Resolve Optics reports on how its non-browning lenses are helping a specialist camera manufacturer to supply a turnkey solution for monitoring remote operations in high radiation environments.
For the high radiation environments experienced in Nuclear Power stations, Nuclear fuel recycling plant and high energy physics facilities, conventional TV cameras and lenses have a very short life due to radiation damage. Cameras and lenses specifically designed for such environments can operate for 10,000 times longer.
Tony Moon of Custom Cameras Ltd (Wells, UK) said “Our radiation resistant cameras are used in a growing number applications within the Nuclear power industry and large scale physics facilities. In designing cameras for these applicactions, we have to consider the tolerance to radiation of all components as well as the overall design. A key component of this radiation resistant camera system is the lens. We choose to use fixed focus and zoom non-browning lenses from Resolve Optics because of their in-depth knowledge of the requirements of optics used in a nuclear environment, willingness and ability to adapt designs to suit customer requirements, excellent technical support and competitive pricing”.
Drawing upon nearly 30 years experience – Resolve Optics has built a strong reputation for specialist lens design and manufacture of smaller production quantities of radiation resistant lenses and optical products on time to strict quality and target price guidelines. All optical elements within Resolve Optics non-browning lens designs are made using cerium oxide doped glass or synthetic silica enabling them to withstand radiation doses of up to 100,000,000 rads and temperatures up to 55°C without discolouration or degradation of performance. All Resolve Optics radiation resistant lenses provide high image resolution and minimum geometric distortion from 400 to 750nm.
For further information on non-browning lenses being used in environments subject to radiation please visit www.resolveoptics.com/radiation-resistant-lenses-3/ or contact Resolve Optics Ltd. on +44-1494-777100 or [email protected]
For further information on specialist camera systems for operating in hostile environments please visit www.customcameras.co.uk or contact Custom Cameras Ltd on +44-1749-870066.
Radiation Hard Lenses for Satellite UHD Video Cameras
Resolve Optics has supplied video streaming specialists – Sen (Didcot, UK) with radiation hard lenses for their satellite-based Ultra-High Definition (UHD) video cameras.
Sen launched its first set of UHD video cameras into space in 2019 and successfully demonstrated the excellent performance of its video streaming platform. The next step in Sen’s plan is to launch its own satellite constellation so that it has full control over its live data stream.
To make technology work in space is not straight forward, with both mechanical and environmental challenges, such as extreme temperature changes and radiation that can damage electronics and hardware. Space is also very mass sensitive because each gram costs money to launch. As a consequence, Sen decided they needed a specialist provider who could custom design and manufacture cameras to meet both the unique constraints of spaceflight hardware and the environmental challenges of operating in space for several years. Commercially available camera lenses were not suitable for this application because the glass would increasingly suffer from radiation ‘browning’ – meaning that image quality would gradually deteriorate over the life of the satellite.
Sen approached Resolve Optics to assist with this project because of its expertise in custom designing low mass, high performance lenses using radiation resistant glass that could meet the harsh demands of the space environment.
Charles Black of Sen commented “It has been great working with Resolve Optics, who took our requirements in terms of optical performance, mass and mounting points and designed lenses that addressed both the mechanical and environmental challenges of our spaceborne application. After the first satellite has launched in 2021 – Sen will be sharing videos of Earth using Resolve’s lenses and we can’t wait to share them. After that, we plan to launch many more satellites and we are confident Resolve will continue to meet our requirements and high standards”.
Drawing upon nearly 30 years experience – Resolve Optics has built a strong reputation for specialist lens design and manufacture of production quantities of radiation-hard (non-browning) lenses and optical products on time to strict quality and target price guidelines.
For further information on radiation hard lenses for spaceborne applications please visit https://www.resolveoptics.com/radiation-resistant-lenses-3/ or contact Resolve Optics Ltd. on +44-1494-777100 / [email protected]. To watch a Sen 4K UHD video of Earth from space: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVn6ANxuJrc
