Advanced high pressure hyperbaric techniques in tunnelling New!
Donald Lamont, PhD1; Andrew Colvin, MSc2; Adrian Heili3; Tony Ridley, MSc4; Roy Slocombe5; Jurg Wendling, MD6
1 Hyperbaric and Tunnel Safety Ltd, Wirral, UK
2 Tunnelmed Services Ltd, Dunblane, UK
3 Hyperbaric Tunnelling and Medical Services Ltd, Brentford, UK 4 Tony Ridley Hyperbaric Associates, Norwich, UK
5 Herrenknecht International Ltd, Sunderland, UK
6 Biel, Switzerland
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR: Donald Lamont – donald@hyperbaricandtunnelsafety.co.uk
ABSTRACT
Lamont D, Colvin A, Heili A, Ridley T, Slocombe R, Wendling J. Advanced high pressure hyperbaric techniques in tunnelling. Undersea Hyperb Med. 2024 Second Quarter; 51(2):159-171.
Work in compressed air and diving are both occupational activities that have been around since the mid- 19th century, and those undertaking their work under elevated pressure. Meeting the demand to go to “higher pressure for longer” in tunneling has lagged in diving, but both activities have found it necessary to adopt mixed gas breathing and saturation exposure techniques. This paper explains how work in hyperbaric conditions at high pressure is undertaken in tunneling and is illustrated by the hyperbaric activity likely to be involved in constructing a large-diameter road tunnel below a body of water such as an estuary. It also explores the practical differences between work in compressed air and diving.
Keywords: hyperbaric, decompression, tunneling, transfer under pressure, mixed gas, saturation.
DOI:10.22462/640