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* Home > Capabilities > Human Performance Facilities > Life Support Systems Laboratory *
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Life Support Systems Laboratory
divers in pool
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The Life Support Systems Laboratory (LSSL) has several facilities for the unmanned evaluation of life support equipment and breathing apparatus. Facilities include

  • Wet or dry pressure chamber (Rated to 1000 metres, Water temperature between 2o and 40o C)
  • Environmental cabinet (Temperature between -75o and +100o C, Relative humidity between 45% and 98%)
  • Dual breathing simulators (Unmanned breathing performance evaluation to 600m, Parallel evaluation of two mask/regulator apparatus)
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The Life Support Systems: diving helmet noise evaluation Applications of the Life Support Systems laboratory
The LSSL can be used to assess the breathing characteristics of respiratory protective equipment including diving, fire fighting and escape apparatus. It can also be used to test to international standards or customer specifications or analyse equipment in support of an incident investigation.
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the LSSL can monitor or evaluate

  • Respiratory pressures and work of breathing
  • Respiratory gas exchange and gas composition
  • PO2 control of closed circuit breathing apparatus
  • Breath-by-breath carbon dioxide analysis
  • Hydrostatic load under various orientations
  • Breathing apparatus endurance
  • Carbon dioxide absorbent performance
  • Diving helmet noise evaluation
  • Functional performance following storage at extreme temperatures
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Un-manned testing of diver life support equipment - an essential pre-cursor to manned trials.

Our work includes:

  • Civil engineering customer -evaluation of new diver helmet design
  • Royal Navy/Royal Marines - investigation into diving incidents
  • Civil and MoD customers - testing of equipment against British and EU standards
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