This new generation of technology has now been officially released in the form of the Portascanner® WATERTIGHT PRO, an ultrasonic instrument used for the location and quantification of leak-sites, generating water flow rates in watertight compartment Multiple Cable Transit Areas, hatch covers, bulkheads, and watertight doors at sea.
- The Portascanner® WATERTIGHT PRO is a completely unique leak quantifying system with full reporting and exporting capability.
- Users can, for instance, now take a picture of the seal they are inspecting, identify the leak sites in the seal which are marked on the image, and, from there, the total leakage rate of the seal can be calculated and directly exported in a report, which can be used for analysis or repair scheduling processes.
- A world-first technology and no equivalence exists anywhere in the world.
The new platform allows any user to calculate the total leakage rate of any compartment, identify the most safety critical elements as a priority and then develop a vessel-wide state of the overall warship and auxiliary vessel structural integrity assessment.
This can provide huge insight from a safety and survivability perspective, especially from the perspective of drastic hull breaches, internal leaks, and unexpected water transit through the vessel.
Maintaining the overall structural integrity of the vessel is the key element that will enhance vessel survivability in the event of major leak events and we have seen several occasions over the years where closer attention to this matter would have led to the avoidance of vessel loss. Quantifying water ingress in terms of flowrates is a further step to facilitate informed decision-making, reducing the risk of severe vessel damage and improving the overall availability of the Fleet.
It is designed to be used to identify, measure, and remedy potential leak-sites in and around the personnel-carrying vehicle compartment, crew compartments, and the engine compartment.
Further enhancing watertight integrity is crucial to ensure that all five Fighting Arms of of Navies have maximum availability. Whether the vessel in question is a surface ship, a submarine, or an amphibious vehicle, watertightness and the ability to minimise intercompartmental ingress is essential to limit the damage caused by an external breach. Not only does a greater confidence in watertight integrity reduce the chance that extensive maintenance is required, but when a vessel is damaged by an impact or has undergone severe mechanical stress as a result of sea conditions, the means to efficiently assess watertight integrity allows for targeted repairs and a reduction in maintenance time. To be able to efficiently locate and quantify areas of concern in regard to watertight integrity is therefore of great benefit in maximising the availability of vessels over an extended period of time.
The key advantages of the Portascanner® Watertight PRO are:
- Identification and location of the leak-site, accurate quantification of its size, the extent of each leak in terms of leak surface area,
- As well as the predicted water ingress and flow rate through the leak-site
- A built-in 8-megapixel camera to photograph structures and record the location of each leak for future reference
- The ability to automatically generate and export reports, filtered to a user’s choice of date, site, room, and structure
- A variable output power of generator and improved stability of the generated signal, to allow detection and quantification of leaks no matter the size of the structure or compartment
- The receiving unit is contained within an ergonomic, tablet-based format
