Phase III: Laboratory Investigation of Portable Instruments for Submarine Air Monitoring

Abstract

Drager tubes are currently used to supplement the atmosphere analysis measurements made aboard U.S. Navy submarines. The submarine fleet has requested that these tubes be replaced with a less labor intensive measurement system. Due to recent developments in gas sensing instrumentation, it is possible to replace many of the existing detectors with instruments that will incorporate more than one sensor at a time. This report is a continuation of an evaluation of portable instruments for use in submarines as air monitors. This is the third phase of a three-phase program concerned with investigating potential detection methods to replace the Drager tubes. Phase III evaluated sensors for nitrogen dioxide, ammonia, sulfur dioxide, chlorine, hydrogen, and ozone. The chlorine and ozone sensors did not have sufficient sensitivity to detect the Navy 90-day limits. All of the manufacturers have ammonia sensors that can detect the 90-day limit. The Drager ammonia was the best overall. The Omni nitrogen dioxide sensor was best overall for that test gas. The hydrogen sensors performed well. The sulfur dioxide sensor is not satisfactory.

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Oct 20, 2004
Accession Number
ADA427871

Entities

People

  • Julianne M. Werner
  • Mark H. Hammond
  • Susan L. Rose-Pehrsson
  • Thomas W. Evans

Organizations

  • United States Naval Research Laboratory

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Sensors

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Accuracy
  • Atmospheres
  • Carbon Monoxide
  • Carbon Monoxide Indicators
  • Chemistry
  • Chlorine
  • Detection
  • Detectors
  • Dielectric Gases
  • Gases
  • Hydrogen Sensors
  • Measurement
  • Navy
  • Nitrogen Compounds
  • Nitrogen Oxides
  • Test And Evaluation
  • Warning Systems

Fields of Study

  • Environmental science

Readers

  • Aerospace Test and Evaluation
  • Environmental Engineering.
  • Pulsed Power and Plasma Physics.