Optimized Structural Components Assembly Manager (OSCAM), Phase II

The U.S. Navy uses fill fluids in their sonar towed arrays to provide high quality sonar performance, proper buoyancy, and corrosion protection for the sonar electronics. The currently used fluid, ISOPAR L, poses two environmental hazards, the first tohumans during the filling operation and the second to the marine environment in cases of accidental leakage. In the Phase I program, Foster-Miller focused on using computer modeling to identify a substitute fluid. This work will be refined in the PhaseII program. In addition, the Phase II program will develop two technological approaches to reducing the environmental impact of the fill fluid on the ocean based on triggers and self-remediation. In Phase III, a joint Foster-Miller/Navy effort will testand qualify the fill fluid system for deployment. (p00620)