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On 21 Dec 1994, HeimannJ wrote: > I see the need for manual override of the O2 injection solenoid, How, then, would you deal with a solenoid stuck in the "open" position on a dive to 300 feet? Although solenoid malfunctions are rare, they are not impossible. Flushing the loop with pure oxygen (which is exactly what would happen if the solenoid valve was stuck open) at 300 feet could be very deadly very quickly. > but if there > is no alarm indicating that the O2 is off then this is indeed a design > oversight. As long as the scrubber were working and CO2 were being removed, > a user who forgot to check his O2 valve might never know he was hypoxic and > just quietly lose consciousness and suffocate. The Cis-Lunar rig has three independant displays that provide information on PO2. One of these is mounted directly in front of the mask (Heads-Up Display), and flashes a bright red warning light long before the PO2 drops to hypoxic levels. All three displays were functioning properly on the rig Ian was using at the time of his death. > If this is indeed the case, > then attributing Roland's death entirely to diabetes seems disingenuous at > best. Certainly, anyone who uses a rebreather, deactivates the auto oxygen injection system, and ignores all the warnings (less likely than an open-circuit diver forgetting to monitor the tank pressure gauge and running out of air) WOULD eventually go unconcious. However, that does not appear to be what happened to Ian. As Chris Hellas noted, the PO2 of Ian's breathing mixture was 0.24 (i.e., slightly higher than normoxic) at the time he apparently went unconcious and the regulator fell out of his mouth. The PO2 of the loop never dropped below 0.17 (insufficient to cause unconsciousness), so hypoxia has been ruled out as a contributor to his death. Aloha, Rich deepreef@bi*.bi*.ha*.or*
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