Engineers at Naval Ship Systems Engineering Station, Naval Surface Warfare Center Carderock Division (NAVSSES) recently completed the installation of the first Central Atmosphere Monitoring System (CAMS) IIA on an in service submarine, USS Pasadena (SSN 752).
The system ensures the cleansed air used in the submarine while submerged remains safe for the crew to breathe.
“The CAMS IIA is a more capable atmosphere analyzer that provides improved monitoring, is cheaper to produce and maintain and is easier for Sailors to operate,” said NAVSSES Mechanical Engineer Matthew Smith, the alteration installation lead for CAMS IIA with Life Support Compressed Air Systems Branch at NAVSSES.
The CAMS IIA is a centrally located unit from which sample tubes run to selected spaces in all compartments of the submarine. The tubes carry atmosphere samples to the CAMS IIA where analysis for life gasses and trace contaminants takes place. This new monitor, manufactured by United Technologies Aerospace Systems (UTAS), replaces the CAMS MkI that were developed in the 1970s and the CAMS MkII from the 1990s.
According to Josh Manney, chemical engineer with Life Support and Compressed Air Systems Branch at NAVSSES, the CAMS IIA uses digital interfaces and automatic sequencing to reduce the need for operator intervention.
“It will be much easier for the Sailor to operate and monitor,” said Manney. “The CAMS IIA is more reliable and allows for much easier modifying of the atmospheric constituents being monitored than previous versions.”
According to Smith, within the next few years all Los Angeles class submarines will receive the CAMS IIA. Installation takes approximately three days and can be done pierside. In addition, all Block III and future Virginia class submarines will receive the new analyzer.
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