WATERJET TECHNOLOGY HELPS BP CAP GULF OIL LEAK
Two waterjet OEMs teamed up to develop an ultra-high pressure system to blast away hydrate ice crystals that had formed inside a containment cap at the spill site, clogging the containment system in water depths exceeding 5,000 ft.
Posted: July 23, 2010
Water jet technology companies Jet Edge, Inc. (St. Michael, MN) and Chukar Waterjet, Inc. (St. Michael, MN) recently 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. As a result, Jet Edge developed the first-known waterjet system capable of operating in water depths in excess of 5,000 ft, 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.
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