I develop submersible electronic instruments. They need to be tested
in pressurized water to prove they don't leak. Currently, I have a
home made device that can test small diameter devices up to 1000 psi.
I need a larger water-filled chamber that can be pressurized up to
10,000 psi. I want to buy one off-the-shelf, or custom made by 3rd
party at reasonable price.
The interior should be a minimum of 8" diameter x 20" high. Larger is
fine, but not ridiculously so. (I don't want storage tank from an oil
refinery, for example.)
Manual pump up and down with a pressure gauge is fine. Fancier
controls are OK, but not at great additional expense.
$10.00 will be paid for two viable recommendations, and another $15.00
paid if we purchase from a recommended source. |
Clarification of Question by
leonardjk-ga
on
20 Jan 2006 08:28 PST
Deepseep,
This information looks great so far. We haven't yet investigated
constructing our own chamber (which we definitely do NOT want to do
for obvious reasons), so I don't have a budget in mind yet. I am
hoping to get a couple quotes, recover from the shock, and then define
the appropriate path for us.
FYI: The deap sea scuba tank tester chamber looks great, but all of
the bells and whistles that allow you to measure expansion are
unnecessary for us. Our instruments are typically air sealed, and as
you can imagine there is a rather dramtic change in water pressure if
one of the seals fails at high pressure.
All we need to do is pump up, hold, pump down, and manually read a
pressure gauge throughout. Anything else is, at best, nice-to-have.
Thanks for your input so far. I'll wait a few days to see if you can
get that quote, and any luck you might have on the used front would be
great, but even without that I will be happy to consider the question
"answered."
Leonard
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Request for Question Clarification by
deepseep-ga
on
20 Jan 2006 11:32 PST
hello again,
Ah yes, sticker shock. I've been there.
I received a quote from Deep Six. Their hydrostatic cylinder test
station is $9875. This is actually a lot lower than I thought it
would be. Also, because these are probably produced one at a time, I
bet you could ge them to knock off $$ of the price if they did not
include all the bells and whistles.
I also have it from a reliable source that the deep submergence
facility in Port Hueneme, California may be getting rid of some
hydrostatic test chambers. Their chambers are made from...guess
what....battleship shells. Benthos Inc (in Falmouth, MA) once
published a blurb on how they converted a 16" battleship projectile
into a pressure vessel. There are also references for
do-it-your-selfers. I may have a copy of this sitting around that I
can FAX to you if you have a FAX #.
I used to be employed byt the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute
(MBARI). They have a hydrostatic test facility that uses a projectile
that was modified by the navy at China Lake many decades ago. Because
it has an unknown fatigue history, they limit it to 10,000 psi.
Incidentally, this is a low number for a pressure vessel that doesn't
start
yielding until pressurized to 50,000 psi. Note that these 2 ton
projectiles were travelling at MACH 3 when they left the ship, then
landed some 23 miles away.
OK, back to the point. I think your best bet is to buy the Deep Six
unit, or to contact the Port Hueneme facility for a used surplus model
(this is the best way to buy something used...i.e. from someone how
knows what they are doing). Their contact info can be found on the
following webpage:
http://www.nfesc.navy.mil/ocean/esc50/testfac/dosf.htm
Let me know if you'd like a FAX of that document on how to
do-it-yourself (I gather this may not be your first choice however).
deepsea-ga
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Request for Question Clarification by
deepseep-ga
on
21 Jan 2006 06:47 PST
Hello Leonardjk-ga,
Did this info help? Let me know what else I can do.
|
Clarification of Question by
leonardjk-ga
on
23 Jan 2006 09:48 PST
DeepSee,
Your answer is excellent and most acceptable. I am pleasantly
surprised by the quote from Deep Six. No need for a fax on how to make
a chamber from a projectile. If we take leave of our senses and decide
to go that route, we have current contacts at MBARI who would probably
be happy to share. I believe we have even used their chamber in the
past.
Leonard
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