For everybody taking on the responsibility for filling diving cylinders, knowledge of compressors is considered a “must”. Although practical skills are needed for the filling process, only those who understand how a compressor works will be able to identify problems that may conflict with the quality of the air filled into the cylinder of the diver. Strangely enough, this “required” knowledge is hard to come by on many locations around the world.
The Compressor and Nitrox Installations seminar provides detailed information on the functioning of compressors. The seminar provides the theoretical basis behind filling both air and Nitrox. If practical training in a dive center is added to the seminar, a person can fill cylinders in a responsible way. Such a practical introduction should include steps such as filling procedures, filter change and verification of the specific compressor system used before starting it.
The seminar begins with an overview of the different types of compressors and then moves on to the largest part of the content, which covers all parts of a compressor and their functioning. Cooling, filtering and the quality of the air are the next subjects. The compressor part of the seminar is concluded with components in the compressor system, other than the compressor itself. Subjects include the engine, buffers and cascades, the filling console and some other items. A last part was added with detailed information on the different options to fill Nitrox and the equipment that is used for those methods.
This seminar is intended for those who fill cylinders in areas where factory sponsored compressor courses are not available (unfortunately that is most of the world). Completion of the seminar gives a certificate of participation that allows both the holder and his employer to show that reasonable measures have been taken to avoid any problems with the air or Nitrox supplied to divers, especially if a practical training session on the specific compressor used is added and documented.
Other than those who “have to do” such seminars for professional (liability) reasons, every diver should consider increasing his knowledge of compressors and Nitrox installations. It makes a diver aware of something that is mostly taken for granted – how does the cylinder get filled and what is involved in that process. The subject is simply very interesting.
