Bestech Australia presents a comprehensive range of linear position
sensors specifically designed to survive and perform reliably in underwater
applications for at least 20 years.
Many sensors are known to fail over time in high pressure (7,500 psi)
deep sea (15,000ft) conditions, requiring them to be replaced at high expense,
with the service cost for maintenance often much higher than the sensor itself.
Sensor metals when exposed to salt water at varied water depths get corroded,
with the corrosion accelerated by different levels of oxygen, temperature, pH
values, chlorine content, biological activity, electrical conductivity and
velocity flow rates. Damage caused by corrosion leads to sensor failure.
An LVDT is an electromechanical sensor that converts the rectilinear
motion of an object onto which it is mechanically coupled, into a corresponding
electrical signal. Available in a variety of measurement ranges, an LVDT linear
position sensor can measure movements as small as a few millionths of an inch
to up to ±20 inches.
Being impervious to water and chemicals, hermetically sealed LVDT
sensors are recommended for applications involving exposure to corrosive or
pressurised media that can shorten sensor life or reliability.
Bestech’s LVDT linear position sensors are widely used for condition
monitoring systems as part of control and safety functions for applications in
offshore platforms, desalination systems, mooring cables, seafloor wellheads,
and oil and gas gathering systems.
LVDT linear position sensors offer a high level of accuracy and provide
the best option for long-term operation, which is required by structural
movement monitoring for long term FEA (Finite Element Analysis) of pipelines,
derricks, moorings, choke valves, extensometers and other critical high stress
members on offshore oil platforms.
Also used in subsea towers to monitor extension
of safety cables, LVDTs provide critical information in the event of severe
weather or earthquake, leading to the evacuation of the drilling platform and
closing of the oil well. Subsea LVDTs have become a more popular alternative to
less reliable linear position technologies such as pots and magneto-restrictive
sensors due to their high accuracy performance and enhanced chemical resistance
to saltwater.