UltrasonicsNPL's ultrasonics expertise covers calibration, research, knowledge transfer, and products and services.
NPL's ultrasonics expertise includes:
- Provision of premier calibration and testing services for the area of ultrasonic metrology, providing traceability to both the industrial and hospital community
- Undertaking of leading-edge metrological research and, through it, to develop, validate and exploit novel instrumentation to meet the requirements of the UK user community
- Dissemination of the research through a variety of means: peer-reviewed publications; exposure of key results on the internet; and contributing to, and influencing, the development of international specification standards to the benefit of the UK
- Promotion of the benefits and impact of the metrological take-up by the user community, through the coordination of targeted Knowledge Transfer events, including workshops addressing issues of measurement at the user level
- In the area of acoustic emission, expertise includes development of a robust traceable source for in-situ calibration, sensor calibration and characterisation, and modelling of acoustic emission systems
- NPL offers guidance on acoustic emission measurements and calibration, and carries out measurements for customers on a consultancy basis.
- Technical Guides on Ultrasonics and Underwater Acoustics.
- There is a clear need to develop reliable methods for quantifying cavitation occurring in flow systems, which should lead to extensive energy savings through better pump selection, installation and operation.
- Technical guide on the use and selection of acoustic emission sensor couplants.
- Leading-edge research investigating development of techniques for determining acoustic cavitation in industrial high power ultrasonic fields.
- Determining the acoustic output of medical devices is essential for manufacturers to demonstrate standards compliance, but is also important in prototype evaluation and type testing.
- NPL provides services for hospitals and industry, through the calibration of radiation force balances for determining ultrasonic output power, and the measurement of ultrasonic power itself, produced by customer systems ranging from prototype transducers to reference sources.
- The NMS primary standard for hydrophone calibration, the laser interferometer, will continue to be provided, alongside measurement facilities used to disseminate hydrophone calibration services to the user community.
Ultrasound products and services
- Measuring the attenuation and speed of sound in liquids and solids
- Calibrations of the free-field sensitivity of miniature hydrophones of the type used to characterise medical ultrasonic fields.
- Details of ultrasound products available from NPL and our chosen partners.
- Bespoke measurement and consultancy services for HIFU and other therapeutic ultrasound applications.
- Measurements of the acoustic output of medical ultrasonic devices.
- NPL supplies two different types of thermal test objects.
- NPL make two types of soft tissue mimicking materials, agar-based and gelatine-based.
- Training in output measurements for medical ultrasound equipment, both therapeutic and diagnostic.
- Details of expertise and consultancy in ultrasound available from NPL.
- NPL offers training in output measurements for medical ultrasound equipment, and has a Ultrasound Measurement Club to promote information exchange.
- Details and listings of NPL's comprehensive range of ultrasound calibration, measurement and consultancy services.
- Ultrasound transducers and reference sources such as those produced by NIST and Precision Acoustics may be calibrated according to IEC61161.
Ultrasound case studies
- A novel ultrasound processor is being developed to kill bacteria in water.
- Innovative measurement techniques may speed up availability of new cancer treatment – HIFU.
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