Reliability of Delta P Technology Ltd., VR3 and the Hydrospace Engineering, Inc., HS EXPLORER Computers in Producing Acceptable Mixed Gas and Air Decompression Schedules and Providing Accurate Depth Measurement.

摘要

The NOAA Diving Center awarded a contract to the Undersea Research Foundation to evaluate the reliability of selected mixed gas dive computers in producing acceptable mixed gas and air decompression schedules and providing accurate depth measurement. This report fulfills the deliverable requirement stipulated in the contract. The purpose of the study was to provide data and an analysis to allow NOAA personnel to make informed decisions related to the selection of decompression computers and decompression tables that can increase the safety and efficiency of NOAA diving operations. The dive computers evaluated in this study were the Delta P Technology Ltd., VR3 (1) and the HydroSpace Engineering, Inc., HS Explorer (2). Both units are capable of use in an open circuit, semi-closed circuit, and closed circuit mode, with air, nitrox, heliox, and trimix gas mixtures. This study was limited to the open circuit mode with air and trimix. Adequacy of decompression profiles produced by the software packages, and by the computers during pressure exposure were the primary functions studied. The accuracy of the depth sensing system was determined.