SCR Rebreather
Semi Closed Rebreathers are not new to the dive industry. They have been around longer than any other kind of rebreather and offer a number of simplistic functions.
Currently there are a number of advancements in the SCR diving world. Many people make the mistake this style of unit as being the lesser of the two as it does not have electronics and all the bells as CCR.
Anyone who has spent time in the jungle, in developing nations, or flying with rebreathers around the world a lot can attest to the fact that electronics don’t always fly and later work underwater well.
Please don't hesitate to email us if you have any questions or need assistance.
Listed here on the left you will find most of the SCR’s that exist. At ProTec we teach on most of them, we have most of them, and if not we will give you our recommendations on where to go to find that.
Draeger - Model: Dolphin. Country of origin: Made in Germany. Number of units on the market: Around 3000. Retail Price of Base Unit: Around $ 3000 with tanks, harness, regulators, wing and bailout.
Upgrades available by Manufacturer and Prices: Oxyspy O2 sensor available to be plugged into the unit to display Po2 or further upgrade to wireless data transfer to wrist mounted dive computer that calculates NDL limits with the Po2 information.
General Description: The Draeger Atlantis SCR Rebreather came onto the market around 1995 and was one of the first SCR’s available in large numbers on the open retail market. A upgraded version was named the Dolphin and replaced the Atlantis around 1998. The unit is coming with a harness and box wing style BCD system. Bailout tank and regulator have to be purchased separate.
Type of Rebreather: SCR active controlled with no oxygen sensors but can be upgraded to one. Unit can be used with EAN 36, 40, 50 and 60. A 100% oxygen version is available to instructors who teach a lot in the pool.
Number of handsets: None. Location of main electronics: None. Information displayed in the handsets: None. Heads Up Electronics ( HUD ) None. Sensors: None but can be upgraded. Batteries: None. Automatic Dilluent Valve ( ADV ): Mounted in counterlung.
Tank size and mounting: 4 ltr steel tank inside the unit as onboard tank feeding the unit with EANx. Separate mounted bail out tank 3-4 ltr alm or steel. Recommended tank size: Best with 4 ltr steel tank and 3 ltr alm tank as bail out option. Bail out design by manufacturer: Separate bail out tank to be mounted to the side of the unit. Upgrade options available: Oxygen sensor to be integrated into the loop, connected into the inhalation counterlung.
Set up of unit: The unit looks streamlined, is compact, simple and user friendly. Diveable weight: Around 20 kilos with absorbent and depending on what size and material of onboard tanks was chosen. Travel weight: Unit can be shipped and is not very big, good choice for people who travel a lot. Canister design: Unit can be dived with regular absorbent designed to hold 2 ½ kilos absorbent with axial flow.
Canister duration: Around 3 hours with Draegersorb in warm water. Around 2 hours in cold water. Absorbent recommended: Draegersorb recommended by manufacturer but Sofnolime grade 484 can be used as well. Counterlungs and position: Two on the back and inside the unit counterlungs, made out of a flexible and durable material, around 4 ltr of the inhalation counterlung. Exhalation counterlung around 1 ltr capacity. The gas flow and rotation is clock wise. Flood recovery: Limited flood recovery. Small water trap inside of canister and exhalation counterlung.
Diver Training available through: ProTec Dive Center, Instructor Training available through: ProTec Dive Center & Advanced Training Facility.
Support locations worldwide: U.S.A., Mexico, Europe, Asia, South America, Africa, Central America.
P-SCR Halocline - RB 80 clone manufactured in Germany. Over 30 units where made and some members of the EKPP is using the Halocline during cave diving exploration.
The P-SCR concept differs from active SCR units as breathing gas is only injected during inhalation giving P-SCR units a much longer gas duration. P-SCR’s where developed for long duration cave penetraion dives and are able to be used with Trimix as well as Nitrox.
Manufacturer: Halcyon. Model: RB 80. Country of origin: Made in U.S.A.. Number of units on the market: Around 30.. Retail Price of Base Unit: Around $ 9000 with tanks, harness, regulators, wing. Switch block, tank frame and bailout / drive gas tanks and systems.. Upgrades available by Manufacturer and Prices: None.
General Description: The Halcyon RB 80 Passive SCR Rebreather came onto the market around 2000 and was one of the first passive SCR’s. The RB 80 is the second generation unit following the original Halcyon SCR that came out around 1998.. Type of Rebreather: SCR passive controlled with no oxygen sensors. Unit can be used with any EANX mixture or Trimix mixture. The RB 80 was specifically designed with the long range exploration cave diver in mind.
Number of handsets: None. Location of main electronics: None.. Information displayed in the handsets: None. Heads Up Electronics (HUD)None. Sensors: None. Batteries: None.Automatic Dilluent Valve (ADV): None.
Tank size and mounting: 40 cft alm tanks to 121 cft steel tanks mounted onto a frame that does carry the weight of the tanks. The tanks are connected via a flexible isolator manifold. The drive gas tanks do have first and second stage attached to them in regular cave diving fashion to facilitate gas sharing needs during cave dives.
Recommended tank size: Depending on dive duration and depth from 40 cft alm to 80 cft alm to 121 cft steel tanks. Decompression gas stages have to be carried separate and can be plugged into the switch block during decompression and associated gas changes.
Bail out design by manufacturer: The drive gas tanks serve as bail out tanks. Extra stages need to be carried during long penetration cave dives or aggressive decompression dives
Upgrade options available: After market manufacturer offers a oxygen sensor plug in that can be connected to a decompression computer taking the actual Po2 inside the loop into account.
Set up of unit: The unit is streamlined, compact, simple and user friendly. Diveable weight: Around 30 kilos with absorbent and depending on what size and material of onboard / dive tanks was chosen. Travel weight: Unit can be shipped easy and is not very big, very good choice for people who travel a lot.
Canister design: Unit can be dived with regular absorbent designed to hold 3 kilos absorbent with axial flow. Canister duration: Around 5 hours with Sofnolime grade 484 in warm water. Around 4 hours in cold water. Absorbent recommended: Sofnolime grade 484 recommended.
Counterlungs and position: Counter acting bellows inside the unit, made out of a flexible and durable material. The gas flow and rotation is clock wise. Flood recovery: Limited flood recovery. Small water trap inside of canister and. Diver Training available through: IANTD, GUE. Instructor Training available through: IANTD, GUE. Support locations worldwide: U.S.A., Mexico, Europe.
Special uses of unit: The RB 80 was designed for the long range exploration deep cave diver in mind. Cave exploration dives have been conducted in northern Florida by the WKPP using the RB 80 and by the EKPP in France. In Mexico RB80s have been used on a number of cave exploration projects in the Ejido Jacinto Pat area at The Pit.
Please don't hesitate to email us if you have any questions or need assistance.