Designing, manufacturing and mounting the steel conduit
A steel conduit is used to protect the transducer cable. The conduit serves two purposes. It will protect the cable, and shield it from electric noise. Depending on how the steel conduit is terminated over the transducer, it may also secure the watertight integrity of the vessel.
Prerequisites
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To design, manufacture and mount the steel conduit, the following prerequisites must be met:
•  All relevant vessel and transducer drawings must be available.
•  All relevant work instructions, procedures and standards must be available.
•  The physical location of the transducer has been determined.
•  The installation method has been determined.
•  The cable gland has been installed.
•  All relevant personnel (naval architects, designers, skilled shipyard workers) and tools must be available.
Illustration:
A Service access (optional)
B To transceiver
C Steel conduit
D Bushing penetrates the hull plating
E Washer
F Rubber gasket
G Packing nipple
H Cable service loop over the transducer
Context
The installation shipyard must provide all necessary design and installation drawings, as well as the relevant work standards and mounting procedures. If required, all documents provided by the shipyard for the physical installation of the ES18 must be approved by the vessel’s national registry and corresponding maritime authority and/or classification society. Such approval must be obtained before the installation can begin. The shipowner and shipyard doing the installation are responsible for obtaining and paying for such approval.
Important
Finalize the steel conduit installation before you pull the transducer cable through it. Make sure that there are no spatter, sharp edges or protruding objects that can damage the transducer cables. If a cable is damaged, and penetrated by water, the transducer may be damaged beyond repair.
The outline dimensions of the ES18 transducer and the relevant installation items can be found in the Drawing file chapter in this manual. End user manuals and source drawings (normally in AutoCad format) can be downloaded from our website.
Procedure
1 Based on the vessel drawings, the physical properties of the decks and bulkheads, and the physical locations of the transceiver and the transducer, design the steel conduit.
The steel conduit must preferably be straight. Start the conduit immediately above the transducer, and terminate it well above the water line. If you must introduce bends on the steel conduit, take the minimum cable bending radius into consideration.
2 Manufacture the steel conduit according to the relevant production standards.
3 Mount the steel conduit.
Secure the steel conduit to decks and/or bulkheads with welds. Observe relevant requirements and guidelines from the classification society, and make sure that the conduit is properly supported, strong and watertight.
Note
The quality of the welding is critical to the safety of the vessel. Welding must only be done by a certified welder.
4 If relevant, allow the maritime authority and/or classification society to inspect and approve the design and the installation of the steel conduit.