December 19, 2022 Self-contained Breathing Apparatus With Nanocylinders

16,000 breathing apparatus with graphene nanotube-enhanced cylinders adopted by firefighter services globally.

• Self-contained breathing apparatus with nanocylinders show wide adoption by fire services in the Middle East, Europe, and Southeast Asia.
• Equipped with a lighter cylinder, firefighters benefit from reduced fatigue, increased agility, and a longer duration of air supply if using a twinning option.
• Ultralight weight and non-limited life performance of fully composite cylinders become possible thanks to their enhancement with graphene nanotubes.

Fire and emergency services work in extreme environments, where the weight of equipment is critical. Dräger, an international leader in manufacturing medical and safety technology products, has commercialized a firefighting breathing apparatus with the world’s lightest type 4 composite cylinders, enhanced with graphene nanotubes to minimize weight. Fire services in Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the UK, Germany, Indonesia, Qatar, and many other countries have already recognized the efficiency of the innovative breathing system.

“Reduced weight and a non-limited life performance are the key features of the developed compressed air breathing cylinders. The combination of lightweight sturdy cylinder material, which was achieved with the use of OCSiAl’s graphene nanotubes, with impact-resistant caps ensures the high durability and solid robustness of nanocylinders. They are 75% lighter than steel cylinders and 30% lighter than aluminum ones,” said Piotr Saferna, R&D leader of Techplast, an innovative company which developed the nanocylinders.

In 2021, Dräger received exclusive rights to use these nanocylinders in its self-contained breathing apparatus. “Thanks to a shell weight of only 2.8 kg and 6.8 l of air, the Dräger NANO Type 4 reduces fatigue and increases firefighter agility. Since 2021, we have provided fire service companies in more than twenty countries worldwide with self-contained breathing apparatus equipped with nanocylinders fully compliant with EN12245:2009,” said Mike George, Product Manager for PM Emergency and Rescue Services, Draeger Safety UK Ltd.

Now airport and industrial fire brigades, marine firefighters, and mine rescue teams have the opportunity to increase safety via a longer duration of air consumption and air supply if using a twinning option.

Headquartered in Luxembourg, OCSiAl is the world’s largest manufacturer of graphene nanotubes, also known as single wall carbon nanotubes. It employs more than 450 people worldwide in locations including the United States, Europe, and Asia.

Websites: ocsial.com, tuball.com

Dräger is an international leader in the fields of medical and safety technology. Its products protect, support, and save lives. Founded in 1889, Dräger generated revenues of around € 3.3 billion in 2021. The Dräger Group is currently present in over 190 countries and has more than 15,000 employees worldwide.

Website: draeger.com

Techplast was founded in 2002 and based in Poland. It focusses on developing and production of composite cylinders with reduced weight and higher safety and durability. Techplast cooperates with many companies on the European and worldwide market.   

Website: safercylinders.net

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