We have a range of sonar systems and we believe that many of our systems represent the most technologically advanced systems in today's market. Our team members have extensive experience in the installation and operation of all systems.
iXblue currently owns and operates seven shallow water MBES systems. These systems can be configured in either single head or dual head mode.
Kongsberg EM2040C
Konsberg 2040c
The Kongsberg EM2040C represents the latest in shallow water MBES technology. This MBES is a multi frequency system with selectable frequencies between 200 - 400 kHz. This allows us to maximise resolution for shallow water surveying whilst having the flexibility to operate in depths exceeding 300m.
Key Features
- High resolution (400kHz)
- Wide frequency range (200 kHz – 400 kHz)
- Short pulse length, large bandwidth
- 0 – >300m depth range
- FM chirp
- Complete roll and pitch stabilization
- Near field focusing on both transmit and receive beams
- Dual head option
Further Information can be found at www.kongsberg.com.
iXblue Shadows
Sonar imagery (created from acoustics) provides a true view of the seabed and is extremely useful for detecting and inspecting features such as wrecks, fish traps, pipelines, submarine cables and UXO and UXBs (unexploded ordnance and bombs). Another popular use of sonar imagery is characterisation of sea floor environments, including sands, rocks, gravels, dunes, scares, protected biotopes etc.…
iXblue deploys a range of advanced technologies to provide sonar imagery, including:
- conventional side scan sonar such as Klein 3000 or Klein 3900,
- synthetic aperture sonar such as iXBlue SHADOWS
- multibeam backscattered data.
iXblue SHADOWS, Synthetic Aperture Sonar
SHADOWS is based on SAS technology, an innovative image-building technique relying on two main principles of using the forward motion of the physical array to build a synthetic (virtual) array, single-target multi-pings correlation, rather than on single-ping beam focus (traditional SSS).
SAS technology implementation uses an embedded INS to provide accurate micro-navigation information. By pinpointing the exact fish position and attitude variation between two pings, SHADOWS is able to build an image featuring a high and constant resolution over a long range.
Ultimately, SAS technology allows suppressing low-resolution zones encountered with traditional SSS, and this is a key point to significantly expand survey productivity (seabed coverage rate).
iXblue Echoes 3,500
iXblue echoes 3500
iXblue ECHOES 3500 sub-bottom profiler is a full ocean depth solution for oceanographic and hydrographic vessels. Based on a highly reliable and powerful 3-transducer (ECHOES 3500 T3) or 7-transducer (ECHOES 3500 T7) array, and low frequency wide band chirp technology, and provided with DELPH SEISMIC acquisition software, it becomes a full-feature survey tool with impressive high-resolution deep sub-bottom profiling. It operates in the 1.7 – 5.5 kHz frequency range and has a design resolution of 20cm.
iXblue Echoes 10,000
iXblue Echoes 10000
iXblue ECHOES 10,000 is an ultra high-resolution sub-bottom profiler (SBP), with a design resolution of 8cm and is ideal for shallow water environments. It incorporates iXblue flat spectrum Tonpilz ceramic transducers allowing unrivalled data delivery. Together with DELPH seismic acquisition, it is a full-feature survey tool with DELPH interpretation high-productivity software, enabling a mission to be achieved successfully and effortlessly.
The magnetometry is used to characterise ferrous objects and particular geological features with specific magnetic anomalies. The detection applies for obstructions located on the seabed surface as well as for buried objects and features that remain undetectable using conventional acoustic sonar.
Using such technology and associated specific processing, iXblue has become a specialist of UXO/UXB (unexploded ordnance and bomb) detection, localisation and discrimination.
Geometrics G882
Operating Principle: Self-oscillating split-beam Cesium Vapor (non-radioactive)
Operating Range: 20,000 to 100,000 nT
CM-221 Counter Sensitivity: <0.004 nT/ pHz rms. Typically 0.02 nT P-P at a 0.1 second sample rate or 0.002 nT at 1 second sample rate. Up to 40 samples per second
Heading Error: <1 nT over entire 360o spin and tumble
Absolute Accuracy: <3 nT throughout range.