Bibloc, a Schlumberger reliable 1E qualified pressure transmitter

Some of the pressure transmitters implemented inside a nuclear reactor containment must continue to operate during and after an hypothetic Loss Of Coolant Accident: there are K1-equipment. The expected temperature and absolute pressure inside the containment would be 1560C and 0.56 MPa and the total gamma irradiation dose is 850 kGray at 700C. What would normally occurred under such conditions, on ordinary pressure transmitters, would be the following: - a very high output signal shift, resulting from the thermal shock on the electronic converter; - electronic component failures, due to the irradiation damages on the converter, - mechanical damages on the measuring cell. In order to cope with all these drawbacks, the french manufacturer SCHLUMBERGER-INDUSTRIES (S.I) developed in the early eighties a twin -block pressure transmitter with a remote electronic converter implemented outside the reactor containment. So, only the sensor with its measuring cell has to be qualified for harsh environment conditions while the electronic converter has to be qualified for mild environment conditions only