Snehlata Shrivastav,TNN | Sep 28, 2014, 04.46 AM IST
Nagpur: Like any automobile, submarines generate a lot of harmful gases like carbon-mono-oxide (CO). India was importing special room filters for submarines which could absorb CO as well as other gases. To ensure safety of the Naval staff, the Defence Research Development Organization (DRDO) has not only developed its own CO filters called ‘CFKIII room filters’ but also room filters that can absorb over 40 different gases, at almost one fifth of the imported cost.
The information on CO filter is on display at the three-day AXIS technical festival organized by students of the Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology (VNIT). In fact, India is the first country to develop a CO filter which can work for indefinite period even in heavy moisture conditions as compared to the Russian filter costing about Rs1 lakh.
On inquiring about the filter, sources in DRDO headquarters told TOI that the organization has developed other types of room filters too which can prevent over 40 harmful gases including hydrogen sulphide, ammonia, stibine, hydrogen cyanide, acrolein. These filters need to be changed after 45 days and one ship needs at least 14 different filters.
DRDO Gwalior laboratory has developed many equipment and techniques which can detect, protect and decontaminate the chemical warfare agents Sarin, Soman and Tabun. A filter paper like strip attached to any human body part changes into various colours that help in detecting the type of chemical. This lab has also developed a toe-to-head carbon coated suit and a mask which filters everything else and allows only oxygen to go in.
Another DRDO lab, Centre for Fire Explosives and Environment Safety in Delhi, has recently developed a light weight ‘fire proximity suit’ which has five layers of protective material. It has also developed an Emergency Escape Chute (EEC) which can take a load up to 4 to 5 tonne and can be used effectively for evacuating people from high rise buildings, oil rig platforms and can be used together with auto-inflatable raft. The lab is yet to transfer the technology to a manufacturer.
The Solid State Physics Laboratory of DRDO in Delhi has made an indigenous alternative hand held equipment to highly expensive imported one. Since it can detect chemical warfare agents effectively, it is being called as e-nasika or-e-nose which can sniff any chemical. It uses ‘surface acoustic wave’ or SAW sensors. It will be manufactured by Bharat Electricals Limited in Pune. Against the imported version costing Rs20 lakh, this one costs just Rs5 lakh.