John Chubb Instrumentation, Unit 30, Lansdown Industrial Estate, Gloucester Road, Cheltenham, GL51 8PL
(Tel: +44 (0)1242 573347 Fax: +44 (0)1242 251388 email: jchubb@jci.co.uk)
John Chubb set up John Chubb Instrumentyation (JCI) in September 1983 after 10 years of commercial contract research work with the UK Atomic Energy Authority Culham Laboratory, 2 years as Manager Advanced Technical Planning with Linotype Paul and 2 1/2 years, up to 1983, as Managing Director of a small industrial company, IDB, at the University College of North Wales.
The commercial contract research work at Culham Laboratory was concerned with three main areas of activity: 1) laboratory and shipboard studies of electrostatic ignition hazards during tank washing on large crude oil tankers, 2) development of a novel monitor for airborne asbestos fibres 3) large area computer typesetting. From 1962 to 1968 John Chubb was involved with research at Culham Laboratory into high speed condensation pumping of hydrogen onto liquid helium cooled surfaces and with Monte Carlo computer modelling of free molecular gas flow. After a degree in Physics at Birmingham University (1954) and a PhD on behaviour of particles during electrostatic precipitation (1958) John Chubb did a graduate apprenticeship at English Electric at Stafford and then lead development of high power vacuum interrupters at English Electric until moving to UKAEA Culham Laboratory in 1962.
The business of John Chubb Instrumentation is electrostatic measurements This incudes the development, manufacture and marketing of instruments and test and consultancy work for customers.
Particular contributions over the years have been:
- studies of the variations of sticking coefficients and vapour pressure of hydrogen condensed on liquid helium cooled surfaces.
- Monte Carlo modelling of free molecular gas flow in complex vacuum systems. This provided a more appropriate way to examine and design vacuum systems involving high performance pumping based on condensation and getter pumping.
- concept and demonstration of novel monitor for respirable size airborne fibres. At prototype level the approach demonstrated the ability to identify and size classify fine airborne fibres with reasonable immunity to other types of airborne particles.
- development of electrostatic 'field mill' fieldmeters which do not require earthing of the rotating chopper. This provides the basis for fieldmeters suitable for long term continuous monitoring applications (for example monitoring atmospheric electric fields) and for fieldmeters with fast response times.
- development of instrumentation for charge decay measurement. This provides a sound basis for assessing the suitability of materials for avoiding risks and problems from static electricity - and for its constructive use.
- demonstration of comparable charge decay performance between corona and tribo charging. This has shown that tyhe corona charge decay instrumentation that has been developed provides information that matches practical experience.
- concept of 'capacitance loading' as an additional way to assess the electrostatic suitability of materials for avoiding the occurrence of high surface potentails from static charge retained on materials.
John Chubb Instrumentation,
Unit 30, Lansdown Industrial Estate, Gloucester Road, Cheltenham, GL51 8PL, UK
Tel:+44 (0)1242 573347 Fax: +44 (0)1242 251388
email: jchubb@jci.co.uk
© John Chubb Instrumentation.