How our air analysis keeps the Royal Australian Navy safe
Over the past 13 years, HIFraser has held a critical role in managing the breathing air quality of the entire fleet of breathing air compressors in use within the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) & Army Diving.
In February 2008, HIFraser was awarded the contract to provide breathing air analysis services to the RAN which confirms and certifies that the gas from each of the RAN’s breathing air compressors meet the specification for air composition and limitations on potentially harmful components. This analysis verifies the breathing air produced by the compressors is safe to breathe in a hyperbaric environment or breathing air system, such as diving cylinders.
In 2012, HIFraser developed the web-based Air Quality Assurance (AQA) system which automated and simplified the administrative processes involved in the air testing program.
AQA’s features and capabilities include:
- A database of all active and inactive RAN breathing air compressor units, their locations and their test history
- Automatic e-mail notification to users that a sample is due to be collected
- Test failure notification and re-test management
- Easy and intuitive user interface and dashboards
The standard range of analytes tested includes Oxygen, Carbon Dioxide, Carbon Monoxide, Moisture and Oil. Other analytes such as contaminants may be tested under specific request including Hydrocarbons, Sulphur Dioxide, Refrigerants, Solvents and other Volatile Organic Compounds.
HIFraser manages the entire process and provides the following services:
- Point of contact for Defence personnel and Defence approved repair contractors to use when an air sample has been taken and is ready to be collected for analysis
- Pick-up, transportation by road and air and delivery to a NATA accredited laboratory for analysis. Transportation of pressurised air samples with suitable packaging, labelling, documentation and procedures required for Dangerous Goods
- Laboratory analysis of the samples using instruments such as Gas Chromatograph, Mass Spectrometer and Dispersive/Non-Dispersive Infra-red Analyser
- Certifying the quality of the air in the sample
- Purging the sample cylinders and return transport to the place of origin
