Special to Pipeline & Gas Journal
Subsea technology specialist Decom Engineering has deployed a groundbreaking ultra-light chop saw to handle the demanding task of cutting flexible risers and mooring chains under tension, riser turret moorings and deepwater tensioned moorings.
Following extensive testing and trials, the C1-16UL has been used on international offshore projects, leading the company to invest in three additional units which are currently engaged in chain cutting and flexible riser cutting operations.
Equipped with tungsten carbide-tipped blade, the C1-16UL has performed up to 100 cuts depending on application, with blade changes completed in just five minutes. The C1-16UL weighs about 595 pounds (270 kg) in air but just 66 pounds (30 kg) in seawater, which improves manageability with ROVs.
The saw incorporates a subsea-grade aluminium frame, replacing traditional steel construction and a high-torque direct-drive hydraulic motor, eliminating the need for a gearbox without sacrificing performance.
The C1-16UL employs a single-clamp system that provides equivalent stability while reducing weight and complexity.
Nick McNally added, “The C1-16UL has been designed to accommodate multiple deployment methodologies,” said Nick McNally, engineering specialist at Decom, “The tool can be deployed in a subsea basket, via our own purpose-built deployment frame, or attached directly to the front of an ROV – a configuration successfully implemented on a recent project in Brazil.
The saw addresses critical limitations in existing subsea cutting technology, where weight and size constraints made traditional tools less suited for deployment in confined subsea environments or attached to an ROV. P&GJ