is usually no air usage penalty in providing
positive pressure, the negative pressure
type is, in most cases, an obsolete
configuration and is only seen with older
equipment. However some users refuse to
use this technology as in case of a
damage or loss of the facepiece the air
will be released uncontrolled. The leakage
rate can be so high that a fully charged
SCBA will be drained in less than three
minutes, a problem that does not happen
with negative pressure SCBA systems,
which will simply allow the user to breathe
the contaminated air leaking unto the
facepiece instead of the air from the
cylinder.
Masks
The fullface masks of breathing apparatus
designed for use out of water are
sometimes designed in a way that makes
them unsuitable for scuba diving, although
some may allow very shallow emergency
submersion:
The seal at the edge of the mask is a
wide tube with thin, flexible walls
running around the edge of the mask,
full of air at atmospheric pressure. On
the surface it pushes against the edges
of the wearer's face, causing a tight seal
despite small variations in head shape.
At more than a few feet depth pressure
(underwater or in a caisson) this tube
collapses, destroying the seal and
making the mask leak.
Curved window which underwater would
severely distort the image by refraction.
The mask can have a large viewport, or
small eye lenses.
The mask might have a small orinasal
breathing mask inside, reducing breathing
deadspace.
The mask can also incorporate a two-way
radio communicator.
Some early industrial rebreathers (e.g., the
Siebe Gorman Proto) had a mouthpiece
and attached noseclip instead of a mask.
Usage
Elastomeric masks linked to
backpack air tanks: self-contained
breathing apparatus, worn by
firefighters advancing with a firehose.
There are two major application areas for
SCBA: firefighting and industrial use. A
third use now coming into practice is
medical; for example, the American
National Institutes of Health prescribe use
of SCBAs for medical staff during
treatment of ebola.
For firefighting, the design emphasis is on
heat and flame resistance above cost.
SCBAs designed for firefighting tend to be
expensive because of the exotic materials
used to provide the flame resistance, and
to a lesser extent, to reduce the weight
penalty on the firefighter. In addition,
modern firefighting SCBAs incorporate a
PASS device (personal alert safety
system) or an ADSU (automatic distress
signal unit) into their design. These units
emit distinctive, high-pitched alarm tones
to help locate firefighters in distress by
automatically activating if movement is
not sensed for a certain length of time
(typically between 15 and 30 seconds),
also allowing for manual activation should
the need arise. In firefighting use, the
layout of this breathing set should not
interfere with ability to carry a rescued
person over the firefighter's shoulders.
The other major application is for
industrial users of various types.
Historically, mining was an important area,
and in Europe this is still reflected by
limitations on use in the construction of
SCBAs of metals that can cause sparks.
Other important users are petrochemical,
chemical, and nuclear industries. The
design emphasis for industrial users
depends on the precise application and
extends from the bottom end which is cost
critical, to the most severe environments
where the SCBA is one part of an
integrated protective environment which
includes gas-tight suits for whole-body
protection and ease of decontamination.
Industrial users will often be supplied with
air via an air line, and only carry
compressed air for escape or
decontamination purposes.
Temperature effect on pressure
The pressure gauge's indicated gas
pressure changes with ambient
temperature. As temperature decreases,
the pressure inside the cylinder decreases.
The relationship between the temperature
and the pressure of a gas is defined by the
formula PV = nRT. (See Universal gas
constant.) The temperature is absolute,
referenced to absolute zero, and may be in
Kelvins, or Rankine.[3] The absolute change
in temperature from 32 to 96 °F (0 to
36 °C) is by a factor of 1.13 (308.71
K/273.15 K). If an air cylinder is
pressurized to 4,500 psi at 96 °F and later
the temperature drops to 32 °F, the
pressure gauge will indicate 4,000 psi
(4,500/1.13). Stated differently, a drop in
temperature of 10 °F (5.5 °C) causes a
pressure decrease of about 82 psi (565
kPa). Failure to accurately account for the
effect of temperature on pressure
readings can result in underfilled air
cylinders, which in turn could lead to a
firefighter running out of air prematurely.
Regulation and standards
Volunteer fire fighter exiting live burn
structure wearing NIOSH-certified
SCBA, NFPA compliant turn-out gear,
and holding a pike pole
In the United States and Canada, SCBAs
used in firefighting must meet guidelines
established by the National Fire Protection
Association, NFPA Standard 1981. If an
SCBA is labeled as "1981 NFPA
compliant", it is designed for firefighting.
The current version of the standard was
published in 2018.[4] These standards are
revised every five years. Similarly, the
National Institute for Occupational Safety
and Health (NIOSH) has a certification
program for SCBA that are intended to be
used in chemical, biological, radiological,
and nuclear (CBRN) environments.
Any SCBA supplied for use in Europe must
comply with the requirements of the
Personal Protective Equipment Directive
(89/686/EEC). In practice this usually
means that the SCBA must comply with
the requirements of the European
Standard EN 137:2006. This includes
detailed requirements for the performance
of the SCBA, the marking required, and the
information to be provided to the user.
Two classes of SCBA are recognised, Type
1 for industrial use and Type 2 for
firefighting. Any SCBA conforming to this
standard will have been verified to reliably
operate and protect the user from -30 °C to
+60 °C under a wide range of severe
simulated operational conditions.
Examples
The Royal Australian Navy uses the open
circuit compressed air breathing
apparatus (OCCABA), a backpack-style,
positive pressure breathing apparatus, for
firefighting roles.
See also
Glossary of firefighting terms – List of
definitions of terms and jargon used in
firefighting
Oxygen mask – Interface between the
oxygen delivery system and the human
user
Respirator – Device worn to protect the
user from inhaling contaminants
PASS device (personal alert safety
system), also known as ADSU
(automatic distress signal unit) – Device
used to set off an alarm when a
firefighter is in distress
SCUBA – Self-contained underwater
breathing apparatus
Smoke hood, also known as Short Term
Air Supply (STAS – Device to protect the
user from smoke inhalation in an
emergency}
Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier – French
pioneer balloonist (1754–1785)
Notes
1. IFSTA 2008, p. 190.
2. IFSTA 2008, p. 191.
3. Online Conversion – Temperature
Conversion (http://www.onlineconversion.c
om/temperature.htm) Archived (https://we
b.archive.org/web/20160219105708/http://
www.onlineconversion.com/temperature.ht
m) 2016-02-19 at the Wayback Machine.
4. "NFPA" (https://www.nfpa.org/codes-and-st
andards/all-codes-and-standards/list-of-co
des-and-standards/detail?code=1981) .
NFPA. Archived (https://web.archive.org/we
b/20180406040753/https://www.nfpa.org/
codes-and-standards/all-codes-and-standar
ds/list-of-codes-and-standards/detail?code
=1981) from the original on 6 April 2018.
Retrieved 5 May 2018.
References
IFSTA (2008). Essentials of Fire Fighting
and Fire Department Operations
(5th ed.).
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related
to Self-contained breathing apparatus.
These references are related to NIOSH-
certified SCBA with chemical, biological,
radiological, and nuclear (CBRN)
protection (SC/PD/CBRN):
CBRN SCBA interim user guide and
list of approved CBRN SCBA (http
s://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npptl/topic
s/respirators/cbrnapproved/scba/)
CBRN SCBA standard development
and publication leading to the first
NIOSH-Certified SCBA with CBRN
protection offered by the US
DHHS/CDC/NIOSH/NPPTL on June
3, 2002 (https://www.cdc.gov/nios
h/npptl/standardsdev/cbrn/scba/)
Image of 2-cylinder open-circuit
SCBA (https://web.archive.org/we
b/20110710204856/http://www.eui
nfrastructure.com/media/article-im
ages/article-image/INFRAEU/issue-
8/web-images/MSA-3_AirGo_Pro.jp
g)
Rescuer Deaths in Underground Mines
(http://usminedisasters.com/rescuer_de
aths.htm)
Literature
Study of the physiological effects of
wearing breathing apparatus (htt
p://www.iom-world.org/pubs/IOM_
TM9405.pdf) Archived (https://we
b.archive.org/web/2014051317581
8/http://www.iom-world.org/pubs/I
OM_TM9405.pdf) 2014-05-13 at
the Wayback Machine by RG Love
and others. Institute of
Occupational Medicine Research
Report TM/94/05
Retrieved from
"https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Self-
contained_breathing_apparatus&oldid=117346599
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