Other

Keith Douglas Burns

Louis M Riccio

Edward Alan Culpepper

An improved design for sealed air and coolant passthrough couplings which ensures maximum protection against contamination in a chemical warfare environment. The couplings include an air line bulkhead assembly, a liquid passthrough coupling, and an air inlet assembly all of which resist penetrating chemical warfare agents such as Sarin. The air line bulkhead assembly permits breathable air to be passed from outside to the inside of a chemical protective suit without compromising the chemical integrity of the suit. The liquid coolant passthrough permits liquid coolant to be supplied from an external source to the wearer of the chemical protective suit without breaching the integrity of the chemical protective barrier. The liquid coolant passthrough assembly enables a cold reservoir and pumping unit to be mounted on the exterior of chemical protective clothing to facilitate replenishment of the cold source (ice or phase change material), and this can result in longer mission stay times. Finally, the chemical resistant air inlet assembly may be used in conjunction with a self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) or air-supplied system to provide air to the chemical protective suit for purposes of generating a positive pressure therein. The air line bulkhead, air line passthrough assembly (incorporating the same), liquid passthrough coupling, and air inlet assembly as described above are simple yet innovative in design and lend themselves to economical manufacture and assembly.

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Thurmont, MD, United States of America

Keith Douglas Burns