New Manufacturing Workshop

During the early part of 2010, Neptune Sonar Limited decided to invest in a new manufacturing workshop to go along side its current transducer manufacturing facilities at its site at Kelk Lake, East Yorkshire.

The three hundred square metre building will house a composite transducer laboratory, machine shop, general workshop and pressure test facilities and will be completed in  November 2010.

Neptune Sonar supplies composite arrays for Gemini Multi-beam ROV Sonar.

The Gemini 720i sets new standards for Multi-Beam Imaging Sonar's, offering a compact real-time high frequency imaging solution, which is suitable even for very small ROV and AUV. The sonar head weighs just over 1kg in water and is designed to be easily installed onto a variety of underwater vehicles and platforms.  With a 720kHz operating frequency, and state of the art processing electronics, Gemini 720i produces images of superb clarity with the added benefit of real-time imaging and has a horizontal coverage of 120°, giving the operator a very impressive field of view.  An integrated sound velocity sensor assists in providing the sharpest image possible, with accurate ranging.

For further information, including real-time video footage, see
http://www.tritech.co.uk/products/products-gemini720i.htm

Neptune supplies New Compact Dual-Head Swath Transducers Arrays

GeoAcoustics 'GeoSwath' offers very efficient simultaneous swath bathymetry and side scan seabed mapping for large and small vessels, ROV's and AUV's.  Available in three frequency versions, 125, 250 and 500 kHz, the system has depth performance of 200, 100 and 50 m respectively. The applied phase measuring bathymetric sonar technology provides data coverage of up to 12 times the water depth, giving unsurpassed survey efficiency in shallow water environments for hydrographic mapping, dredging, environmental and inspection surveys, as well as military applications like rapid environmental assessments and mine counter measures.

The all new Compact shallow water version multibeam system is based on the most successful phase measuring bathymetric sonar in the market, the Geoswath Plus.

Neptune is contracted to develop and manufacture low cost Acoustic Transducer Arrays for a Diver Detection Sonar.

The ongoing threat of terror attacks since 9/11 has produced an awareness of the need to protect critical marine and coastal infrastructures - a growing priority for governments and private corporations alike. Current marine surveillance solutions often ignore the areas of underwater surveillance and underwater site security, tracking only above-water activity, and leaving the area under water vulnerable to intrusion by divers and Swimmer Delivery Vehicles.

The contractor and Neptune Sonar have developed an innovative, cost-effective Diver Detection Sonar system that provides critical coastal and offshore protection of sites through detecting, tracking, and warning of unauthorized divers and Swimmer Delivery Vehicles for effective response.

For further information, please visit
http://www.dsit.co.il

Images courtesy of DSIT - click for a larger version

ASW Active Transducer Array

Free Flooded Ring Transducer supplied to European Navy for feasibility/evaluation studies of a new concept hull mounted ASW array. Designed to replace current piston devices with FFR’s in order to improve performance, reduce array complexity, increase reliability and significantly reduce costs.

Installation of Neptune’s Latest Acoustic Calibration Facility

Neptune Sonar launched its new open-water calibration facility, commissioned April 2004.

Design work started August 2003 and manufacture commenced October 2003. Removal of the existing laboratory began in February 2004 and the new installation was complete by mid March.

Available for hire, the facility includes the latest state of the art acoustic measurement equipment. If you require more information about Neptune's acoustic calibration services please click here.

Low Frequency Free Flooded Ring Transducer for Gearing & Watson

Neptune has successfully completed the design and manufacture of four broadband 500Hz Free Flooded Ring Transducers supplied to Gearing and Watson Ltd for a foreign Navy Contract, development through to manufacture and testing was completed in only 6 months with a further two delivered 4 months later.

The system comprises a free flooded ring transducer assemble in a stainless steel deployment frame, transducer matching components housed in a pressure vessel, a combined strain and electrical deployment cable, an electric winch and A-frame for deployment and recovery and a 16kVA power amplifier.
The system is able to provide full power outputs over the band 310Hz to 700Hz with sound pressure levels in excess of 196dB ref 1µPa at 1m over the entire band, and a peak output of 204dB.
The deployment frame and amplifier was engineered and manufactured by GW with the transducers being supplied by Neptune Sonar.

Deep Water Echo-Sounder for Astute Submarine

Development and production of deep water - single and dual beam Echo-Sounder Transducers supplied to VT TSS Ltd, for the Astute Class Submarines. We also delivered in 2002 for Astute - Hull Outfit 51R (Sonar Intercept Array) and Sonar 2073 (Emergency Underwater Telephone Transducers).

New Deep Water LF BroadBand Transducers Developed for GeoAcoustics

Neptune awarded development of the new Low Frequency BroadBand Transducers for GeoAcoustics Deep Tow 2000 System.

“Article appeared in the July/August 2001 edition of International Ocean Systems!”
Towards the perfect profiler?The new GeoChirp II transmitter contains a better than 95 per cent efficient linear power amplifier which can deliver better than 2.5kW rms, or better 5kW peak power into the acoustic transducers. It can do this at a repetition rate of four pulses per second for 32ms pulses on the end of 6000m of standard 11mm coaxial cable, with all other systems running at full repetition rate. As with the original GeoChirp system, the amplitude, frequency and phase of the transmitted sweep waveform can be precisely controlled. However, the new amplifier combined with newly designed deep rated wideband acoustic transducers (developed in conjunction with Neptune Sonar Ltd) allows a single GeoChirp II pulse to put more energy into the water than a single boomer shot while offering even greater resolution than the original GeoChirp system. At present no other system can approach this performance, regardless of cable length. Results are described as "excellent" even in difficult coarse sands.

Neptune to provide 2019 Intercept Array update (HO51R) for UK Navy

2019 was the standard passive intercept sonar mounted on RN S & T class submarines and is designed to give warning of surface vessels, submarines, dipping sonar, sonobuoys and torpedoes, thus covering HF, MF and LF sonar frequency bands.

The system was developed from the Passive Active Range Intercept Sonar (PARIS) system.   Neptune Sonar was contracted by Atlas Elektronik UK to provide a replacement array sensors for the new Hull Outfit 51R.  Housed in a free-flooding carbon fibre dome, the array comprises individually replaceable HF transducers mounted beneath a compact replaceable LF array unit. The broadband passive array is a multi-octave system providing bearing and azimuth coverage through 360°.

The array has also been selected for the new Astute class SSN. H051R is used on sonar's 2019, 2082 and the latest in-service 2076 system.

Sonar 2073 Emergency Underwater Telephone Transducer for AB Precision / UK MoD

Neptune was given the contract to improve the range of the existing low frequency UWT transducer use by the UK Navy.

Four months later the prototype design was successfully tested in service and production of the new long range transducer was immediately ordered, and is now fitted throughout the UK Submarine Fleet.