Development of a self-regulating CO filter unit for workers in atmospheres containing CO in blast furnaces and other steel industry installations

Ziel

Existing CO filter systems offer only secondary parameters for assessing when they need replacing. Such parameters include increased resistance through the drying agent or the so-called odour warning (release of an odorant when moisture penetrates into the warning layer).

These systems do not rule out the possibility of exposure of the wearer - albeit for only a short time - to carbon monoxide gas.

The planned new development will involve monitoring of the inhaled air steam by a CO sensor located on the exit side of the CO filter before the facepiece and set to a selected value (e.g. maximum workplace concentration of 30 ppm) so as to provide an immediate visual and audible warning as soon as the selected level of CO in the inhaled air is reached.

Such a system could be used independently of the facepieces used up to now (e.g. mouthpiece assemblies or full masks).

Safety would also be significantly improved, as individual wearers' subjective views of when a filter needs replacing would no longer be a factor.

In addition to improved safety, the new system will also be more economical, as the lifetime of CO filter canisters will be increased by the fact that it will be easier to assess when they need to be withdrawn from service.

Steelworks which for safety reasons have not used CO filter systems up to now, preferring breathing apparatus which is independent of the ambient air, will be able to use equipment which is both safe and stress-reducing.

Programm/Programme

ECSC-WORKSAFE C - First joint research programme (ECSC) "Safety in the European Coal and Steel Community industries", 1989-1993

Thema/Themen

1 - General safety requirements

Aufforderung zur Vorschlagseinreichung

Data not available

Finanzierungsplan

Data not available

Koordinator

Preussag Stahl AG

EU-Beitrag

Keine Daten

Adresse

Eisenhüttenstraße 99
38239 Salzgitter
Deutschland

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