Diver one of sixteen to die using high-tech gear

[DRE]

And since we're at it: "weight must be placed on the top of the rebreather in order to balance the trim. If divers put to much gas in the counter lungs the upper body is lifted and trim is then off center. Gas in a counter lung is just another source to administrate, along with drysuit, BCD, PO2 on handsets, pressure in O2 and DIL cylinders.The mouthpiece does not have OC bailout built into it, bailout is a time of increased stress so it is pertinent the transition should be smooth without chance for a mistake. The bailout procedure on the factory unit uses a device called an Auto Air, this duals as a breathing device and BCD inflator. I couldn't imagine this being an effective tool for gas sharing, nor proper bail out for the user either, as the CCR mouthpiece has to be effectively closed before the transition to OC bailout is performed or it will flood the breathing loop making the diver negatively buoyant. Bailout should be in the form of a combination unit on the mouthpiece to facilitate safe transition.
If the O-ring on top of the cartridge lid is dirty or not aligned properly CO2 will take the path of least resistance and bypass the carbon dioxide scrubber therefore breathed back into the loop. Hypercapnia begins and the diver is faced with another problem to solve.
The Inspiration does not have SS backplate and utilizes many plastic fastex clips, which I view as failure points. There are seven quick releases on the soft harness including the crotch strap and handset clips. The clips that hold the yellow casing lid on the unit break frequently so spares are required as well.
Scrubber canister is small (2.45 Kg of 8-12 mesh, 797 diving grade sofnolime) and does not facilitate the use many of the mixed gas Inspiration divers put it through. At depth CO2 breakthrough is rapid even with a resting diver, if breathing resistance is elevated the scrubber is near void. With increased CO2 build up the diver is of course exposing oneself to further malady. Diving high helium concentrations assist with this problem as it is less dense than air, easier to breath therefore less CO2 buildup and the scrubber should last longer but it is playing on the edge. High PPN2 should be ultimately avoided.
If the counter lungs are not situated adequately they will float above the divers shoulders and increase breathing resistance. It is taught in the basic course to watch for this ... But they are clipped down with fastex buckles which as we know do fail on occasion. With the diver already quite
task loaded on the CCR it is easy not to notice the lung has crept up, CO2 will then increase from breathing resistance.
The LP hoses which feed the diluent and the oxygen inlets on the counter lungs use a different end than the BCD inflator. The BCD is inflated with diluent gas, the same which you are adding into the counter lung, there is no sound reason not to have the same end on this for diversity. The reason the end is different on the BCD inflator is to supply a greater amount of gas to the Auto Air regulator used as a bailout/inflation device. This Auto Air is prone to free flow situations and can dump the diluent gas if not tended to quick enough. Most Inspirations divers discard this Auto Air early into their CCR career.
If both handsets shut off in the water the diver is faced with a series of questions in order to "reboot" the system. One of the questions ask if you would like to calibrate "yes or no" if the diver is stressed and chooses "yes" they will effectively be adding 100% oxygen into the breathing loop no matter what depth they are at in the water column.
If the battery is low it will not supply enough EMF for the oxygen solenoid to open the valve and add life sustaining gas.
The control handsets are secured to the canister via rubber hose, the wiring is run through this conduit down to the electronic handsets that are monitoring the dynamics of the oxygen sensors. These rubber conduits enter into the scrubber/O2 sensor compartment where it is humid and if not perfectly sealed will allow condensation to migrate into the hose and wreak havoc with the electronics in the handsets. Many electronic problems with the handsets have involved this scenario."

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