Patent Publication Number: US-10307622-B2

Title: High-pressure passthrough for protective suit

Description:
FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     The present disclosure is generally related to passthrough devices and more particularly is related to high-pressure passthroughs for protective suits. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     Protective suits such as chemical protective suits are used by emergency personnel to protect them against an array of toxic chemicals. These chemicals include blistering agents such as lewisite or mustard gas, choking agents such as phosgene (or CG as designated by the military), blood agents including cyanide based compounds such as hydrogen cyanide (AC), and nerve agents such as sarin, tabun, soman and others. 
     A variety of protective suits have been developed to protect wearers against the adverse effects of these chemicals as well as biological, nuclear and other environmental contaminants or conditions. The design aspects of these highly specialized suits depend largely upon their specific applications. However, if just trace amounts of these toxic vapors penetrate the chemical protective suit the result can be severe injury or death. Consequently, most all of such suits employ an external pressurized air source for introducing pressurized clean filtered breathable air into a self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) that the user wears while wearing the protective suit. 
     Since protective suits are durable and prevent air flow from the ambient atmosphere into the suit, the interior of the suits can often become uncomfortably hot. To counteract this problem, in some cases, protective suits may employ liquid cooling systems that circulate liquid coolant from an external source. Whether air, water, or other fluid, the fluid must be pumped into the suit or expelled therefrom through tubes which are connected at suit couplings, i.e., “passthrough” assemblies. These passthrough assemblies must safeguard the integrity of the suit, especially in the chemical warfare context which often requires a hermetic seal. In such cases the couplings must be of the highest integrity and provide maximum protection against contamination. The designer must be cognizant of the fact that many chemical warfare agents are specifically intended for maximum penetration at seams and couplings. 
     While these types of cooling systems may provide some relief from the uncomfortable temperature a user experiences while wearing a protective suit, these systems require a supply of a cooling material, whether gas or liquid, and the necessary components to circulate the cooling material throughout the suit. Accordingly, unnecessary weight and bulkiness is added to the suit. Further, since the protective suits are often worn in harsh chemical environments, using potentially chemically-contaminated ambient air as a cooling material is highly undesired since it risks exposing the user to the chemical environment he or she is using the suit to be protected from. 
     Thus, a heretofore unaddressed need exists in the industry to address the aforementioned deficiencies and inadequacies. 
     SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a system and method for a high-pressure passthrough apparatus. Briefly described, in architecture, one embodiment of the apparatus, among others, can be implemented as follows. A penetrator body is connectable to a chemical suit. A high-pressure inlet is positioned on a first side of the penetrator body. A high-pressure self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) outlet is positioned on a second side of the penetrator body. A high-pressure passthrough valve is positioned on the second side of the penetrator body. 
     The present disclosure can also be viewed as providing a protective suit having a high-pressure passthrough. Briefly described, in architecture, one embodiment of the system, among others, can be implemented as follows. A high-pressure passthrough having a penetrator body is connected to a protective suit, wherein a first half of the penetrator body is positioned exterior of the protective suit and a second half of the penetrator body is positioned interior of the protective suit. A high-pressure passthrough valve is positioned on the second half of the penetrator body, wherein high-pressure air is supplied to an interior space of the protective suit. 
     The present disclosure can also be viewed as providing methods of supplying a quantity of high-pressure air to an interior of a chemical protective suit. In this regard, one embodiment of such a method, among others, can be broadly summarized by the following steps: supplying a quantity of high-pressure air to a first side of a high-pressure passthrough positioned on an exterior of a chemical protective suit; and releasing at least a portion of the quantity of high-pressure air to an interior of the chemical protective suit with a high-pressure passthrough valve, wherein the high-pressure passthrough valve further comprises a service pressure range of between 300 PSI and 6,500 PSI. 
     Other systems, methods, features, and advantages of the present disclosure will be or become apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of the following drawings and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional systems, methods, features, and advantages be included within this description, be within the scope of the present disclosure, and be protected by the accompanying claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Many aspects of the disclosure can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present disclosure. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views. 
         FIG. 1  is a cross-sectional illustration of a protective suit having a high-pressure passthrough, in accordance with a first exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 2  is a front view illustration of the protective suit having the high-pressure passthrough, in accordance with the first exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 3  is an exploded schematic illustration of the high-pressure passthrough, in accordance with the first exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 4  is a detailed, cross-sectional side view illustration of the high-pressure passthrough in use with a protective suit, in accordance with the first exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 5  is an exploded schematic illustration of the high-pressure passthrough, in accordance with a second exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 6  is a detailed, cross-sectional side view illustration of the high-pressure passthrough in use with a protective suit, in accordance with the second exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 7  is a flowchart illustrating a method of supplying a quantity of high-pressure air to an interior of a chemical protective suit, in accordance with a third exemplary embodiment of the disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The subject disclosure is directed to a system and method for a high-pressure passthrough in a protective suit to cool an interior of the protective suit or provide other benefits, such as over-pressurization of the protective suit. As described herein, the present disclosure may significantly improve upon the conventional systems for cooling a protective suit by utilizing high-pressure gas, namely breathing gas, which is required by the SCBA used with the protective suit. Accordingly, the subject disclosure may be capable of cooling the protective suit without the use of bulky components to circulate the cooling material throughout the suit or using an ambient air supply as a cooling medium. 
       FIG. 1  is a cross-sectional illustration of a protective suit  10  having a high-pressure passthrough  20 , in accordance with a first exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. The protective suit  10  may generally include a garment that is capable of protecting a human being from a harmful environment, commonly chemical environments where the human being would be exposed to chemicals which could injure or kill a human being. While the subject disclosure uses a chemically protective suit  10  as a primary example, it is noted that protective suits  10  used in other environments are also considered within the scope of the present disclosure. In one example, the protective suit  10  generally includes a body portion  12  with a head portion  14  connected to the body portion  12  with an airtight connection. The head portion  14  may be a full head apparatus, a facemask, or similar device which can provide the user with SCBA capabilities, such that the user can breathe air supplied from a compressed or filtered source, such as air tanks or air cylinders. The body portion  12  and head portion  14  may each have interior portions  16  which can be in fluid communication with one another or separated from one another. All portions of the protective suit  10  may be sealed against an outside atmosphere  2 , including at the foot holes, wrist holes, or any other places. The protective suit  10  may be constructed from any materials conventionally used in the industry and may include any other features of conventional suits, including communication devices, hermetic closure devices, life-support devices, etc. 
     The high-pressure passthrough  20  may generally refer to the apparatus which allows compressed breathing gas to be brought into the protective suit  10  and allows for a portion of the high-pressure gas to be passthrough into the interior portion  16  of the protective suit  10 . The high-pressure passthrough  20  generally includes a penetrator body  30  connected to the protective suit  10 . The penetrator body  30  includes a first half  32  or first part which is positioned exterior of the protective suit  10  and a second half  34  or second part which is positioned interior of the protective suit  10 , i.e., inside the interior portion  16 . A SCBA feed line  70  may be connected to the second half  34  by a quick connect to supply a quantity of breathing gas to the head portion  14 . The quick connect may include an FD17 series high-pressure quick disconnect coupling device, for instance. A high-pressure passthrough valve  50  is positioned on the second half  34  and supplies a quantity of high-pressure breathing gas to the interior space  16  of the protective suit  10 . The high-pressure breathing gas, when released into the interior space  16 , is a lower temperature than ambient air due to the high-pressurization of the breathing gas within cylinders. The infusion of the high-pressure gas into the interior space  16  acts to cool the interior space  16  due to the rapid decompression of the gas and provide for a more comfortable environment for the wearer of the protective suit  10 . 
     It is noted that various protective suits and SCBAs used conventionally in the industry include the ability to convert high-pressure gas to a low pressure, but only in positions fully outside of the protective suit. These type of devices decrease the gas pressure from high to low prior to the gas moving through the passthrough. In contrast, the subject disclosure allows for the transfer of high-pressure gas through the high-pressure passthrough  20 , e.g., at a PSI of above 300, and once it is inside the protective suit  10 , the high-pressure gas may be decreased to a low pressure as needed for an SCBA and cooling. 
       FIG. 2  is a front view illustration of the protective suit  10  having the high-pressure passthrough  20 , in accordance with the first exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in  FIG. 2  but relative to both  FIGS. 1-2 , the high-pressure passthrough  20  positioned on the protective suit  10  may be connected to any number of external cylinders  18  having a quantity of compressed breathing gas. The cylinders  18  may be connected to the high-pressure passthrough  20  with a high-pressure gas line  19  to supply the breathing gas to the high-pressure passthrough  20 . The external cylinders  18  may be carried on a backpack of the wearer of the protective suit  10  (not shown). It is noted that the subject disclosure is specifically directed to using high-pressure which may be generally understood as gas that is significantly pressurized above atmospheric air pressure. Within the industry, pressure between 0-300 PSI is generally understood as low pressure, whereas pressure above 300 PSI may be viewed as high-pressure, which includes pressures on the lower end of the scale, e.g., 300 PSI to 900 PSI and pressures that are greater, e.g., 900 PSI to approximately 6,500 PSI. The pressure in which the apparatus  20  is intended to operate is above 300 PSI, or more preferably, above 900 PSI. Accordingly, the high-pressure gas may have a pressurization of substantially between 300 PSI and 6,500 PSI, preferably between 900 PSI and 6,500 PSI. Other ranges and levels of high-pressure gas are also included within the scope of the present disclosure. 
       FIG. 3  is an exploded schematic illustration of the high-pressure passthrough  20 , in accordance with the first exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.  FIG. 4  is a detailed, cross-sectional side view illustration of the high-pressure passthrough  20  in use with a protective suit  10 , in accordance with the first exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. Relative to  FIGS. 3-4 , the high-pressure passthrough  20 , which may also be referred to herein as ‘high-pressure passthrough apparatus  20 ’ or ‘apparatus  20 ’ includes a penetrator body  30  connectable to a protective suit  10  ( FIG. 4 ), such as a chemical suit. The first half  32  and second half  34  of the penetrator body  30  may be durable structures capable of withstanding the harsh conditions to which the protective suit  10  may be exposed. In one example, the first and second halves  32 ,  34  are constructed from 7075 aluminum and may have a surface treatment positioned on one or more surfaces thereof. For example, the surface treatment may include a hard coat anodizing and/or polytetrafluoroethylene (TEFLON®) flash-coating. 
     A high-pressure inlet  60  which receives a quantity of high-pressure gas, such as from high-pressure gas cylinders, is positioned on a first side of the penetrator body  30 , on the first half  32  ( FIG. 1 ). The first side of the penetrator body  30  may be the side that is positioned exterior of the protective suit  10  and that contacts the ambient atmosphere  2 . On the second side of the penetrator body  30 , e.g., on the second half  34  ( FIG. 1 ) which is positioned interior of the protective suit  10  and within the interior portion  16 , a high-pressure self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) outlet  70  is connected to the penetrator body  30 . A high-pressure passthrough valve  50  is also positioned on the second side (second half  34 ) of the penetrator body  30  such that it is positioned within the interior space  16  of the protective suit  10 . 
     When the penetrator body  30  is positioned on the protective suit  10  with the first half  32  positioned on an exterior side and the second half  34  positioned on an interior side, the penetrator body  30  may be hermetically sealed to ensure that there is no air leak through the penetrator body  30  or between a connection of the penetrator body  30  with the protective suit  10 . For example, a hermetically sealed engagement may be provided between the first and second halves  32 ,  34  using a number of different structures. One of the first and second halves  32 ,  34  may include a raised boss  36  positioned on an interior edge of either the first or second half  32 ,  34  to provide exceptional sealing against the protective suit  10  material, as shown in  FIG. 4 . 
     Additionally, a high-pressure sealing O-ring  38  and/or a secondary/environmental O-ring  40  may be positioned between the first and second halves  32 ,  34 . Here, the high-pressure O-ring  38  may maintain the high-pressure connection between the first and second halves  32 ,  34 , while the secondary O-ring  40  may prevent infiltration of ambient atmosphere from gaining access to the interior of the penetrator body  30 . As shown in  FIG. 4 , the O-rings  38 ,  40  may be positioned proximate to a protrusion  35  of the second half  34  which fits within a cavity  33  of the first half  32 . A number of threaded connectors  42  or fasteners may be used to secure the two halves  32 ,  34  together and to retain the O-rings  38 ,  40  in their proper positions. The threaded connectors  42  may be positioned through holes in the first half  32  and threadedly engage with threaded holes in the second half  34 , the connection of which may be toleranced sufficiently to prevent air leakage. 
     The penetrator body  30  may include appropriate ducting and gas flow structures  44  to allow high-pressure air introduced in the high-pressure inlet  60  to be passed from the first half  32  to the second half  34 , and to the SCBA feed line  70  and the high-pressure passthrough valve  50 . The ducting and gas flow structures  44  are schematically shown in  FIG. 4 , but it is noted that structures beyond what are depicted would be used to properly convey the pressurized gas through the high-pressure passthrough  20 . 
     The high-pressure passthrough valve  50  may be capable of receiving the high-pressure gas from the high-pressure inlet  60  and releasing a portion of that high-pressure gas into the interior portion  16  of the protective suit  10 . While the specifics of the high-pressure gas may vary, it is noted that the high-pressure passthrough valve  50  may have a service pressure range of between 300 PSI and 6,500 PSI, preferably between 900 PSI and 6,500 PSI, among other ranges not specifically identified herein. 
     While the present disclosure may offer benefits beyond what are explicitly disclosed herein, the ability to use the high-pressure gas already required for SCBA use with protective suits to cool the interior of the protective suit may significantly improve the use of protective suits. Other benefits may also include the ability to over pressurize or supply a positive pressure within the protective suit. Having a positive pressure within the protective suit may, for example, help prevent infiltration of chemicals within an inadvertent hole or puncture within the protective suit. In this example, the positive pressure may immediately create an airflow from the interior of the protective suit to the outside atmosphere through a hole or puncture, which may prevent chemicals from entering through the hole or puncture. 
       FIG. 5  is an exploded schematic illustration of the high-pressure passthrough  120 , in accordance with a second exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.  FIG. 6  is a detailed, cross-sectional side view illustration of the high-pressure passthrough  120  in use with a protective suit  10 , in accordance with the second exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. The second exemplary embodiment may be substantially similar to the first exemplary embodiment and may include any of the features disclosed relative to the first exemplary embodiment. Relative to  FIGS. 5-6 , the high-pressure passthrough  120 , which may also be referred to herein as ‘high-pressure passthrough apparatus  120 ’ or ‘apparatus  120 ’ includes a penetrator body  130  connectable to a protective suit  10  ( FIG. 6 ), such as a chemical suit. The first half  132  and second half  134  of the penetrator body  130  may be durable structures capable of withstanding the harsh conditions to which the protective suit  10  may be exposed. In one example, the first and second halves  132 ,  134  are constructed from 7075 aluminum and may have a surface treatment positioned on one or more surfaces thereof. For example, the surface treatment may include a hard coat anodizing and/or polytetrafluoroethylene (TEFLON®) flash-coating. 
     A high-pressure inlet  160  which receives a quantity of high-pressure gas, such as from high-pressure gas cylinders, is positioned on a first side of the penetrator body  130 , on the first half  132  ( FIG. 1 ). The first side of the penetrator body  130  may be the side that is positioned exterior of the protective suit  10  and that contacts the ambient atmosphere  2 . On the second side of the penetrator body  130 , e.g., on the second half  134  (See, e.g.,  FIG. 1 ) which is positioned interior of the protective suit  10  and within the interior portion  16 , a high-pressure self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) outlet  170  is connected to the penetrator body  130  with a quick connect device. A high-pressure passthrough valve  150  is also positioned on the second side (second half  134 ) of the penetrator body  130  such that it is positioned within the interior space  16  of the protective suit  10 . 
     When the penetrator body  130  is positioned on the protective suit  10  with the first half  132  positioned on an exterior side and the second half  134  positioned on an interior side, the penetrator body  130  may be hermetically sealed to ensure that there is no air leak through the penetrator body  130  or between a connection of the penetrator body  130  with the protective suit  10 . For example, a hermetically sealed engagement may be provided between the first and second halves  132 ,  134  using a number of different structures. One of the first and second halves  132 ,  134  may include a raised boss  136  positioned on an interior edge of either the first or second half  132 ,  134  to provide exceptional sealing against the protective suit  10  material, as shown in  FIG. 6 . 
     Additionally, a high-pressure sealing O-ring  138  and/or a secondary/environmental O-ring  140  may be positioned between the first and second halves  132 ,  134 . Here, the high-pressure O-ring  138  may maintain the high-pressure connection between the first and second halves  132 ,  134 , while the secondary O-ring  140  may prevent infiltration of ambient atmosphere from gaining access to the interior of the penetrator body  130 . As shown in  FIG. 6 , the O-rings  138 ,  140  may be positioned proximate to a protrusion  135  of the second half  134  which fits within a cavity  133  of the first half  132 . A number of threaded connectors  142  or fasteners may be used to secure the two halves  132 ,  134  together and to retain the O-rings  138 ,  140  in their proper positions. The threaded connectors  142  may be positioned through holes in the first half  132  and threadedly engage with threaded holes in the second half  134 , the connection of which may be toleranced sufficiently to prevent air leakage. 
     The penetrator body  130  may include appropriate ducting and gas flow structures  144  to allow high-pressure air introduced in the high-pressure inlet  160  to be passed from the first half  132  to the second half  134 , and to the SCBA feed line  170  and the high-pressure passthrough valve  150 . The ducting and gas flow structures  144  are schematically shown in  FIG. 6 , but it is noted that structures beyond what are depicted would be used to properly convey the pressurized gas through the high-pressure passthrough  120 . 
     In addition to what is shown in  FIGS. 3-4 , the apparatus  120  of  FIGS. 5-6  may include an adapter block  180  which is positioned on the interior side  16  of the protective suit  10  and acts to redirect airflow from the second half  134 . The adapter block  180  may be secured to the rear face of the second half  134  with threaded connectors  142 . On the rear face of the adapter block  180 , a belt clip  184  may be included to allow the apparatus  120  to clip to a belt worn by the user. The belt clip  184  may be connected to the adapter block  180  with a threaded connector  142 . A hose barb fitting  190  may be connectable to the adapter block  180  to allow the high-pressure gas to be directed through cooling tubes (not shown) within a protective suit  10 , which may be used with or in place of air cooling of the protective suit  10  as described relative to  FIGS. 3-4 . The hose barb fitting  190  may include a barbed end to allow the end of a hose to easily connect to the apparatus  120 . 
     The high-pressure passthrough valve  150  and the adapter block  180  may be capable of receiving the high-pressure gas from the high-pressure inlet  160  and releasing a portion of that high-pressure gas into the interior portion  16  of the protective suit  10 . After the high-pressure gas is moved through the ducting and gas flow structures  144  between the first and second halves  132 ,  134 , it may be directed through additional ducting and gas flow structures, such as a cooling air passage  145  positioned between the second half  134  and the adapter block  180 . While the specifics of the high-pressure gas may vary, it is noted that the high-pressure passthrough valve  150  may have a service pressure range of between 300 PSI and 6,500 PSI, preferably between 900 PSI and 6,500 PSI, among other ranges not specifically identified herein. 
     While the present disclosure may offer benefits beyond what are explicitly disclosed herein, the ability to use the high-pressure gas already required for SCBA use with protective suits to cool the interior of the protective suit may significantly improve the use of protective suits. Other benefits may also include the ability to over pressurize or supply a positive pressure within the protective suit. Having a positive pressure within the protective suit may, for example, help prevent infiltration of chemicals within an inadvertent hole or puncture within the protective suit. In this example, the positive pressure may immediately create an airflow from the interior of the protective suit to the outside atmosphere through a hole or puncture, which may prevent chemicals from entering through the hole or puncture. 
       FIG. 7  is a flowchart  200  illustrating a method of supplying a quantity of high-pressure air to an interior of a chemical protective suit, in accordance with a third exemplary embodiment of the disclosure. It should be noted that any process descriptions or blocks in flow charts should be understood as representing modules, segments, portions of code, or steps that include one or more instructions for implementing specific logical functions in the process, and alternate implementations are included within the scope of the present disclosure in which functions may be executed out of order from that shown or discussed, including substantially concurrently or in reverse order, depending on the functionality involved, as would be understood by those reasonably skilled in the art of the present disclosure. 
     As is shown by block  202 , a quantity of high-pressure air is supplied to a first side of a high-pressure passthrough positioned on an exterior of a chemical protective suit. At least a portion of the quantity of high-pressure air is released to an interior of the chemical protective suit with a high-pressure passthrough valve, wherein the high-pressure passthrough valve further comprises a service pressure range of between 300 PSI and 6,500 PSI (block  204 ). It is noted that the method may include any number of additional steps, processes, or functions, including any disclosed relative to any other figure of this disclosure. For example, at least a second portion of the quantity of high-pressure air may be released to the SCBA unit while the high-pressure gas is also released through the high-pressure passthrough valve. Further, the service pressure range of the high-pressure passthrough valve may be between 900 PSI and 6,500 PSI. While there may be a number of benefits that the present disclosure offers, the use of high-pres sure gas emitted through the passthrough valve may be used to cool the interior of the chemical protective suit. For example, it may also be used to provide a positive pressure within the protective suit. 
     It should be emphasized that the above-described embodiments of the present disclosure, particularly, any “preferred” embodiments, are merely possible examples of implementations, merely set forth for a clear understanding of the principles of the disclosure. Many variations and modifications may be made to the above-described embodiment(s) of the disclosure without departing substantially from the spirit and principles of the disclosure. All such modifications and variations are intended to be included herein within the scope of this disclosure and the present disclosure and protected by the following claims.