12 January 2017

Piezo products in underwater applications

Sonar-based underwater applications all rely on ultrasonic piezo transducers to generate a sound wave or pulses of sound. This is used to navigate, communicate with or detect objects on or under the surface of the water, such as fish or other vessels. Below you can find three examples of different types of underwater applications using piezo.

Piezo elements or plug-and-play products for sonar systems
Noliac is a long-time supplier of different piezo products for underwater applications. Cedric Goueffon, Global Sales Manager at Noliac A/S, explains:

- Noliac has the know-how and production capabilities to supply the total range of piezo products for the sonar market. Some customers want custom designed piezo components that they implement in their application themselves. Other customers want us to design, develop and manufacture a finished plug-and-play transducer. We have extensive experiences with piezo technology, and we provide our technical services to help you get the right solution for your application.

Fishfinders
Piezos are used in fishfinders, which display a signal when there is an object (fish, wreck, vegetation, sudden change in water temperature etc.) in the search area. Fishfinders are usually constructed with piezo components of varying shapes and sizes depending on the specific application. For relatively simple sonars like fishfinders, you would normally use a hard type of piezoceramic material, which provides high power density and high sensitivity.

Example:
The transducer in a fishfinder could for instance be fitted with a piezo disc with an outer diameter of 70 mm with a thickness of 10 mm using Noliac’s hard doped piezoceramic material NCE81.

Underwater communication
Underwater communication benefits from the acoustic waves radiating from the sonar. Acoustic waves are the best solution for underwater communication as a mean to send and receive data underwater. Applications for underwater communication are normally fitted with piezo components, which can be all shapes and sizes depending on the application. If the application is low-power, you would use a soft doped piezoceramic material.

Example:
The transducer used in underwater communication could for instance be fitted with a piezo plate with a length of 100 mm and width of 50 mm with a thickness of 20 mm using Noliac’s soft doped piezoceramic material NCE51.

Underwater imaging
Underwater imaging uses sonars directed towards the bottom and other imaging principles. Underwater imaging is the most complex type of sonar, where the returning echoes of the sound waves are displayed in detailed 2D or 3D mapping. For smart sonars working with high resolution, respectively with aperture synthesis, you would normally use soft piezoelectric materials, which provide higher resolution.

Example:
The transducer in underwater imaging could for instance be fitted with a piezo plate with an length of 10 mm and width of 5 mm with a thickness of 10 mm using the soft doped piezoceramic material NCE51.

Meet us at Oceanology International North America
Noliac is exhibiting at Oceanology International in San Diego February 14-16, 2017. You can book a meeting with us beforehand or meet us at stand E33.

Contact us for more information
If you want to know more about our piezo components or ultrasonic transducers for underwater applications, please contact us using our Request for Quote form or contact sales.

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