Novel sensor set to test nuclear waters
A
Lee-Dickens product story
Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team
Jan 25, 2006
Lee-Dickens has been chosen to design and manufacture a new salinometer for use in the next generation of Royal Navy nuclear powered attack submarines.
Instrumentation specialist Lee-Dickens has been chosen to design and manufacture a new salinometer for Rolls-Royce for use in the next generation of Royal Navy nuclear powered attack submarines, known as the Astute Class, being manufactured by BAE.
Rolls-Royce has selected Lee-Dickens to design and manufacture a new onboard salinometer to test the quality of water used as primary coolant for a pressurised water reactor (PWR) power plant.
An onboard salinometer is necessary as water may be taken onboard anywhere in the world and an extremely accurate and reliable measurement is essential to ensure the absence of elements in the water.
The new salinometer has been designed with the same size footprint as the previous model to satisfy any retrofit requirement.
The new product is also backwardly compatible with the original termination block, but the rest of the product has been updated to comply with the latest Naval Engineering Standard NES 501, Def Stan 59-41 EMC (below decks) and NES 1004 for submarine environments, including respective shock and vibration levels.
The salinometer consists of a purpose-built ruggedised housing containing the panel electronic circuit (PEC), which is designed and manufactured by Lee-Dickens.
A Crompton meter on the front provides a visual pH reading.
There are a number test buttons including a basic circuit test and an alarm test.
The alarm would activate if the pH level ever exceeded a pre-set value.
Because there are long periods between usage there is an internal heater to prevent condensation.
As part of the design Lee-Dickens is to produce a new external sensor that sits in the pipeline.
The sensor is extremely sensitive making measurements in units of micro siemens and therefore it is very important to be able to clean and maintain the probe.
For this reason there was a need to gain easy access to the probe.
Lee-Dickens therefore incorporated into the design a special mechanical device that allows the probe to be extracted from the pipe but at the same time still manages to maintain a sealed pipe with up to 15bar pressure.
Lee-Dickens has initially manufactured three salinometers with the first tested by Rolls-Royce in the fourth quarter of 2004.
"Lee-Dickens has been sourcing and constructing military equipments for many years including the capability to undertake mechanical design and manufacturing".
"This is perfect for the salinometer project, which requires a purpose built PCB and a new sensor probe design".
"Lee-Dickens is also a GS3001 and ISO9000 approved supplier, essential for a contract such as this", said Gyles Dickens, Divisional Director, Lee-Dickens.
Not what you're looking for? Search the site.
Google Ads
Contact Lee-Dickens
Related Stories
- Inertial Aerosystems UK - latest company news
- Gefran acquires UK systems integrator
- Hydramotion accepts credit card payment
- Resolve announces custom lens service
- Website gives position measurement advice
Articles by product category
- Consultancy and Services (903)
- Machine Building (4,517)
-
Engineering Design Software (6,179)
- Engineering Design Software (12)
- 2D CAD software (200)
- 3D CAD software (1,157)
- FEA and structural analysis software (369)
- Fluid, thermal, noise, vibration software (334)
- Simulation, modelling, validation software (914)
- Rendering, visualisation, styling software (196)
- Materials design and moulding design software (151)
- Process, instrumentation, automation software (258)
- Electrical design software (164)
- Publishing and documentation software (229)
- Maths, charting, statistics, QA software (317)
- Data, document management software (310)
- CAM, CNC, production management software (568)
- File conversion software, data capture (351)
- PLM and collaboration software (649)
-
Drives, Motors and Controls (3,361)
- Drives, Motors and Controls (1)
- Precision Motors and Gears (411)
- Industrial Drives/Controls (1,276)
- Linear Drives and Motors (114)
- Industrial Motors (497)
- Stepper and Servo Drives, Motors, Controls (1,060)
- Small Mechanical Components, Joining, Tools (1,975)
-
Control and Instrumentation (5,028)
- Plantwide control (1,324)
- Plant- and Machine-Wide Communications (1,174)
- Smaller-Sized PLCs (387)
- CNC and Motion Controllers (184)
- Mid-range and Large PLCs (201)
- Power Supplies, Uninterruptible Power (562)
- HMIs/Operator Interfaces (294)
- Logic Controllers, Timers and Relays (96)
- Cabling, Conduit, Signal Conditioning (806)
-
Monitoring, Measurement and Quality (5,459)
- Monitoring, Measurement and Quality (1)
- Data acquisition Software and Communications (494)
- Data Acquisition Hardware and PC I/O Boards (472)
- Electrical and Electronic Testing, PAT Equipment (630)
- Form/co-ordinate, optical, vision instruments (703)
- Gauges, Indicators and Instruments (440)
- Data loggers (422)
- Materials testing equipment (421)
- Telecomms/network test equipment, software etc (154)
- Testing and Calibration Services and Information (500)
- Testing, analysing and monitoring equipment (1,222)
-
Electrical and Electronic Equipment Design (4,160)
- Batteries, chargers and circuit protection (555)
- Connectors, Terminals, Busbars, Slip Rings (679)
- Enclosures and Equipment Cooling Fans (709)
- Knobs, Handles and Enclosure Hardware (420)
- PCs and Embedded Systems (798)
- Electrical and Electronic Subassemblies (369)
- Electrical and Electronic Components (630)
-
Materials and Processing (2,963)
- Materials and Processing (5)
- Materials and components (2,215)
- Rapid Prototyping (458)
- Materials processing and testing (285)
-
Engineering Industry News, Resources (6,093)
- Engineering Industry News, Resources (4)
- Engineering Business News, Views (388)
- Engineering Exhibitions, Events (562)
- Engineering Conferences (425)
- Engineering Seminars (400)
- Engineering Industry Developments, Awards (633)
- Engineering Guides, Newsletters (349)
- Engineering Recruitment, Employment (219)
- Engineering Training Courses (433)
- Engineering Education, Resources, Standards (838)
- Engineering Industry Reports, Surveys (597)
- Electronic Resources for Engineers (278)
- Health and Safety Legislation (402)
- Health and Safety Strategy, Risk Assessment (113)
- Health and Safety Consultancy, Software (175)
- Health and Safety Events, Training, News (277)
-
Powertrain Design (3,598)
- Powertrain Design (2)
- Bearings (939)
- Chains and belts (326)
- Gears, brakes, couplings and engines (1,441)
- Hydraulic Components (471)
- Lubricants (418)
-
Capital Equipment (3,387)
- Capital Equipment (1)
- Manufacturing Machinery and Plant Equipment (468)
- Production line blowers and fans (62)
- Compressors and Air Treatment (510)
- Electronics Manufacturing, Tools, Instruments (192)
- Electrical hardware (131)
- Machinery and Production Equipment (1,093)
- Robotics, Handling and Storage (930)
-
Sensors (7,080)
- Sensors (8)
- Accelerometers and Vibration Sensors (427)
- Loadcells, Force Sensors, Torque Sensors (699)
- Pressure sensors (621)
- Flowmeters and Flow Sensors (618)
- Level Sensors and Leak Detectors (527)
- Linear Position Sensors (399)
- Rotary Position, Tilt and Angular Sensors (546)
- Proximity Sensors (700)
- Gas, Chemical, Radiation, Magnetic Sensors (284)
- Humidity and Environmental Sensors (152)
- Temperature sensors (612)
- Vision and Colour Sensors (1,384)
- Barcode Sensors (103)
- Valves, Pumps, Process Hardware (3,623)
