Requirements for insulation, heating and ventilation
The bulkheads in the sonar room must be insulated and provided with an interior wall to the deck. The room must be equipped with heater, and it must be connected to the vessel's ventilation system.
Insulation requirements
The insulation in the sonar room should be the minimum equivalent of 50 mm of rock-wool. Piping passing through the space prone to condensation must be properly insulated.
Heating requirements
Heating is an effective method for reducing humidity. The heater in the sonar room must be dimensioned to maintain the equipment within its environmental tolerances. Typical heating power is minimum 1000 W. The heater must be installed close to the deck.
Ventilation requirements
The sonar room must be connected to the vessel's ventilation system to ensure a supply of cooling air. If a ventilation system is not available, install two 3” pipes from the sonar room to a suitable fresh air location on deck.
The fresh air should enter the room as close to the floor as possible, and should be extracted from as high as possible. A funnel shaped drip-collector must be mounted below the vent pipes to divert moisture to the bilge. On the main deck, the best ventilation is provided when the outlet pipe is at least four meters higher than the inlet pipe. To keep out sea water, rain and spray, the ventilation pipes must be fitted with goosenecks or an equivalent design.
Note
If the vessel is likely to operate in tropical conditions, a suitable air conditioning system must be installed. The air conditioning system must be able to provide an ambient temperature that does not exceed the maximum operating temperatures of the system units that are installed in the room.