The
JetNET team began its work on
development of a Sub-Sea Cutting
(SSC) System in 1998.
The
decision to research and develop a new system
was taken after evaluation of the existing Abrasion
Suspension Jet (ASJ) systems used in underwater
cutting.
The
ASJ has been with the Oil & Gas industry since
the early 1980's. It did not, however, secure
a significant market penetration due to its operating
cost, unreliability, limitation in operating depths,
operating complexity and some safety concerns.
Attempts
to improve the ASJ performance by using Air Shrouds
and polymers have only marginally advanced its
performance, but significantly increased its cost,
complexity and "footprint" on deck..
The
new SSC system has eliminated
most of the problems encountered by ASJ.
The
major breakthrough in the SSC
system is its capacity to deliver an Ultra High
Pressure (UHP) jet to depths of over 500m. This
effectively doubles the power of existing jets
and reduces the cutting time to one-third.
The
SSC system halves operating cost,
reduces to at least one third the usage of water
& abrasives, reduces "footprint",
is easier to operate and safer for personnel.
The
SSC system has already been successfully
tested on a campaign to remove 4-string wellheads
in 85m of water, on the North-West Shelf of Western
Australia. The cutting rate was 3.5 hrs for a
360 degree cut.
In
parallel with the SSC system,
the Jet-NET team has also developed
a Remote Cut Monitoring (RCM)
system.
The
RCM is a "real time"
monitoring system which enables the operator to
determine quality of the cut and take appropriate
action.
The
systems is based on measuring jet energy delivered
to the material being cut.
The
system also analyses and records all operating
parameters and triggers alarms
The
RCM system was submitted to the
prestigous National Instruments Conference
in Austin, Texas, August 2002. It won first place
out of 200 entries in the Best Application
category.
