When Forests Burn

Home , Pyromania

Gas Detection Laboratory in a tube Dräger Review100 Mining Safety through rescue chambers and respiratory equipment Nanotechnology The Magazine for Safety Technology June 2010 Tiny helpers with a big impact

When Forests Burn Concepts for fighting fire with fire It’s a Riddle! Quality is a matter of details, and at Dräger you’ll find top quality in every product – including the roughly 250 gas detection tubes. But how many different gases can they identify? You’ll find some hints starting on page 28. 1. 250+ 2. About 500 3. Over 1,500 Send us the correct answer via e-mail to [email protected] or on a postcard to our editorial address (you’ll find it on page 34), and you may win one of 30 USB sticks with 4 GB of memory! The deadline for entries is July 31, 2010. Winners will be notified in writing, so please indicate your name and address. Prizes cannot be paid in cash. Dräger employees are not entitled to participate. Participants hereby waive all legal rights to enforce any award. CoNteNts

about 3,000,000 liters of water are contained in europe’s largest indoor diving facility, located near Cologne, Germany. Read more starting on page 18. : CUSP/F1OnLine: S APH Nie OGr GeS G OT ma i PH y

FIRe TT WateR aIR

8 Ge 18 Geor Dr. 24 ST-116-33-2008 COver

e xpeRIeNCe RepoRt INsIGht 4 people Who perform Training 14 Deep Within the Mountain 28 Where Gases show their Colors for air rescue operations in Germany; State-of-the-art rescue concepts for Dräger tubes analyze invisible dangers. screening for drug users in Spain. mining focus on safer rooms underground – and inno vative respiratory outlook NeWs protection equipment. 32 Nanoworld sensors Tiny carbon 6 News from the World of Dräger 18 Bubble-free Diving in europe’s largest nanotubes are set for a big career in many The HPS 3100 universal helmet from indoor diving facility, rescue divers fields, including measuring technology. Dräger. A new emergency ambulance can practice at depths of up to 20 meters. for preterm infants. Dräger review in 20 the push-button Inferno A fire seRvICe German, english, and Spanish. simulation facility in vire, France, enables 34 Where and Who? Dräger worldwide; firefighters to prepare for real-life calls. publishing information. FoCus 8 Fighting Fire with Fire Forest fires BaCkGRouND Close-up pose a huge threat to human lives, 24 Infrared Measurement of Gases 36 Quick Rescue with plenty of time safety, and property. The battle against How does the detection of flammable The closed-circuit breathing apparatus forest fires calls for unusual liquids work? The third and last PSS BG4 plus provides up to four hours strategies – and physical courage. part of the series explains the details. of clean breathing air.

DräGer revieW 100 | JUne 2010 3 expeRIeNCe PeOPLe WHO PerFOrM

What Moves us – Dräger Worldwide

Marco Monnig, specialist nurse and paramedic at the aDaC air Rescue division, Munich / Germany “it’s a good feeling when you see the child is alive – and watch it leave the ing tool made of wood, is in Hangelar near Bonn. it’s constructed as an hospital with its parents! i have experienced heart-pounding responses exact replica of its flying counterparts: perfusors, monitors, an Oxylog for newborn babies a number of times, and it has affected me. A rapid 3000, and little space. The SimMan, our patient, is true-to-life. He can treatment, at the right moment, means the difference between life and actualize bodily functions, be auscultated and ventilated. death. if it works, the patient is rescued. That’s our objective! it’s also vitally important to be able to plan ahead under stress. Any- There’s little room for error. The right equipment and know ledge one here who is trained in air rescue knows: “i can’t just pull over and need to be deployed at the right place. Our tool is the helicopter. But a stop on the shoulder of the road if something hasn’t been correctly tool is only as good as the hands that guide it. And to insure that they’re thought through.” Once in the air, we already need to have an overview the best, we provide intensive training. My colleagues have come here of what we’re doing. Does ‘ChristophSim’ really work? Time and again from all over to be trained. And we train to act as a team – the seamless we knock on his side door to say: ‘Welcome to the hospital. you’ve coordination of all involved is crucial on board. ‘ChristophSim,’ our train- landed’ – that’s how gripping the simulation is.” Ann rTHM WO en T H, Mer C ke UM BA : Si L : T ; Tex; MArin O L zU A , , S AriU rOS An S H Hy: GrA P OTO PH

4 DräGer revieW 100 | JUne 2010 Francisco Javier Rodríguez-Madridejos Jiménez, police Chief of seseña, Castilla-la Mancha / spain “U ntil two years ago we had no equipment for doing drug tests. We sim- The results have been amazing: Sometimes we catch eight drivers on drugs ply had to let suspects go, and it was really frustrating not to be able to for every one drunken driver. But drug users’ attitudes are slowly changing. take any action. it’s true that we always caught drunken drivers during When we confront them with the test results, they’re astonished our traffic checks, but the issue of drivers on drugs was left completely and incredulous. They no longer have any excuses. Many of them then open. That ate away at my professional pride: We were sending time tell us about their worries and problems, and we listen to them with a bombs on wheels back out onto the streets. Things just couldn’t go on psychologist’s sensitivity in order to find out what factors are influenc- that way. Our community, Seseña, is located in the north of Castilla-La ing their condition. Mostly these are people of a certain age, about 40, Mancha and has less than 20,000 inhabitants. Madrid is not far away, and the drug is mostly cocaine. A 20-year-old who smokes marijuana so we have a lot of through traffic. reacts differently. in 97 percent of the cases, these people pay the fine Two years ago i initiated the project ‘no drugs at the wheel!’. We immediately. We also have the feeling that they realize how efficient the bought a reliable mobile drugs of abuse detection system from Dräger – and police force is and that they have a bad conscience because of their now we can finally conduct comprehensive and effective drug screening. consumption of illegal substances.” NeWs UnG FT Ti eiGer S eiGer T örn S örn BJ D-5195-2010 For challenging assignments: the hps 3100. In abraham’s bosom: Quiet and gentle transportation for babies.

Dräger hps 3100 a New emergency ambulance universal helmet for preterm Infants The Dräger HPS 3100 multifunctional universal About 700,000 babies are born in Germany every year. Some 30,000 of them have helmet is ideal for challenging assignments in the to be transferred from children’s and maternity hospitals to special clinics, either because field, such as forest fires, traffic accidents or they are preterm infants or because a child with a normal birth develops life-threatening mountain rescue missions. it combines optimal pro- complications. Transporting these babies calls for specially equipped emergency ambulances, tective functions, thanks to the integrated poly- and the Björn Steiger Foundation has been developing them since 1974. The latest styrol inner shell, and is very comfortable as a result model is scheduled to be inaugurated in the second half of the year. “neonatologists are of features such as the four-point harness and already calling it a quantum leap,” says Melanie Storch, who works at the foundation. padding throughout the entire head area. An adjust- it cost about one million euros to develop the prototype, and the foundation intends to ment wheel lets the helmet fit individual head finance 100 of these ambulances by 2014 at a unit price of about 200,000 euros. sizes. The ventilation system ensures a comfortable The centerpiece of the emergency ambulance for babies is the crosswise transport temperature and humidity level inside the helmet, incubator. “in newborn babies the fontanelles in the skull have not yet closed,” Storch ex- even during long periods of forest firefighting. A metal plains. “That’s why the babies have to lie crosswise to the direction of movement so they lattice keeps out large debris particles, and the won’t be affected by the acceleration and deceleration during the drive.” However, this kind ventilation system can be closed with a simple slide of crosswise transport is not possible in conventional ambulances. in addition, the newly control to protect the wearer from smoke or extin- developed model is equipped with an innovative active damping system that significantly guishing water. The modern design and structure of the reduces shocks and vibrations. An electric motor and pneumatic springs are capable of HPS 3100 make it a combination of an industrial cushioning even the impact of ten-centimeter-deep potholes. Dräger will provide almost safety helmet according to en 397 and a mountain- all of the vehicle’s medical technology equipment. This includes the transport incubator eer helmet according to en 12492. The entire system, which was developed in cooperation with neonatologists, nurses, and midwives, as inner suspension ring and the neck curtain are padded. well as an international team of medical technicians. The central gas supply equipment, A comprehensive range of accessories, including respirators, and monitoring systems also come from Dräger. in addition, acoustics special- an electric visor, optimizes the helmet for a multitude ists at the Dräger test center are working on the sound insulation inside the emergency of special applications. The market launch is planned ambulance for babies. for the third quarter of 2010.

6 DräGer revieW 100 | JUne 2010 Dräger Review in German, english, and spanish

ever since its first issue in the summer of 1912, Dräger review has informed its readers about the company’s technological products and their applications. The first issue in english, which was published in 1959, featured the use of compressed- air breathing equipment in the mining industry and firefighting. This issue of the magazine is the 385th published in German and the 100th published in english. “This is our demonstration that we speak our customers’ language, not just metaphorically but also literally,” says Burkard Dillig with a smile. Dillig, who is currently Dräger’s press spokesman, was responsible for Dräger review for over

mT-5469-2008 20 years until the end of 2007. in this, smartpilot view provides an overview. Customer-friendly: the Dräger website. its 99th year, the magazine is launching an additional edition in Spanish, which is soon to be followed by one in French. By taking Italy: First a Dräger Website these steps, the company is responding to the growing significance of the markets smartpilot view for 48 Countries where these global languages are spoken. The history of the Ospedale Maggiore The slogan “One Dräger – One voice” “We feel the same way about Dräger review began in 1351. Today the 638-bed hos pital, now also applies to the internet. Thanks as we do about our products,” says Stefan which is located about 50 kilometers to a recent innovation, the company’s Dräger, CeO of Drägerwerk verwal tungs southeast of Milan, serves about 150,000 website now automatically registers the AG. “everything we produce should provide residents in the surrounding region. it country from which it is being accessed our customers with maximum utility.” recently acquired two new zeus infinity and then redirects the user to the Since the end of 2008, the new empowered anesthesia systems – including corresponding local website. This feature design has been accompanied by technical a SmartPilot view. “That makes this now applies to 48 countries and 29 information and local reports that hospital the first one worldwide that can languages. are appreciated by many readers. Today, monitor the anesthesia stage with the All of the websites offer general infor- three issues of Dräger review in two help of our smart display,” says emilio Car - mation about the company as well as versions – one for each corporate division – mignotto of the Dräger sales team. Dr. information and fascinating 360° views are published annually. it has a total Agostino Dossena, Director of Anesthesia of Dräger products, videos, and pro- circulation of over 80,000 copies. at the Ospedale Maggiore, chose the duct demonstrations. visitors can find out anesthesia systems first, and was then more about the company and its pro- Gasmesstechnik Das Labor im rohr Gas Detection unter tage Laboratory in a tube 100 impressed by the sophisticated monitoring duct range by clicking on links such as Dräger ReviewDräger ReviewMining 385 Sicherheit durch Fluchtkammern Safety through rescue chambers und innovativen Atemschutz Detecció and respiratory equipment 1 n de gases Nanotechnologie Laboratorio en un tubo Drägerheft Nanotechnology The Magazinekleine for HelferSafety Technologygroß im kommen June 2010 technology. “Products & Services,” “Careers,” Juni 2010 La revista de la tecnologíaTiny helpers de seguridad with a big impact Minería refugios e innovadoraSeguridad protección gracias a

Das Magazin für die Sicherheitstechnik Junio de 2010 respiratoria The SmartPilot view supports the “investor relations,” “Press Center.” you Pequeñas ayudasNano contecnología gran efecto anesthesiologist in the operating room can find an overview of the contents from the initial administration of the of Dräger review in the “About Dräger” When ForestsCuando Burn los bosq anesthesia all the way to the wake-up phase. section. www.draeger.com Wenn WälderConcepts brennen for Conceptosfighting fire para with combatirfire el fuego con fuego konzepte gegen die heiße Gefahr ues arden All of the important data – including a forecast of the course of the anesthesia – is graphically depicted on a large display.

DräGer revieW 100 | JUne 2010 7 8 DräGer revieW 100 | JUne 2010 FOreST FireS FoCus

Fighting Fire with Fire Fire is often successfully FouGht WIth FIRe – for prevention purposes and as a last resort.

hen we think of forest fires, the and Canada certainly could increase due places that automatically come to dry conditions and elevated tempera- W to mind are Greece, Portugal, tures. The greenhouse gas carbon dioxide Australia, and California. What we often released by these fires could then cause fail to realize, however, is that forest fires the atmosphere to heat up even faster as are a not an uncommon occurrence in part of a vicious cycle. In densely pop- more northerly latitudes, too. Take Russia, ulated Europe, however, experts such for example. There are between 20,000 as Maushake consider humans to be and 35,000 fires a year in Russia’s 800 mil- the number one cause of fires. And not lion hectares of coniferous forest, the larg- just in Europe. An estimated 95 percent est contiguous wooded area in the world. of all fires worldwide are caused by Each summer, the fire departments there people. The root cause is often care- face the monstrous task of fighting fires in lessness, such as a BBQ fire in difficult an area almost as large as the U.S. terrain or a car with a hot catalytic con- Even damp Germany is a forest fire verter that is parked over dry leaves. How- country. “The authorities registered ever, the experts also often find evidence roughly 1,000 forest fires in 2009,” says of arson – driven by malice, pyromania, Detlef Maushake, Training Director for insurance fraud, or real estate specula- Wildland Firefighting at the German aid tion aimed at turning supposedly useless organization @fire, which provides fire- forest into productive pasture or expen- fighting and rescue assistance to its Eu- sive building land. Unfortunately, fires ropean neighbors but was also recently are sometimes lit as a job-creation mea- deployed to Haiti following the devastat- sure. In Spain, Portugal, and Greece, most ing earthquake there. “Open-area fires firefighters are hired on an as-needed are not included in the statistics. We es- basis, and some are not above creating timate that the total number is roughly the need themselves. four to five times greater than the re- The consequences of this game with ported cases,” he adds. And the number fire can now be seen nearly year-round on of fires is increasing: The average surface television. There is always a fire burning area consumed by forest fires in the Med- somewhere, and when the forest fire sea- iterranean region annually has increased son comes to an end in southern Europe fourfold since the 1960s. it is just beginning in the southern hemi- sphere, particularly in Australia and Af- people are the main cause of fire rica. Fires burn on more than 300 million Is climate change the reason for these hectares worldwide each year. Thousands MAGeS i he looks like an arsonist, huge numbers? Maushake sighs. He is of people are forced to flee the flames. eTTy

but he’s actually a firefighter G often asked this question, but he cannot “We’re seeing a global trend of fires not setting a firebreak. Hy: provide a definitive answer. Researchers only covering greater areas in many re- suspect that the number of fires in the un- gions, but also having much more seri-

P PHOTOGrA populated expanses of Siberia, the U.S., ous consequences,” notes fire ecologist >

DräGer revieW 100 | JUne 2010 9 FoCus FOreST FireS once they have jumped, smokejumpers are on their own

> Johann Georg Goldammer, who heads measuring no more than 30 centime- land firefighters is also less heavily pad- the Global Fire Monitoring Center in ters in width is enough to stop a ground ded than that of structural firefighting Freiburg, Germany, and has been assess- fire. If necessary, the firefighters start a units. “Although the other clothing of- ing forest fire activity throughout the small, controlled backfire to deprive the fers greater protection, the clothing and world for many years. actual fire of fuel. “This is a good tool for equipment worn outside – including the stopping the flames in remote regions helmet (editor’s note: see also news, page smokejumpers: help from the sky or in terrain that is impassable or con- 6) – has to be light because we sometimes Unless the fire was caused by lightning, a taminated with munitions and thus in- have to wear it for days,” says Maushake. forest fire always begins as a ground fire. accessible to vehicles,” says Maushake. In “We have to be able to deal with the heat for As long as the fire hasn’t yet jumped to the Germany, the forest is generally so well- long periods of time.” (see also page 6) canopy, the fires are easy to extinguish. developed because of commercial forestry Another piece of mandatory equipment The firefighters use shovels, fire swatters, that the forest roads can serve as such for his people is a protective tent that folds chain saws, brushwood branches, and a lines of defense. It is a completely differ- up into an easy-to-handle package. It is tool called a Pulaski fire axe that has an ent story in the dense macchia (thicket, made of a special fire-resistant fabric with axe on one end and a grub hoe on the shrubland) that is often encountered in a vapor-deposited aluminum layer that re- other. Sometimes the crews even fight the southern European countries. flects up to 95 percent of incident heat flames with their bare hands. Even today, the methods of the smoke- radiation. “It’s like the airbag in a car,” says In the extensive coniferous forests of jumpers hardly differs from the work of Maushake. “You’d rather not have to use Russia and the U.S., smokejumpers have the founding fathers. Of course, the para- it, but it’s safer to have one with you.” proven to be the most effective strike chutes can be steered more precisely now- So far, this professional firefighter force against fire. They parachute out adays and there are satellite navigation has traveled to the U.S. ten times for ad- of airplanes or rappel from helicopters and radio telephones. But once the strike ditional training in order to learn from into the threatened woodland and be- force has jumped, the firefighters are on colleagues there how to extinguish forest gin a battle against the flames that some- their own until the fire is extinguished – in and brush fires. “The biggest difference times lasts for days. During this entire which case they march to the nearest road between an open-area fire and a struc- time, the smokejumpers are completely to be collected – or they are evacuated by tural fire is the dynamics of the fire,” ex- on their own. This style of firefighting was helicopter. But at least one thing has plains Maushake. “There are more vari- invented in Russia in the 1920s. The aer- changed dramatically: The staff working ables outside. A cloud in front of the sun ial fire service still exists today and goes by for the American aerial fire service now can be enough to dampen the fire. Forest the name Avialesookhrana, which trans- have much better protective clothing than fires move. It’s like in chess: You have to lates roughly as “Aerial Guarding of the their predecessors had. think ahead!” Forests.” The first Avialesookhrana fire- If the flames have already engulfed en- fighters climbed onto the wings of a trans- learning from the u.s. tire trees, there is little that the teams on port plane and parachuted into a fire-en- The firefighters in the U.S. and the vol- the ground can do. In such a situation, it’s circled village in 1930. unteers of the German @fire group wear time to call in the water bomber planes. There are two ways to stop a fire: You bright yellow uniforms rather than the The CL-415 was developed specifically for can use something like sand to cut off the dark blue ones associated with town and this purpose by the Canadian firm Cana- supply of oxygen to the fire or you can re- city fire departments. “They don’t heat dair. This amphibious aircraft can scoop move all of the flammable material from up as much in the sun,” explains Maush- up an impressive “payload” – 6,000 liters the path of the fire. A trench in the soil ake. The protective clothing of the wild- in 12 seconds – while flying low over a

10 DräGer revieW 100 | JUne 2010 FOreST FireS FoCus Water bombers fight a fire from the air. In mountainous areas like this one, helicopters are also used for this purpose.

body of water at 120 kilometers an hour. The water is mixed with fire-retardant chemicals before being dropped in order to enhance the extinguishing effect. Flying just 30 meters above the burning treetops, the pilots open the four valves of their water tanks, either gradually or all at once so that the mass of water can break through even dense canopy. Ever- green International Airline has a Boeing 747-200 that has been reconfigured as a water bomber. It rents this unique aircraft to governments as needed. The jumbo water bomber can hold up to 77,600 liters of water and was first deployed in July 2009 to fight forest fires in Spain. Fire planet earth Leaving aside the absolutely destructive power of conflagrations that hardly ever occur without human involvement, nature is much less distressed by the flames than we humans believe. Many ecosys- tems actually need the power of flames in order to exist. Computer simulations have shown that in a world without fire there would be one-third more forest, but many biodiverse landscapes such as heaths would be lost forever if fires did not periodically sweep over them. Ever since plants populated land masses, there have been large-area fires on the planet. The oldest evidence of this includes 420 million-year-old charred remains of plants that geologists found hid- den in deep layers of rock. “We live on a eUTerS fire planet,” says fire ecologist Goldham- r mer, who advocates allowing fires more Hy:: room to breathe. What appears at first

glance to be a curious strategy has been > P PHOTOGrA

DräGer revieW 100 | JUne 2010 11 FoCus FOreST FireS the jump into the (often) unknown: a smokejumper floats down into the burn area to fight the fire on the ground.

> finding increasing support among wildland firefighters for a number of years now. In short, they are beginning to fight fire with fire. Their aim is not to extinguish the flames, but rather to prevent or at least control them. Fires only become really dangerous when there is too much flamm able material lying around in the forest. The dead plant material from the pre- vious year remains on the ground, and once the snow has melted and the sun has been shining for two days, material burns like tinder. Things were different when rural populations still used to gather up even the smallest of twigs to heat home and hearth. Goldammer compares the effect of a controlled low-intensity ground fire in a forest to light thinning by humans. As a result of either, weaker trees disappear, healthy ones remain and young trees can grow because they receive more light on Catastrophic forest fires the forest floor. Such fires could prevent the dangerously hot fires that leave noth- october 1825: 160 august 1975: in a fire July/september 2007: august/october people, many of them on the Lüneburg Heath, Fires burn throughout 2009: The Station Fire ing of the forest behind other than a few prisoners, die in 74 square kilometers Greece. More than rages on the outskirts charred stumps. the massive Miarmichi are destroyed and five 3,000 separate fires of Los Angeles. it Fire in the Canadian firefighters die. destroy 2,700 square destroys 89 homes and province of new kilometers of forest consumes 650 square Integrated fire management Brunswick. 16,000 Between 1997 and and plantations; 84 kilometers of brush and square kilometers of 1998: 97,000 square people die. forest surrounding “We shouldn’t prevent fires, but rather re- forest are destroyed. kilometers of rain forest Tujunga Canyon, an duce their intensity,” says Alexander Held, burn down in indonesia February 2009: in important local august 1936: The and release 2.6 giga- the Australian state of recreation area and an internationally recognized fire man- russian lumber tons of the greenhouse victoria, 400 separate tourist attraction. ager at the consulting company Working town kursha-2 burns gas carbon dioxide. fires destroy 4,500 investigators determine to the ground in a square kilometers of that the fire was on Fire in Germany. When he speaks of conflagration; 1,200 July 2005: 130 square bushland. 173 people started by an arsonist. the “fire industry,” he is also referring to ALL iAnCe people die. kilometers of forest burn perish in the flames, Two firefighters die services such as those his company offers down in the Spanish 414 are injured. in the line of duty. TUre-

province of Guadalajara; Murder charges are PiC to governments or large property own- y: 11 firefighters die. filed against the ers. These include monitoring the land unidentified perpetrator. APH areas, as well as educational campaigns OTOGr

PH and training programs aimed at teach-

12 DräGer revieW 100 | JUne 2010 FOreST FireS FoCus

ing the general population the merits of controlled burning. Held calls this “inte- “It’s a lifestyle” OTO grated fire management,” and says that H JohN tWIss, 63, is the President of the north American e P only about 10 percent of the associated C national Smokejumper Association. Between 1967 and 1976, activities are related to fire suppression; ervi he himself jumped out of airplanes over forest fires and often the rest are aimed at prevention. stayed for days until all the flames were extinguished. He lives FOreST S FOreST

US in Custer, South Dakota. Better a controlled burn Controlled burning enjoys a long tradi- Do you remember your first parachute jump from an airplane tion in many parts of Africa. The landown- into a burning forest? ers set many small fires that consume the Of course! it was more than 30 years ago. The training had me well prepared, but that’s dead plant material while leaving the liv- precisely what makes it exciting: you know exactly what you’re getting yourself into. ing plants undamaged. Such fires are What does a forest fire sound like? not destructive. These regions look like A small fire doesn’t make a lot of noise. A large fire that consumes entire trees a checkerboard when seen from the air. can get pretty loud, like a train. When you hear this noise, you know that you’re in Catastrophes are rare in areas where this trouble and need to get away as fast as you can. technique is properly applied. What goes through your head when you’re flying to a deployment? “The people burn land early in the if it’s a long flight, you normally sleep and save up your energy. On short year when the plants are still green and trips of up to three hours you chat with your colleagues, check your equipment, the air is damp. Under these conditions, and study the map of the drop zone. the fires go out overnight with no hu- What’s the first thing that a smokejumper does after landing? man intervention,” explains Held. He if you land in a tree, you have to see that you get down to the ground. The next thing recommends that European fire man- is to look for the package with the tools, food, and drinking water that was dropped agers adopt a similar strategy: “It’s go- right after you. Then you put out the fire, pack everything back up and march off in the ing to burn anyway, so it’s better to set- direction of the agreed pickup point. tle for a controlled burn that is easier on how long does such a deployment last? the vegetation and the soil.” Held con- you stay until the fire is extinguished or the command post orders you to another siders the fighting of fires to be a hope- location. That can take up to three days. That’s how long the food lasts. less undertaking. “Greece has the most and when the food is gone? aircraft, and still there are massive fires Then you either eat what you can find or nothing at all. Food and water are often there every two years.” dropped from a plane if you’re out there for a longer period of time. Things are changing, however. “More that sounds like an occupation full of hardships. and more countries are finding the cour- The optimal age for a smokejumper used to be under 30. nowadays you meet age to fight fire with fire,” says Held. And active jumpers who are over 50. he calls on them to show even more cour- What else has changed? age and take new approaches to fire man- The parachutes are easier to steer nowadays. That makes it easier to steer past agement. “However, it’s difficult to con- boulders and trees. And i’m pleased that smokejumpers are being deployed vince the authorities that they should today for the controlled burn-off of combustible material in areas at risk from forest start 1,000 little fires around Athens every fires. That will probably happen more frequently in the future. spring,” he admits. hanno Charisius Further information online: www.draeger.com/385/firefighting

DräGer revieW 100 | JUne 2010 13 Deep Within the Mountain Safer rooms underground and innovative respiratory protection equipment offer state-of-the-art solutions for mining and tunnel construction. They form the basis of the latest ResCue CoNCepts worldwide as emergency plans for mines and construction sites hundreds of meters down grow increasingly stringent.

ntensive operations underground require maximum safety. That applies i equally to the Konrad shaft in Salzgit- ter, Germany, and the Olympic Dam Mine on the other side of the globe in Austra- lia. Yet the two facilities are vastly different in terms of their use. In Germany, the mine is being converted into a per- manent repository for low- and intermediate-level radioactive wastes, whereas in Australia’s largest underground mine, new deposits are being prepared for the extraction of ores. What connects the two, on the other hand, is their safety equipment, which includes rescue chambers and refuge chambers on a very high level by international comparison. Reports about mine accidents illus- trate just how important it is to continue to improve underground safety in many countries. And this situation is indeed changing for the better. While mines and transportation tunnels have steadily got- ten bigger in recent years, the safety requirements for mining and tunnel construction have become more stringent worldwide. “And the lawmakers are im- posing increasingly stringent standards,” says Norbert Poch, Head of the Breathing Air Supply Systems unit at Dräger. Inno- vative protective and rescue equipment for the mining industry was therefore the focus of the International Mines Rescue Conference held in the Czech Republic in fall of 2009 (see also interview, p. 17). Customized rescue concepts Because of the different conditions un-

derground, safe rescue concepts rely on ST-1613-2007 customized solutions. Among their most konrad shaft or olympic Dam – the risks underground are similar worldwide.

14 DräGer revieW 100 | JUne 2010 MininG RepoRt

important components are respiratory protection equipment for self-rescue and safer rooms such as rescue chambers and refuge chambers. “The different variants of the two systems are comple- mentary,” says Poch. He also points out that “today’s rescue concepts include a combination of refuge chambers, rescue chambers, and personal respiratory protection equipment.” escape to the surface Refuge chambers and rescue chambers offer very good odds of survival, even in the event of explosions, fires, or the release of hazardous gases. Refuge chambers are stationary and are generally created by separating a dead-end gallery

ST-1611-2007 from the mine using walls and an air- this self-contained rescue chamber protects against smoke and particles. lock. A large number of people can wait in these areas for an extended period of time to be rescued by external rescue crews. Rescue chambers, on the other hand, are usually mobile containers and intended as an intermediate stop during a self-rescue. “Self-rescue by escaping to the surface should be the objective whenever possible,” says Dietmar Diercks, a product specialist at Dräger. Innovative respiratory protection technology is showing the way forward here. Dräger’s “Charge Air” (in Austra- lia: “Quick Fill Stations”) is a system with breathing air refilling stations for self-rescue over greater distances. Charge Air is currently used primarily in coal mines where escape from the mine (self-rescue) has absolute priority over

ST-1707-2005 refuge chamber concepts, due to the the rescue chamber is gastight so that occupants can breathe freely. problems of firedamp and fire. Charge >

DräGer revieW 100 | JUne 2010 15 ST-13278-2007 D-16503-2009 Rescue chambers can be flexibly configured and can Charge air enables the rapid refilling of compressed provide protection for up to 20 people for several days. air respirators for improved safety.

> Air makes it possible to rapidly refill The largest active underground mine in arating carbon dioxide (CO2) from the compressed air respirators. “A nine-liter Australia is located in the middle of the breathing air in the climate-controlled cylinder can be refilled from 50 to 300 outback, some 600 kilometers north of refuge chamber and adds oxygen accord- bars in 45 to 70 seconds without any in- Adelaide. “Olympic Dam” is a world unto ingly. Gas detectors continuously moni- terruption of the breathing air supply,” itself. Several hundred miners are un- tor the airlock for hazardous gases in the explains Stefan Reiling of Dräger, who der way in its passages every day, fully airlock and also monitor the concentra- supports the system in Australia. That decked out with respiratory protection tions of oxygen, carbon dioxide, and car- corresponds to a 60-minute supply of masks on their belts and mine lamps on bon monoxide in the refuge chamber. breathing air. Refilling is performed us- their helmets. New tunnels are opened A refuge chamber will also be among ing a purely pneumatically controlled every day, each one looking exactly like the safety features of the Konrad shaft, sequential cascade system that makes the others. A tangled maze of roads and where the extraction of ore was discon- more efficient use of the available air tunnels several hundred kilometers long tinued back in 1976. More than three de- than direct filling. Standard Charge Air runs through the granite. cades later, work is currently under way units from Dräger are suitable for fill- to upgrade the mine in Salzgitter for its ing either 20 or 40 breathing air cylin- up to 36 hours of protection future role as a final repository for ra- ders. Longer evacuation routes are easy Dräger will provide the mine with its dioactive wastes that develop insignifi- to handle with Charge Air than with new refuge chamber, in which up to 100 cant amounts of heat. Among the first oxygen self-rescuers, and in addition the people can find shelter and safety for up steps in the conversion process is the in- breathing air is more pleasant. The Oaky to 36 hours. A slight positive pressure rel- stallation of rescue chambers and also a Creek Coal mine in Queens land, Austra- ative to the atmosphere in the mine, an refuge chamber. These chambers serve lia, currently has more than 80 systems air curtain unit, and an airlock are in- as places to which miners can retreat, in use, making it the largest customer tended to keep hazardous gases out. The primarily during the conversion phase. for this technology. regeneration unit is responsible for sep- “The risks during tunneling and backfill- ing are hardly any different from those you find in an active ore mine,” says Dr. Thorsten Rebehn from the German Com- pany for the Construction and Operation of Waste Respositories (DBE). The con- Guidelines and ordinances version phase is scheduled to last from Throughout the world, there are various guidelines and ordinances that regulate the 2010 to 2014. use of rescue and escape chambers. The applicable regulations in Germany are The refuge chamber, which can hold contained in the General Mining Ordinance for Underground Operations, Open-cast up to 150 people, was designed to be used Mining and Salt Mines (ABvO) and the German Tunneling Committee’s (DAUB) in a worst-case scenario involving a fire Guidelines for Planning and implementing Safety and Protective Concepts at Under- in the Konrad 1 shaft, which was sunk ground Construction Sites. The corresponding international regulations include back in 1957. This is the “downcast shaft,” the Final rule (2008) for refuge Alternatives for Underground Coal Mines of the through which fresh air flows into the US Mine Safety & Health Administration (MSHA), as well as the Queensland mine, and that is the reason it is the pre- Mining and Quarrying Safety and Health regulation 2001 and the refuge Chambers ferred escape route in case of an evacua- in Underground Metalliferous Mines regulation of the Department of industry and tion. However, if a fire was to break out in resources of Western Australia. the downcast shaft, the entire mine could

16 DräGer revieW 100 | JUne 2010 MininG RepoRt

be filled with hazardous gases, and the Mine Rescue in the people in the mine would have to be evacuated through the Konrad 2 shaft. Czech Republic In Germany, rescue chambers are also václav Pošta is director of the Central Mine rescue created directly in the mine when the stor- Station in the Czech republic. The mines there have been

age chambers are constructed, in line with D-11056-2010 using equipment from Dräger for about 100 years. the requirements of the General Mining Ordinance for Underground Opera tions, What are you most proud of when you look back on your many years of expe- Open-cast Mining and Salt Mines (ABVO, rience as a leader of the Czech mine rescue service? see box on p. 16). According to the ordi- Mostly of the fact that during the course of 31 years – in other words, the period nance, tunnels that are more than 400 when i directly supervised accident control – not a single life was lost among the mine meters long require rescue chambers in rescue personnel. cases where there are no additional con- What were the most important developments for mine safety in the Czech nections to other parts of the mine and Republic during the last ten years? where miners could therefore have their First and foremost, we’ve invested in training and equipment for the personnel. in the escape route cut off by a fire. “Only the last two years alone, about 20 million euros have been spent on shoes, work clothing with miners in the immediate vicinity would reflectors, oxygen self-rescuers, mine lamps, and gas sensors with logging features. flee into these chambers,” explains Ingo in parallel with this, OkD has continued to bring more uniformity to its equipment. For Sandmann, who is responsible for the example, every miner works with the same oxygen self-rescuer and gas sensor. And North Region at Dräger in Germany. during the last two years, OkD has invested over 330 million more euros in innovations associated with extraction and driving technology. That helps increase safety too. traffic tunnels generate demand how is mine rescue service organized for the various okD mines? The demand for safety and rescue sys- in addition to the Central Mine rescue Station, there are seven other mine rescue tems for underground work is steadily stations. These sites have almost 800 voluntary and professional mine rescue workers increasing. In addition to mines, the who see to the safety of miners and provide rescue services. construction of long traffic tunnels are you only responsible for safety and rescue services in the mines? such as the Gotthard Base Tunnel in Oh, no. Mining is the focus of our work, of course. From the four mines currently active, the Swiss Alps is generating demand for OkD extracts about 13 million tones of coal per year. But our work extends beyond that. such systems (see also Dräger Review Mine rescue services also play a part in construction projects where mining methods 96, pages 32 ff.). However, the improve- are used, such as when tunnels or underground utility lines are built. We also have agree- ment of safety deep inside mountains is ments with the fire department and the integrated rescue System of the Czech not the only field of application for ref- republic for civil deployments: in the event of a fire in a high-rise building, for example, uge and rescue chambers. Similar safety we can provide 300 self-rescuers for the evacuation of victims. and rescue systems are also used to safe- Was the 4th International Mines Rescue Conference (IMRC), which took place guard the personnel working on offshore in the Czech Republic in the fall of 2009, a flagship project for you? oil platforms. peter thomas Definitely. Alongside the development of the mine rescue exhibition in Ostrava, the conference of the international Mines rescue Body and the 4th international Mines Further information online, including: rescue Conference in 2009 were outstanding events that also help raise awareness of Product information our work among the general public. www.draeger.com/100/mining the entire interview can be downloaded from the Internet.

DräGer revieW 100 | JUne 2010 17 practicing for the real dive: Closed circuit rebreathers do not produce any bubbles.

Bubble-free Diving europe’s largest indoor diving facility, which holds three million liters of water, is located in the town of Siegburg near Cologne. it offers ideal conditions for divers – and the DRäGeR laR 5000.

ndoor diving facilities are all the rage. of four, five, and seven meters. The dive diving,” says Stefan Orth. “It’s also a form The water at the facility in Siegburg, duration at various depths can be mea- of meditation for many people.” For spe- i Germany, is 20 meters deep and a sured with the help of the dive computer cial operations divers, however, there’s no pleasantly warm 26 degrees Celsius. to enable multilevel diving. time to think about meditation and peace. “In the spring, sport divers practice for They must be ready to perform their mis- the upcoming season and check their Into the blue depths sion regardless of the current or whether equipment,” notes Stefan Orth, a div- The only thing below the ring-shaped plat- the water is ice-cold or cloudy. “Take a ing instructor at the Dive4Life facility. form seven meters below the surface of the lamp with you, then you won’t be alone,” The gigantic diving tank contains an un- water is the entrance to the diving cra- goes a popular saying in diving circles. But derwater landscape just waiting to be ter, where the descent into the dark blue professional divers in police and special op- explored. Platforms are located at depths depths begins. “You can find peace while erations forces often can’t even do that.

18 DräGer revieW 100 | JUne 2010 DivinG RepoRt

passed through a sodalime cartridge that and work with a semi-closed system. A por-

absorbs the exhaled CO2. The residual oxy- tion of the exhaled air is released into the gen in the exhaled air is mixed with fresh environment, producing a relatively small breathing gas and reinhaled. This saves amount of bubbles. “A transition from Ni- breathing gas and allows the diving ap- trox to oxygen in a closed, completely bub- paratus and breathing gas cylinders to be ble-free mode takes place from a depth of smaller and lighter. “Weighing between ten meters,” Oliver Schirk adds. 15 and 17 kilograms, the LAR 5000 is no- Such rebreather systems are still not ticeably lighter than a compressed air div- very widespread among fire department ing apparatus,” explains Dräger portfolio and other civil divers. The Dräger expert S ie

n manager Oliver Schirk. “In addition, the feels that the technology still has poten- breathing gas is significantly warmer with tial in this area, however. “Following Hur- eOrG G a closed circuit rebreather, thus the tem- ricane Katrina, the fire department div- perature loss in the body is lower.” The ers in New Orleans learned that, despite use of oxygen or Nitrox reduces the per- a full-face mask, there are hygienic prob- sunbeams fall through centage of nitrogen in the breathing gas. lems associated with the bubble curtain

the clear water of D-11059-2010, Dr. y: the diving tower as in This permits longer dive times and mini- in the mask area,” says Oliver Schirk. It a cathedral. mizes the risk of a nitrogen-narcosis. is impossible to completely prevent small

PH PHOTOGrA amounts of water from penetrating the Flexibility is the key mask. That’s not a pleasant thought for With a closed circuit rebreather such divers working in water containing ani- Given all this, it’s somewhat unusual to test as the LAR 5000, divers can descend to mal carcasses and fecal matter. diving equipment under such optimal con- a depth of roughly ten meters with pure A diver from the New York City Police ditions at an indoor diving center. Never- oxygen as the breathing gas. Mixed gases Department probably wished he had a theless, special operations divers from such as Nitrox, a breathing air mixture LAR 5000 following the emergency land- various NATO countries and special opera- with a higher oxygen percentage, are used ing of an Airbus A-320 in the Hudson tions units had the opportunity in early for greater depths. Using Nitrox with an River in January 2009. Wearing a con- March to try out Dräger diving equipment oxygen content of 60 percent, divers reach ventional compressed air diving appara- under “laboratory conditions.” Whereas depths of 24 meters and can return to the tus, he first worked on the water’s sur- sport divers go down with an open diving surface more quickly – even after extended face to help stricken passengers in the system and a cylinder of compressed air, dive times because the decompression cold water. Later he was supposed to special operations divers often need an phases are shortened. The flexibility of the check all the rows of seats in the float- entirely different set of equipment. equipment is the key difference for spe- ing US Airways plane. If the aircraft had At the heart of this equipment is a cial operations forces working under wa- sunk, he probably would not have had closed (CCR) or semi-closed (SCR) re- ter. “There are operations for which the enough oxygen in the cylinders for the breather such as the Dräger LAR 5000. divers have to exit a submarine. The exit ascent. With an open SCUBA diving sys- Closed circuit rebreathers produce no depth is 20 meters so that the submarine tem there is enough air for roughly one bubbles during exhalation – a property that remains invisible. That’s too deep for pure hour. But a closed circuit system such as special operations divers appreciate. With oxygen,” explains Oliver Schirk. The divers the LAR 5000 contains enough oxygen for a closed circuit system, the exhaled air is therefore use Nitrox to exit the submarine up to four hours. Mario Gongolsky

DräGer revieW 100 | JUne 2010 19 RepoRt Fire SiMULATiOn

the push-button Inferno Most firefighters are familiar with live fire training in burn containers or burn buildings. But what the firefighter academy in vire in the northwestern French department of Calvados has to offer isn’t a building, it’s an entire city – and the laRGest FIRe sIMulatIoN FaCIlItY in the world. D-31178-2009

the simulation is so realistic that the firefighters at times feel as if they were on a live call.

20 DräGer revieW 100 | JUne 2010 only realistic training prepares you for the genu- ine experience. that’s why the cafeteria looks as if you could sit down and order a café au lait – but fire in the bar counter is only the push of the button away. D-31042-2009

fire has broken out in a single- would have meant that it had evaporated scenario” enables rescue crews and fire- family home. To combat it, an at- due to the high temperature. And that fighters to train together, practicing such a tack squad wearing respiratory would have been dangerous. The burn- things as combined exterior and interior protection advances into the rooms of ing bed is dealt with first, and the fire it- attacks, going into action for example on the building. The two young firefighters self has been extinguished a short time an aerial ladder. bring a size C nozzle with three lengths later. “Great, that looked really good!” On the fourth floor, a French Dräger of hose and a hollow stream nozzle tip calls a voice. technician is preparing the next train- into position. Smoke billows through the Joël Bucher of Dräger France is ing situation, in which the grease in a corridor. One of the men takes the nozzle standing in the corridor holding a re- deep fryer is burning in a kitchen. The and squats down on the right side of the mote control in his hand. That puts him man points to the exhaust hood. “That door next to the hinges while the other in a position of control and ultimately can burn, too. It ignites passively if it’s stands in front of the door handle, takes decides whether the fire will be suc- exposed long enough to the flames.” It off his glove and tests the temperature cessfully extinguished and if complica- is very dark in the room. The man uses of the door from bottom to top with the tions will arise. If the room had not been his headlamp to improve the sparse light- back of his hand. It is hot. cooled down first and if the air tempera- ing. “Look here,” he says as he points to Brief eye contact and the two fire- ture had not been checked, a simulated a particular complication. The cover of fighters know what they have to do. A se- flashover could also have been activated the deep fryer is caught on the piece of curing strap is placed around the door at the push of a button. In reality, a flash- steel representing the mounting for the handle; they are ready to go into action over is the nearly simultaneous ignition neon tube and cannot be closed. The fast- on the count of three. The man closest of flammable gases (pyrolysis gases) un- est and safest way to extinguish a grease to the door handle does the counting der the ceiling. “That is something you fire is thus not an option. and then pushes the door open. His col- never want to see in reality,” says one When the two firefighters enter the league with the hose fires three blasts of of the two firefighters. To date, both of kitchen, the deep fryer and the exhaust water into the blazing room. The secur- them have tested all of the 32 fire loca- hood aren’t the only things burning. ing strap pulls the door back closed. The tions at this fire simulation facility. The grease has overflowed and the fire procedure is repeated twice to reduce is spreading rapidly across the kitchen the temperature in the burning room. Fire – from basement to roof floor. The air is scorchingly hot and The next step is to bring the fire under The engineers from Dräger in Lübeck, damp. “The moisture is going to be a control. The door opens one last time. A Germany, spent several months working problem,” says one of the firefighters. shot of water is aimed to the right and to in close collaboration with the customer “One liter of extinguishing water gen- the left, then water is sprayed through- to plan the facility as realistically as pos- erates 1,700 liters of water vapor. If the out the room in the form of a figure of sible down to the last detail. One of the turnout gear soaks through, it no longer eight lying on its side. highlights is the six-story high-rise apart- offers adequate protection against the It’s only now that the two men dare ment building. “Just about everything 100 degree Celsius air that simply pen- to enter the burning bedroom. The man can burn there, from the basement to etrates it.” operating the nozzle kneels down low the roof,” the second firefighter assures and fires a shot of water straight up into us. Just yesterday the two firefighters safe at all times the air. The water rains down on his worked their way up to the third floor. The two men were never in any actual helmet – a test of the air temperature. If This building can simulate the entire danger, however. “Safety is a key feature the water had not come back down, this spectrum of structured fires. The “hotel during all Dräger fire simulations. Not >

DräGer revieW 100 | JUne 2010 21 RepoRt Fire SiMULATiOn liquid escapes from a silo flange – and suddenly an area of nine square meters is in flames

> only do we have the trainer with the remote control; an easily accessible emergency stop button is also located down low on the door frame in each burn room,” says Bucher reassuringly. All fire simulations are conduced with approximately 90 percent propane gas. “It burns cleanly, makes an impressive flame and generates a lot of heat,” he says. The entire facility is monitored from the control room on the ground floor, where the individual burn scenarios are D-31724-2009 D-32107-2009 also activated. The trainer starts the ignition of the respective fire location via a control panel satellite near the burn room. The simulation is then started via the remote control. The temperature at a height of one meter is limited to 250 degrees Celsius in all burn rooms. In addition, there are sensors on the ceiling that limit the electronically controlled flashover to 650 degrees Celsius. Not even DIN 14097 specifies such high standards, but they further enhance the safety of the sys-

D-32016-2009 tem. Sensors measure the gas concentra- Fire and smoke: In vire, France, firefighters prepare for a real emergency. tion near the floor for added safety. If a critical value is exceeded here, the fire and the system are shut down immediately. At the same time, the emergency lights come on and the powerful smoke extraction system ventilates the room at an overall rate of up to 71,000 cubic meters per hour. simulating liquid fires with gas There are also a number of training sit- uations for the outdoor area, such as a fire in a gas cylinder storage scenario.

D-32217-2009 D-32204-2009 If the gas cylinders lying around are not Control room: the heat is on at the push of a button. and the top priority is safety. cooled down quickly, there is a violent

22 DräGer revieW 100 | JUne 2010 D-30803-2009 bang and a loud whistling sound, and Not a department store on the outskirts of town, but a training facility in vire. a nearly transparent jet of flame shoots with a deafening noise roughly four meters into the air. The flange and surface École des sapeurs-pompiers Département 14 fire at a hazardous goods truck is no less Located on 25 hectares of grounds just outside the city of vire in normandy, France, impressive. Liquid escapes from a silo is the firefighting academy of the department of Calvados, which features Dräger flange. “Whoosh!” and suddenly an area fire simulation facilities, a road for simulating traffic accidents, training rooms, and of nine square meters is in flames. accommodations. each day, firefighters practice extinguishing fires and rescue and recovery maneuvers. Located on the grounds is a fire station with several tanker hot, hot, hot trucks, an aerial ladder and a rescue truck. Simulating a liquid fire in a gas simula- A small assortment of junked compact cars is available for practicing rescuing tion is a tricky undertaking. However, people from vehicles. François Fontaine, director of the consortium Défense & Dräger has lots of experience here. For Sécurité, is convinced of the concept of the facility: “We have established optimal example, in Thailand there is an aircraft training conditions here,” he says. “The facility primarily serves the firefighters fire simulation with a spill fire covering from Department 14, but guests from neighboring departments have also trained here 750 square meters. When the firefighters before. in 2009 we conducted 5,000 person-days of training, and we’re expanding conducted their first training session this to 7,000 person-days in 2010.” Fontaine emphasizes that the training facility is there and the large-area fire suddenly also available to privately organized company fire departments. ignited, the men felt like dropping every- The roughly €22 million that it cost to build the firefighting academy was provided thing and running away as fast as they by private investors. could. The exterior live fire training systems are made of steel and are cooled with water from a sprinkler system to ex- tend the service life of the installations. Even the steel structures would other- push of a button. Temperatures near the fire in the supermarket offers endless wise quickly become brittle at the high ceiling can reach up to 600 degrees Cel- possibilities when it comes to demon- tempera tures reached by the fire. sius,” explains Bucher. His headlamp il- strating the extent of damage associ- The two firefighters are really ex- luminates the barely noticeable system ated with a “Mass Casualty Incident” hausted after a day of training in Vire. of gas nozzles that is responsible for this (MCI). The use of a thermal imaging In the course of the day, the young men effect. “With this sort of equipment, we camera to search for hot spots or missing have drunk more than five liters of water. can make sure that things really heat up persons is just one of the things that In retrospect, the flashover made the in here,” he says. can be trained here. The shopping cen- greatest impression. “I didn’t even see ter has been recreated with great atten- it at first because of the restricted field an MCI in the supermarket tion to detail, by the way. There’s even a of view you have when wearing the pro- But that’s not all that the Vire facil- condom machine on the outside wall of tective equipment” one of them says. ity has to offer. Next to the apartment the drugstore. Mario Gongolsky But then there was the unimaginable building, it also boasts a shopping center heat. “I didn’t know that I could make that includes a complete passage with Further information online, including: myself that small,” he says. “This spe- a drugstore, a laundry, a bistro, and a Fire locations in vire cial effect can be practiced here at the supermarket with rows of shelves. The www.draeger.com/385/training

DräGer revieW 100 | JUne 2010 23 Infrared Measurement of Gases in the first and second parts of this series, we looked at safety aspects related to the detection of flammable liquids and explained the thermocatalytic measurement technique in detail (Dräger r eview 98, 99). This final section is devoted to a method of measurement that is based on the infrared absorption of many gases and vapors and is widely viewed as a teChNoloGY oF the FutuRe.

f you take the time to look at the huge number of flammable gases and va- i pors we are familiar with, you will see that very few of these substances are in- u organic in origin. The most common of these are hydrogen, ammonia, carbon monoxide, carbon disulfide, hydrogen cy- u anide, as well as the hydrides as a class, which also includes hydrogen sulfide. All other flammable gases and vapors, including the flammable solvents u mentioned in Dräger Review 98, are organic substances. Their molecules always contain carbon-hydrogen bonds, which is why they are also known as hydrocarbons. And it is precisely these carbon-hydrogen bonds which, because of their particular infrared optical properties, provide the basis for the infrared detection of flammable gases. the infrared measuring principle The measuring principle is simple. Cer- tain substances absorb particular wavelengths when exposed to white light and thereby take on a color which is percep- tible to us in the transmitted light. The same principle applies to the near infrared range. Gas molecules likewise absorb certain wavelengths of the incident infrared radiation. When the intensity of the radiation in this wavelength range is measured, it can be seen that the intensity dimin- ishes in relation to the gas concentra- MAGeS i

y tion: the greater the number of gas mol- TT

Ge ecules present, the “darker” the received

Hy: infrared radiation (IR) is. And light and

OGrA P dark can be converted into an electri- T

one of the harshest workplaces PHO cal signal using an IR detector. Without in the world: Reliable warning of dangerous gases is vital on a drilling platform. 24 DräGer revieW 100 | JUne 2010 exPLOSiOn PrOTeCTiOn BaCkGRouND

standards of reliability: the German technical Inspectorate tÜv certifies that the standards were applied during the development of the Dräger pIR 7000.

going any deeper into the details of the mined only once (zero point calibration) essarily due to the presence of a gas. Sig- physics involved, it is possible to estab- and saved as a reference value. nals of this kind that are not caused by lish the following laws: The sensitivity calibration is accom- gases can be compensated for using the u The IR absorption depends on the mo- plished by a similar method. The mea- double-beam technique. Here, the IR ra- lecular structure; there are strongly and surement volume is filled with the sam- diation is divided into two wavelength weakly absorbing gases and vapors. ple gas, and the measured IR radiation ranges by a beam splitter. These are cho- u The IR absorption depends on the opti- intensity is saved as a reference value sen in such a way that the gases in ques- cal path – the longer the route traveled by for the sensitivity. The rest is hardware tion only absorb radiation in one of the the IR, the greater the absorption (Lam- and software. Any decrease in radiation ranges. If, however, the IR detectors al- bert’s Law). intensity measured by an IR detector is located to both wavelength ranges simul- u The IR absorption depends on the subsequently compared with character- taneously detect a decrease in intensity, number of absorbing molecules along istic curves or calculated numerical val- this cannot be caused by one or more of this path, so it is related to the concen- ues stored in the measuring instrument these gases but only by contamination, or tration of the gas (Beer’s Law). and converted into a gas concentration. by a decrease in the intensity of the radi- This means that the concentration ation source. The circuitry that performs of a given gas can be measured by us- Compensation and optimization the analysis therefore takes the quotient ing an IR radiation source whose inten- There is, however, a small problem. A de- of the two signals so that influences of sity is measured after the radiation has cline in the radiation intensity isn’t nec- that kind are simply canceled out. > passed through a gas-filled volume with a known absorption path. This is first done using only pure air (oxygen and nitrogen do not absorb any IR) and then with the gas-air mixture to be measured. The ab- R eliability sorption of the gas is determined by cal- Stationary gas detection systems are automatic machines. They are operated culating the difference in these values. con tinuously and are left to themselves for long periods of time. One must therefore This difference is a measure of the gas ensure that the required safety function is, in fact, triggered in the event of a dange- concentration. rous gas concentration and is not impeded by an unnoticed fault. From the point of That, at least, is the theory. A prac- view of safety engineering, detectable faults are not problematic, because they can tical application looks somewhat dif- always guide the monitored system to a safe state. in the context of a failure analysis, ferent. Unlike IR analysis equipment, engineers therefore determine the average probability that a non-detectable fault the IR measuring devices associated will occur in a system within the inspection interval (normally a year). The ratio of the with stationary gas detection technol- failure rates resulting from non-detectable faults in relation to all other faults also ogy are field instruments that ensure plays a major role in assessing reliability. For systems with a safety function in accor- re liable concentration measurements dance with Safety integrity Level 2 (SiL2), this ratio must be under 10 percent. over long periods without maintenance To not only largely rule out hardware faults but also software errors, the entire or service. development of such a device must be continually monitored by an independent What’s more, they do so continu- inspecting organization according to the specifications detailed in the standard en ously, sometimes in very adverse environ- 61508. To date, only a few gas detection instruments in the world have been ments. In field instruments of this kind, certified as conforming to the standards of reliability specified in en 61508. The the IR radiation intensity in air is deter- Dräger Pir 7000 is one of them.

DräGer revieW 100 | JUne 2010 25 stainless steel nose: at left is the optical system of the IR trans mitter Dräger pIR 7000 (right), which is equipped with ST-11661-2007 ST-11659-2007 a splashguard when in use.

Catalytic bead and infrared complement one another

> With the “four-beam method,” it is even ment quality can be achieved for certain sured. The IR spectra of such substances possible to compensate for a decrease in gases and vapors. can, at best, be used to make qualitative the sensitivity of the two IR detectors as u As a purely physics-based measure- judgments. An IR measuring instrument a result of age. ment technique, the measurement can can only be characterized metrologically In combination with non-imaging be made without the presence of oxygen. by performing measurements with de- optics and heated reflectors, modern IR As a consequence, inerted atmospheres fined concentrations of these substances. measuring instruments like the Dräger can also be monitored. For certain gases, At the Dräger applications lab, measure- PIR 7000 are equipped with many fea- such as methane, concentration mea- ment data of this kind has been obtained tures to ensure a stable measurement surements of up to 100 percent by vol- for well over a hundred different gases signal over long periods. They also detect ume are possible. and vapors. And, of course, this fund of a large number of different substances, u The measurement signal is fail-safe, metrological experience grows with ev- whose data is stored in a small “gas li- because a failure of the radiation source ery new request and measurement. brary” database inside the device. Sim- or contamination of the optics exceed- ply switching to the specified settings for ing a predefined tolerance (in general, various measuring wavelengths a gas in the library will both linearize the the “non-ready status of the measuring If, for example, the objective is to detect relevant characteristic curves and opti- instrument”) can be quickly detected many different vapors in a facility where mize the measuring features of the IR through appropriate electronic means. solvents are stored, it is very important measuring instrument for this substance This increases reliability (“Safety Integ- to know what substances are involved in many respects. rity”; see Dräger Review 93), as the prob- and how the intended IR measuring de- ability of undetected failures is substan- vice will react. The reason is simple: As application tially reduced (see box). a rule, whenever a whole group of dif- The infrared measurement technique Unfortunately, however, there is no ferent substances is involved, the mea- has advantages over the method based rule of thumb, and sensitivities cannot suring instrument must be calibrated to on the heat effect: be predicted for substances not yet mea- handle the substance to which it reacts u The atmosphere to be monitored, which might well contain corrosive components, has no direct contact with the sensitive IR detectors. To ensure this is the case, the latter are separated from the gas-filled Infrared measurement chamber, the “cuvette,” by The wavelength of viwsible light ranges from around 0.4 (blue) to 0.8 an IR-transparent window. In particular, micrometers (red). The LeDs in the remote controls of consumer electronics the IR measurement technique does not devices emit radiation of an only slightly longer wavelength – about 0.9 to suffer from sensor poisoning either, which 1 micrometer – which is already invisible, however. The wavelength range of means that maintenance and calibration interest for gas-measurement technology is almost four times as long, at intervals can be extended to a year, based around 3.3 to 3.5 micrometers. For these wavelengths, it is still (just) possible on prior experience. to use conventional radiation sources (incandescent bulbs), whereas the u When the cuvette length – in other breath alcohol measurement techniques in the range of 10 micrometers have words, the absorption path – is appro- to use special sources. As infrared measurement technology obeys the priate, full-scale readings of less than laws of optics, one often hears of “dirty optics,” mirrors and ir optical mea- 1,000 ppm with outstanding measure- suring devices.

26 DräGer revieW 100 | JUne 2010 exPLOSiOn PrOTeCTiOn BaCkGRouND

%LEL Propane - catalytic bead sensor %LEL 100 100

0 with the least sensitivity. As a result, this much too small a thermocatalytic effect. 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 % LEL substance moves to the 45° line in the They also achieve this feat with sufficient diagram of characteristic curves, and all sensitivity. For example, longer-chain %LEL Propane - IR-transmitter type 340 %LEL the other characteristic lines lie above hydrocarbons like n-decane and unde- 100 100 it. In an IR measuring instrument, how- cane are easily detected by IR measuring 90 ever, the resulting sensitivity spread can instruments (preferably type 340), while 80 be considerably greater than in a cata- catalytic bead sensors are still unable to 70 lytic bead sensor (see diagram). In fact, detect them. 60 it can be so great that an alarm thresh- 50 old of 20 percent of the lower explosive Catalytic bead or Infrared? 40 limit (LEL) can be exceeded for what are It is clear that the use of IR measuring 30 actually much smaller concentrations. instruments without knowledge of the 20 Depending on the specific applica- measuring performance, without an ap- 10 tion, one should therefore use IR mea- plication laboratory, and without cus- 0 100 0 302010 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 suring systems whose measured wave- tomer support is often not possible. This % LEL % LEL length differs in the infrared range. The is because it is always necessary to cal- %LEL Propane - IR-transmitter type 334 median wavelength of type 334, for ex- ibrate such instruments on the basis of 100 ample, is 3.34 micrometers; that of type sound safety engineering. The initial cal- 90

340 is 3.4 micrometers. The measure- ibration, and thus the degree of safety re- 80 ment sensitivities of these two types are quired, stands or falls with the quality of 70 very different – there are even substances the list of stored substances. In such an 60 that can only be detected by one of the application, an IR measuring system is 50 two types. For example, only type 334 can clearly the more durable and less main- 40 detect ethene, butadiene, and benzene tenance-intensive product when com- 30 or styrene vapors, while only type 340 pared with the catalytic bead sensor. As 20 can detect cyclohexane vapor. far as the operator is concerned, the sum 10 of the operating and purchasing costs larger molecules 0 is likely to be roughly the same in both 100 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 % % LEL % LEL

One would actually suppose that the IR cases – when calculated over a certain pe- D-11057-2010-2010 absorption increases with the number riod of time. the diagrams show measuring sensitivity of carbon-hydrogen bonds in a molecule. There is no categorical answer to the with respect to typical solvents for three different sensors, each calibrated That is true to a certain extent. Measur- frequently discussed question, “catal- for propane. at the top is a catalytic ing instruments designed to detect flam- ytic bead or infrared?” Both techniques bead sensor, in the middle is a type 340 IR mable gases and vapors are scaled in % have their raison d’être; they even transmitter, and at bottom is a type 334 IR transmitter, which is practically LEL, and the LEL itself falls as the mol- com plement one another. The product iden tical except for the wavelength. ecule size increases. In other words, this range of stationary gas detection equip- Red: propane (lel = 1.7 %v/v), brown: supposition is only partially correct. But ment can only be complete if both tech- ethanol (lel = 3.1 %v/v), yellow: ethyl IR measuring instruments can at least niques for detecting flammable gases acetate (lel = 2.0 %v/v), green: methyl isobutyl ketone (lel = 1.2 %v/v), blue: detect substances which, in the case of and vapors continue to be supported 1-methoxy-2-propanol (lel = 1.8 %v/v), a catalytic bead sensor, would exhibit and improved. Dr. Wolfgang Jessel purple: toluene (lel = 1.1 %v/v)

DräGer revieW 100 | JUne 2010 27 Who can identify the various gases by their colors? Dräger tubes for approximately 500 gases contain indicators that change color if a

specific gas is present. D-11060-2010 POrTABLe GAS DeTeCTiOn INsIGht

Where Gases show their Colors Dräger tubes are a classic instrument when it comes to analyzing gases and determining their concentrations. MetICulous pRoDuCtIoN is required to ensure the high reliability of these tools – which is why Dräger has been producing them in-house for over 70 years.

ith its first cry, a newborn baby manually operated “accuro” hand pump. crosses the threshold into life The hand pump pulls a precisely metered W as a separate being and begins amount of ambient air through the tube. breathing. Oxygen is vital in this situa- If a particular gas is present in the air, it tion. Being without it for just a few min- reacts with the indicator in the tube. This utes can be critical. What’s more, it is chemical reaction results in an easily vis- essential that humans inhale this elixir ible change in color. The amount of this of life in an uncontaminated form, be- gas in the air in ppm – parts per million, cause they have no defense against toxic in other words, milliliters per cubic me- gases. If the gases have a strong odor at ter, for example – can then be read off of low concentrations – as is the case with a graduated scale on the tube. This colo- sulfur compounds (mercaptanes, for ex- rimetric method was patented in the U.S. D-11061-2010 ample) – the people affected can at least in 1919. Since Dräger presented its first In charge of tube production: Bernd Witt foth flee. But not every hazard announces it- tube for the detection of carbon monox- self. Carbon monoxide, for example, is ide using this technique in 1937, the com- amounts of indicator are sufficient to sig- odorless. Once leaked, gas is soon every- pany has helped to protect people by pro- nal the presence of certain gases, smaller where. The laws of thermodynamics en- viding millions and millions of Dräger grains of glass are used as the carrier ma- sure that it spreads. tubes. Today, in order to ensure the ap- terial. These grains are produced in the propriate quality, these tubes are pro- required grain size and purity from bro- around 250 types of tubes duced in Lübeck, Germany, in a techno- ken pieces of quartz glass in an in-house A detection system must respond reli- logically advanced and fully automated glass mill. “We are a batch plant and pro- ably to a variety of gases, identify them, manufacturing operation. duce custom batches on an order-by-or- and measure their concentration in the But how do these nondescript glass der basis,” explains Witt foth. This keeps ambient air. “Dräger tubes come in a di- tubes measuring some 125 millimeters in inventories low and the product reactive. verse spectrum of varieties,” says Bernd length and around seven millimeters in “The tubes have a chemical shelf life of Witt foth, who heads this unit at Dräger. diameter actually work? At the center of 24 months from the date of delivery,” says “Some of the hottest sellers among our the tubes is roughly two grams of a gran- Wittfoth, adding that random samples are roughly 250 types of tubes for up to 500 ular substrate that contains the chemi- taken from the batch and tested periodi- gases are tubes for the offshore industry,” cal indicator. “The carrier substance,” ex- cally during the shelf life period. he adds. “These are important when it plains Wittfoth, “comprises grains with a comes to the detection of hydrogen sul- diameter of between 0.2 and 1.2 millime- Continuous tests fide.” Witt foth is also quick to point out ters. Their exact size is a function of their In parallel, chemical technicians have the advantages offered by a fast-acting intended application.” A total of 12 differ- been mixing the indicator according to a analysis technology used on site that re- ent carrier materials are used. “We are all formula. Some 400 basic substances are quires no electricity and thus does not familiar with the silica gel from the little available for composing the reagent sys- pose a spark hazard. bags that are often included as a drying tem. “Each batch is custom mixed. Even Measurement itself is easy. In prin- agent with electronic equipment,” con- the humidity can trigger undesired re- ciple, the user opens the glass tube at tinues Witt foth. This material is porous actions. A formula therefore can’t really both ends using a device that looks like and therefore holds larger amounts of an be repeated 100 percent,” says Witt foth. a pencil sharpener and places it in the indicator substance. However, if smaller This is why up to 70 complete tubes are >

DräGer revieW 100 | JUne 2010 29 a crystal-clear process provides the basis for the reliable detection of gases D-11062-2010 D-11063-2010 some of the roughly 250 types of tubes still require that some things be done by hand (left). the test on the right is fully automated. only a machine can tap against the tubes 2,000 times with consistent precision and a force that is four times stronger than that of gravity. D-11065-2010 D-11064-2010 Finally, the heat of the gas burner first makes the open end of the glass tube soft before it is melted closed (left). the mini-vacuum this produces is part of the process, which is checked and documented every step of the way.

30 DräGer revieW 100 | JUne 2010 POrTABLe GAS DeTeCTiOn INsIGht

tomatically sealed, of course. The open end of the tube is first passed by a number of smaller gas flames, which not only make the glass soft, but also heat the air to the point that a mini-vacuum is established when the tube cools down after having been melted closed. The tubes, which are still hot, are collected in a wooden crate (plastic would melt, and the glass would shatter upon contact with metal). A custom calibration scale is prepared for each batch > produced for preliminary testing. These chine that took three years to design. produced. This is done by taking sam- are used to check compliance with the The machine first places a small ceramic ples during production, testing the tubes specification immediately upon comple- disk into the tube. This disk is three mil- with a variety of defined gas concentration of the preparation. Once the combi- limeters thick and contains up to eleven tions, and using these values to generate nation of carrier substance (silica gel or holes – each measuring 0.2 millimeters in a batch-specific calibration curve. Even grains of glass) and indicator have been diameter – through which the air can later the aging of the tubes is simulated to en- individually matched, the material must pass. “That serves as our zero point for sure that they achieve the targeted chem- be processed within the next six weeks. If filling,” explains Wittfoth. This ceramic ical shelf life. The scale is printed on the this condition isn’t fulfilled, the test pro- disk also ensures that the material does sticky side of an adhesive film, which is cedure begins all over again. not pour out if the tube is opened prop- wrapped around the tube. This arrange- The Dräger tube reagent prepara- erly. The materials can now be added in ment also provides mechanical protection. tion is stored in 20-liter conical-shoulder a defined sequence and defined quanti- “The scale must not only be accurate; the bott les that are hermetically sealed with ties. Each individual tube stars in a video concentration of the detected gas in the ground glass stoppers. Just as the chem- of the filling process, which a video cam- ambient air in ppm, for example, must ical properties of the materials involved era transmits to a control monitor. also be easily legible,” explains Witt foth. can be very different, so too can the phy- The analysis system is initially sealed Under certain circumstances, pre- sical properties. “Some materials are al- using a layer of glass fabric that has been tubes are required to first break down most as sticky as honey,” says Wittfoth, cut out from a strip of the material and the gas to be measured so that it can be “while others are so dry that they can has the shape of a circle. Something re- analyzed. Dräger is particularly proud of become electrostatically charged while ferred to rather floridly yet nevertheless its equipment’s ability to detect relatively being filled into the tubes and adhere to appropriately as the “tulip” ensures that stable compounds such as sulfuryl fluo- the glass walls. At least that’s what would the grains are firmly secured. The tulip ride – a process that requires the air to be happen if we didn’t specifically dissipate is likewise a circular blank that has been heated to roughly 900 °C in a pretube. How this static electricity.” This is particularly stamped from stainless steel wire mesh. It is this done without electricity? The trick is important when various substances must has a mesh size of 0.2 millimeters that has to use a chemical compound that releases be layered one after another in a glass been formed into the shape of a tulip by energy when it reacts with the air. tube. Altogether, as many as eight layers means of a spine. The resulting folds gen- Isn’t chemistry smelly by nature? “You can be involved. erate the tension that results in the hold. don’t smell anything around here unless The tubes themselves are made of we are working with a lot of butyric acid,” glass, whose type varies according to tapped 2,000 times says Witt foth, wrinkling his nose. Isn’t it the intended use. High-quality labora- Does it really hold? The answer is pro- dangerous to test tubes that detect toxic tory glass grades such as Duran or “Du- vided by a box that taps the tube 2,000 gases? “No, it isn’t. That’s because the robax” borosilicate glass are frequently times with a force that is four times stron- people who work in this field do so in ac- used if extraordinary chemical resis- ger than that of gravity. Nothing is per- cordance with the strictest of safety regu- tance is required. The tubes, which are mitted to shift unduly in the box. And lations and have the necessary qualifica- generally provided with one end already only homeopathic quantities of the “sub- tions.” The expert doubts that electronic melted closed, resemble a pipette that strate grains” at most are permitted to systems will replace the Dräger tubes any is closed at the bottom. After an inspec- fall through the holes in the ceramic disk. time soon. “After all, the tubes are reli- tion aimed at detecting possible defects, This quality-assurance measure can only able, inexpensive, fast, and require no the tubes are loaded into a filling ma- be performed after the tube has been au- electricity.” Nils schiffhauer

DräGer revieW 100 | JUne 2010 31 outlook nAnOTeCHnOLOGy as exciting as hitchcock’s vertigo: Carbon nanotubes

Nanoworld sensors n anotechnology uses individual atoms and molecules like tiny Lego blocks. When combined in clever ways, the blocks create materials with aMazING pRopeRtIes, such as carbon nanotubes.

ver since the Japanese chemist the arrangement of the carbon hexagons, change in the tubes’ surroundings (i.e. Sumio Iijima first demonstrated nanotubes can be either metallic or semi- when another molecule adheres to the e the existence of carbon nanotubes conducting. What’s more, the tubes are tubes) influences the transport of the in 1991, the little structures have become suitable for use as measuring devices in electrons,” says Krauss. This change can veritable icons of the new technology. This new sensors. be detected by electrical or optical means is due in part to the tubes’ unusual struc- and shows if substances that researchers ture, in which sheets of carbon atoms ar- Conductive hexagons are looking for are present. ranged in regular hexagons are rolled up “The crucial advantage of nanotubes The team, headed by the chemist Nich- into tube-shaped molecules that can be is their sensitivity,” says Todd Krauss, a olas Kotov at the University of Michigan, up to several micrometers long. chemist at the University of Rochester in has developed a particularly clever appli- This esthetic whim of nature makes New York State. The reason for this sensi- cation: the researchers converted textiles the tubes very versatile, with a strength tivity is that electricity can only flow along into a flat sensor. To do this, they dipped greater than steel and the ability to con- the surface of the hollow, tube-shaped cotton fibers into a solution containing duct electricity better than copper and molecules, meaning that electrons only the polymer Nafion as well as nanotubes heat better than diamond. Depending on pass through the carbon hexagons. “Any carrying antibodies that only react with

32 DräGer revieW 100 | JUne 2010 nAnOTeCHnOLOGy outlook

the human blood plasma protein albu- only drawback of the fibers is that they can in which several tube-shaped molecules min. Nafion ensures that the nanotubes only be used once. Washing the fibers also link two electrodes on a chip that regis- adhere to the fibers. If blood stains the removes the nanotube impregnation. ters changes in electrical conductivity. fibers, the antibodies combine with the al- In cooperation with scientists from The researchers have conducted tests in bumin and separate themselves from the China, Kotov used the same principle to which they have succeeded in detecting > nanotubes. This reduces the distance be- develop nanotube-coated paper that can tween the tube-shaped molecules, which detect cyanobacteria, which contami- also reduces the electrical resistance if nates drinking water in many countries. voltage is applied to the textiles. In this case, the antibodies react with a In experiments, the resistance of toxin produced by the bacteria. “We were Nano Roadmap cotton fibers prepared in this way dropped very much surprised that the sensitivity 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 suddenly from 60 to 20 kilohms after was as high as with the best biochemical researchers dipped the fibers into blood tests,” says Kotov. What’s more, the nan- Basis for reinforcing fibers electrically conductive plastics diluted in water. The mixture did not otube system took only a fraction of the iCTUre membranes, filters react to bovine blood, however, because time to deliver results. The concept has iCAL P Fuel cell electrodes its blood plasma protein has a different yet progressed thus far for it to be used in electrodes for lithium-ion batteries structure from that found in human blood developing countries, Kotov adds. Fe backlight for LCDs and therefore does not interact with the Large field emission displays (FeDs) antibodies used in the tests. always a surprise in store Heat conduction (cooling) in electronics

iCTUre-ALLiAnCe/Me D Near-infrared photoluminescence for sensors P Such sensor fabrics could immedi- A similarly sensitive sensor was developed Nanoelectronics/FeTs Hy: ately notify emergency rescue teams, for by the team headed by Zhenano Bao, a Drug delivery example, that the person wearing the tex- chemist at Stanford University. However, Basic research applied research

P PHOTOGrA tiles was losing blood due to an injury. The this sensor uses nanotube tran sistors, initial products market penetration

DräGer revieW 100 | JUne 2010 33 outlook nAnOTeCHnOLOGy

Nanotechnology CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS Drägerwerk AG & Co. KGaA could be used to create Moislinger Allee 53–55 biosensors 23558 Lübeck, Germany www.draeger.com

> concentrations of only 2 ppb (molecules per billion molecules of a particular liquid) of the explosive TNT and of a vari- ant of the nerve poison Sarin. Detecting changes in electrical properties is just one possibility of using nanotubes as sensors. A second possibility uses the nanotubes’ ability to emit light at a certain wavelength after they had previously been illuminated (photoluminescence). “Coating a nanotube with short segments of DNA leads to a demonstrable shift of the photo luminescence energy,” explains the physicist Achim Hartschuh from Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich. As a result, the light emitted by the nano tubes changes color. This effect also occurs when biological molecules accumulate on the Customer Service: DNA coating. A team headed by Michael USA Strano at the Massachusetts Institute of +1 800-4DRAGER 1 800-437-2437 Technology has employed this approach to (+ ) develop prototype sensors that could one Locate your Regional Sales Technical Service: day be used for highly precise medical diag- Representative at: USA www.draeger.com/contact 1 800-4 noses. “Photoluminescence is much more + DRAGER (+1 800-437-2437) 90 46 878 | | HQ 17.04-1 | PP | Subject to modifications | © 2017 Drägerwerk AG & Co. KGaA sensitive than electrical measuring systems,” says Michael Strano. The changes in the light can also be used to determine puBlIshING INFoRMatIoN the number of molecules that have accu- publisher: Drägerwerk AG & Co. kGaA, Corporate Communications editorial address: mulated on a prepared nanotube. Moislinger Allee 53–55, 23542 Lübeck, Germany / [email protected], www.draeger.com editor in Chief: Björn Wölke, Tel. +49 451 882 20 09, Fax +49 451 882 39 44 publishing Whereas such sophisticated nano- house: tellus PUBLiSHinG GMBH editorial Consultant: nils Schiffhauer (responsible according to sen sors have not yet reached market press law) art Direction, Design, and picture editing: redaktion 4 GmbH, Hamburg readiness, the tube-shaped molecules translation: T ransForm GmbH, Cologne printing: Dräger + Wullenwever print+media IssN 1869-7275 are already being used as additives in The articles in Dräger Review provide information on products and their possible applications in general. They do not constitute any guarantee that a product has specific properties or is suitable for any specific purpose. All everyday products and industrial goods. specialist personnel are required to make use exclusively of the skills they have acquired through their education and training and through practical experience. The views, opinions, and statements expressed by the persons For example, they increase the capabili- named in the texts as well as by the external authors of the articles do not necessarily correspond ties of rechargeable batteries and make to those of Drägerwerk AG & Co. KGaA. Such views, opinions, and statements are solely the opinions of the respective person. Not all of the products named in this magazine are available bicycle frames and tennis rackets more worldwide. Equipment packages can vary from country to country. We reserve the right to make changes to products. The current information is available from your Dräger representative. stable. Nanotubes will certainly continue © Drägerwerk AG & Co. KGaA, 2010. All rights reserved. This publication may not be to hold surprises in store for us in the reproduced, stored in a data system, or transmitted in any form or using any method whether electronic or mechanical, by means of photocopying, recor ding, or any other technique in future. Niels Boeing whole or in part without the prior permission of Drägerwerk AG & Co. KGaA.

34 DräGer revieW 100 | JUne 2010 1935_X-zone 5000 englisch:Ad_Industriekampagne_DINA4_de 05.05.10 15:00 Seite 1

Safety in a row

Dräger X-zone® 5000: wireless fenceline for monitoring State-of-the-art area monitoring – the Dräger X-zone 5000, in combination with the Dräger X-am 5000 or X-am 5600 gas detection instruments, can be used for the measurement of up to six gases. This easily transportable, robust and water-proof unit extends mobile gas detection technology to a unique system with many applications.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: WWW.DRAEGER.COM 1935-2010 Close-up CLOSeD-CirCUiT BreATHinG APPArATUS

14 7 5

9 13 11 11

12 4

3 1

D-23550-2009 Quick Rescue with plenty of time The closed-circuit breathing apparatus PSS BG 4 plus – shown here with a capacity of 5.5 liters and functions as a “counter-lung,” taking in the the housing shell removed – provides up to four hours of clean breath- purified air and returning it to the cycle via the breathing air cooler 10 . ing air. The two-liter gas cylinder 1 holds 400 liters of oxygen at a This can, for example, hold a block of ice to ensure that the air fed back pressure of 200 bars. When the valve 2 is open, an average of 1.66 into the inhalation circuit remains below a temperature of 35 degrees liters of oxygen per minute flow from the pressure reducer 3 and into Celsius. The springs 11 exert a defined force on the breathing bag via the inhalation side. An increased amount of oxygen will be provided via the bridge 12 , resulting in a slight positive pressure which provides the the minimum valve 4 if required. The hose 5 leads the oxygen to the unit with additional protection against hazardous gases. mask 6 , the directional valve opens easily during inhalation. The switchbox 13 issues a warning via the “Bodyguard 2” (U.S.: 14 The exhaled air, with its increased CO2 concentration, is led via the “Sentinel”) when the cylinder valve has not been opened. This mon- exhalation hose 7 through the absorber 8 , which holds 2.7 kilograms itor shows a range of information, including the remaining operational of soda lime to remove the hazardous gas. The breathing bag 9 has time and pressure.