iCO2A

The Fathom Systems intelligent Carbon Dioxide Analyser (iCO2A) is a stand-alone carbon dioxide analyser instrument designed specifically to provide a carbon dioxide concentration parts per million (ppm) measurement of breathing gas samples.

The CO₂ Analyser performs a number of functions that are classified as ‘safety critical’:

1. Providing accurate and reliable gas concentration readings to the Life Support Supervisors or Dive Supervisors responsible for maintaining the correct atmosphere for divers under pressure;
2. Providing alarms and warnings to supervisors when conditions exceed user-set alarm thresholds;
3. Monitoring and providing alarms for gas flowrate and sample line pressure for the gas sample being monitored.

These safety-critical functions require a greater level of integrity than would be required for non safety-critical functions, and the design features of the Analyser unit incorporates a variety of techniques and components to provide this capability.

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The analyser module is typically mounted on a support plate or into a suitable control panel so as to be clearly visible to the operator.  The unit can be flush-mounted or surface-mounted depending on the type of installation and the design of the supporting control panel.  Fathom Systems CO₂ Analysers are designed to be installed in diving system control rooms and typically in the control stand where the operator controls the environmental conditions of the diving chambers, diving bells or surface-supplied diving activities.

The Analyser comprises a small stand-alone module housed in a polycarbonate enclosure with a clear cover.  The clear cover has an integral membrane keypad and allows the CO2 concentration reading (ppm CO₂) display to be viewed, together with an LCD status display.

The primary function of the Analyser is to provide the operator with a clear and accurate display of the CO₂ concentration in the gas sample being monitored.  Units of measure for all parameters measured by the Analyser are metric SI (and derived SI) units, as follows:

• CO₂ concentration (ppmCO₂) – parts per million concentration of standard atmospheric pressure;

• Gas flowrate – displayed in millilitres per minute (ml/min)

• Pressure – gas sample pressure measured in millibars relative to 1-atmosphere (1 mbar = 10² Pa)