Environmental control for hyperbaric applications

Careful control of the environment in a hyperbaric facility is necessary to protect the health and well-being of the occupants. In this paper total environmental control in the hyperbaric chamber is broken down into eight categories of control: total pressure, O
2
partial pressure, CO
2
partial pressure, temperature and humidity, trace contaminants, fire detection, bacteria and noise. For each category an assessment is given of the difficulty and degree of control required and its importance to the occupants' well-being. For a diver in the water the special problems encountered in O
2
partial pressure control, CO
2
partial pressure control, and temperature control are also discussed briefly, each in its respective category. For each category the state of the art is discussed and the requisites for technological advancement are identified.