November - December 2007

TECHNICAL QUIZ (answers at the end of the newsletter)

1)  True or False: The most recent edition of CGA C6 lowers the allowed length of line corrosion in high pressure steel cylinders from 6 inches to a maximum of 3 inches .

2)  Sustained Load Cracking in 6351 Alloy Aluminum is most likely to occur in cylinders manufactured in what years?

a)  1972-1973

b)  1982-1983

c)  1975-1976

d)  1985-1986

3)  Exposure to what temperature causes an aluminum cylinder to require hydrostatic retesting?

4)  True or False: Cylinders marked with a “UN” marking, signifying manufacture to international standards, are legal to fill, transport and use in the United States.

5)  When should SCUBA valves be given formal maintenance?

a)  Yearly

b)  At Hydrostatic Test Intervals

c)  When it begins to malfunction

d)  After 150 fills

DEMA

We intentionally held up publication of this issue until after DEMA so that we could report on the show.

In short, DEMA was, for PSI/PCI absolutely fantastic. To be honest, we kind of knew it would be as this was the DEMA at which Bill High was to receive his THIRD NOGI – probably the most prestigious award in all of the diving industry. Bill is only the second person to ever win three NOGIs, a remarkable achievement. Bill is the ONLY person to win one of each style of NOGI. The first statue was hand carved from mahogany, the second was made from polywood material and the latest statue is made of acrylic. Congratulations, Bill.

The classes we ran (2 Visual Cylinder Inspector, 2 Eddy Current Technician, 3 Valve Repair Technician, and 3 Inspector Updates were sold out. Some were sold out before DEMA even began.

We introduced three revised and updated programs (VCI, VRT, ECT) and be making a few small tweaks to the programs before they are ready for distribution. You will receive a copy all the new programs for which you are qualified to teach when you renew your membership for 2008. As of January 1, 2008 the updated programs are the programs we must all use. Remember we can modify the program by rearranging it or by adding to it. What we cannot do is delete material from it

The Eddy Current Technician program has been updated to include information and training on the Visual Plus 3 and the Visual Eddy Mark V. The Visual Plus 3 and the Visual Eddy Mark V are designed to test 6061 aluminum alloy cylinders.

The Annual Instructor Breakfast and Update was again a rousing success. Mark Gresham brought each attendee up to date on what is happening in PSI/PCI and in the industry and each instructor received a complimentary PSI/PCI Logo Thermos bottle. There were 35 instructors present and each also received a complimentary copy of the 2008 Inspector Update Program which is narrated as well as a copy of the narrated promotional presentation intended for you use when speaking and marketing to local Fire Departments. As with the new core program, each instructor who was not present will get a copy of the 2008 Update and the Fire Department Promotional programs when they renew.

We would like to see more participation next year so mark your calendars with the DEMA dates (22-25 Oct) and join us for the 2008 DEMA PSI/PCI Instructor Breakfast Friday, October 24 at 7:00 AM at our Headquarters Hotel which is still being determined. We will have more information as soon as practical. You now have 12 months of advance notice. If you are going to Las Vegas next year you have no excuse for not joining us for breakfast.

Finally, our booth was a great success, thanks primarily to the superb preparation and staffing of Sherry Gresham and Julie Lawrence. This booth professionally displayed the full range of PSI/PCI products and services. Unique to this booth was Bill High’s original SCUBA cylinder (or so we told everyone) – a 4W cylinder made of oak.

THREE NEW MEMBERS

In early September Mark Gresham conducted an Instructor Training course at PSI/PCI Headquarters in Woodinville, WA. Please join me in welcoming to our ranks:

STEWART GORDON, PSI/PCI # 176: Stu recently retired from the Canadian Navy, an experience that helped guide him to become an instructor with PSI. Having lost shipmates to diving accidents drove Stu to become a strong proponent of dive safety and professionalism. After completing a degree in mechanical engineering from the Royal Military College of Canada, he became truly aware of the enormously destructive potential stored inside any pressure vessel.

Today Stu combines his military experience, training in instructional technique, and qualifications as a first-aid and technical diving instructor to deliver a comprehensive and uniquely presented training experience aimed at spreading the word of pressure cylinder safe handling and inspection skills.

Christopher Gresham, PSI/PCI #177: After spending 9 years in the U.S. Marine Corps, I spent the next 12 years in the restaurant business as a manager for both a sports bar/restaurant facility and two large locations for a local (Northwest) coffee company. I was recruited to manage for a nationwide uniform and services company, for whom I am still employed. In 5 ½ years, I’ve managed in 3 locations in two states, and opened and managed a state-of-the-art production facility in California before returning to the Pacific NW. I enjoy a variety of outdoor activities from hiking, camping, and skiing to sailing, boating, and of course scuba diving. The rest of the time, I enjoy my daughter, and the rest of my family and friends here in the NW.

Steven Riddle, PSI/PCI #178: Steven Riddle is the Training and Operations Manger for Aquatic Dreams Scuba Center in Modesto, CA. Steve is a PADI Course Director, EFR Master Instructor and DAN Instructor Trainer and conducts courses wherever there is a need for them. Scuba Steve is also a PADI Instructor Examiner. He enjoys all things diving from teaching open water courses to technical diving.

FRANGIBLE DISCS – KEEP IT SIMPLE

The rupture point for burst discs has long been hydrostatic test pressure plus/minus 10%. Then HM220D changed all that requiring that they be set at Hydrostatic test pressure plus 0% to minus 10%. While this change is quite clear to anyone who can read, when it was incorporated into the Code of Federal Regulations the DOT muddied the waters by specifically exempting Division 2.2 gases from the +0/-10% requirement. Division 2.2 gases include oxygen, air and EANx -- precisely the gases with which we deal.

Explaining this requirement to our classes is generally difficult and confusing. It is also unnecessary. The simple fact is that while we are responsible for ensuring the correctness of the installed burst disc, there is no practical way for us to test individual burst discs for their proper rupture point. It is the manufacturer who is responsible for designing and constructing the disc to meet Federal from the valve manufacturer and then properly install them with the specified torque. It is this action, rather than the subtle +0/-10%, or is it +/- 10%, requirement, that we need to impress on our classes.

INSTRUCTOR RENEWALS

It is that time again. Renewals are due and can be done directly through the Instructor Web section of the PSI/PCI web site. If you haven’t done so as yet, please do it now. This year there is a new wrinkle. When you renew you will receive a renewal examination in the mail. All questions on this exam have appeared in the Technical Quiz section of past newsletters, so none should come as a surprise.

You must be renewed in order to be in teaching status for 2008. Please do not put it off. In the next issue we will begin to publish the names of those who have renewed.

TECHNICAL QUIZ ANSWERS

PSI, Inc. 16932 Woodinville-Redmond Rd., Ste A-210, Woodinville, WA 98072
Phone: 425-398-4300 FAX: 425-482-0160
Email: Home Page: http://www.psicylinders.com