Deepwater subsea water jet technology manufacturer Chukar Waterjet, USA, is exhibiting at Oceans 13, scheduled from 10 to 13 June 2013 at the Grieghallen in Bergen, Norway. Chukar Waterjet manufactures underwater ultra-high pressure water jet cutting and blasting equipment capable of operating at depths in excess of 3,000 metres, and effective at cutting steel up to 250mm thick or waterjet blasting at pressures up to 3,800 bar.

The subsea water jet equipment has numerous applications for deepwater emergency response operations, salvage operations, and rapid de-mobilisation operations. It can be used to blast away coatings and marine growth to inspect welds, or as a cutting tool in emergency response and salvage operations. Waterjetting equipment also may be used to provide turbulence in a stream of methanol for hydrate remediation, an application Chukar developed in emergency response to the Gulf oil spill, when the company was asked to rapidly manufacture a system to clear a clogged containment system 1,500 metres underwater.

Waterjet technology has numerous advantages over conventional subsea cutting and cleaning tools. Unlike conventional tools, the tools used in a waterjet system cannot bind in the cut, jeopardising asset integrity. Waterjet cutting also reduces the hazard of igniting trapped pockets of gas during cutting.

(Spill-international, Edited by Topco)