Water
jet technology from Jet Edge Inc. and Chukar Waterjet
Inc. played a key role in helping BP stop the oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico.
The companies provided ultra-high-pressure waterjet equipment and application
expertise to blast away hydrate ice crystals that had formed inside a
containment cap at the spill site, clogging the containment system.
Jet Edge custom engineered a 36,000
psi waterjet intensifier pump that was dropped 5,000 feet into the Gulf to
power a robot-operated, waterjetting lance that blasted away the hydrates. To
ensure the hydrate remediation project's success, Jet Edge utilized advanced
filtration and ultra-high-pressure seal technology capable of withstanding the
harsh undersea environment. The system was designed to blast with sea water or
liquid gas.
Continental Hydraulics, in partnership with Jet Edge and
Chukar Waterjet, modified its valve used in the system to help retrofit the
system. The company's DO8 valve is used to operate Jet Edge's waterjet pump
enabling the jet stream to blast away the hydrate crystals.
Kivisto provided onsite application and
engineering services throughout the project, recently returning from several
weeks aboard a boat just 50 yards away from the Discoverer Enterprise. He says
the solution appears to be working and will continually be monitored.
"This application required additional
modifications to the standard valve to prevent the ingress of sea water," says
Jeff Brandt, general manager for Continental Hydraulics. "Internally, there were
places on the valve that required different sealing properties at that sea
depth (2,300 psi) to make sure we didn't get any water inside the valve and the
hydraulic system."
From the valve point of view, the core tube
that provided override pins on the solenoid had to be modified to eliminate the
override pins. Engineers decided the pins could potentially cause the valve not
to shift properly, or allow water to leak internally into the valve. Continental
Hydraulics worked with its vendor, and they quickly responded to provide a
product to retrofit the valve by eliminating the machining for the manual
override pin. The pins are normally used to actuate the valve manually by
pushing in the pin with a welding rod or screwdriver. It was a simple
conversion but it had to be done quickly.
Jet Edge's custom-engineered waterjet
intensifier pump was dropped into the sea to power a robot-operated
waterjetting lance that eliminated the hydrates. Kivisto says this equipment is
the first-known waterjet system capable of operating in water depths in excess
of 5,000 feet, opening a new frontier for waterjet technology.
Chukar Waterjet provided onsite applications
engineering services throughout the project, working with a subsea technology
company, an offshore logistics and supply company, an offshore transportation
company, BP and an independent safety group to ensure successful completion of
the project.
Click
here for more information and a
video about the application.
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