|
||
|
           |
AWE have the technical, and applications expertise to provide you with the most productive and cost effective solution to your waterblasting problem. Whether it's an existing difficult application, or an entirely new job, we can help with the best equipment and knowledge available in the region, and we have provided innovative solutions for contractors and clients from Istanbul to Singapore, enabling them to dramatically improve production rates, conclude jobs faster, and achieve higher profits. SURFACE PREPARATION 1 - When Dubai Drydocks needed a solution to slow production rates when using rotary guns for hydroblasting ships decks, we knew an efficient deck blasting tool was the answer, and since there were none available on the world market that had all the features we considered essential to achieve the most efficient results, we designed and built our own.
With accurate control over all the important parameters, our deck blaster can achieve production rates of 35 to 80 M2 per hour depending on required standard of surface preparation, and available area, when used with a JETSTREAM 260 HP 40,000 PSI PUMP. The unit is reliable, built to last, and very productive. Both pumps and deck blasters are available on a rental basis from HYDROFLOW RENTALS. With high production rates, consistent high quality finish, significantly reduced labour requirements, and lower costs due to reduced equipment requirement, (one 260 HP pump and deckblaster can achieve the same production rates as up to 8 hand held guns) our clients can offer ship owners faster turnaround times, top quality, lower costs, and make higher margins themselves.
2 - When Metel A.S. of Istanbul were awarded a contract to hydroblast and recoat 44,000 M2 on the underside of the Bosphorous bridge in Istanbul, they needed a productive, reliable set of equipment to enable completion within a tough schedule, and a supplier that could support them with training, sound advice, and backup throughout the job since they had no previous experience of hydroblasting. They contacted us via the JETSTREAM website, and we invited Mr. Bilgin Koksal, general manager, to visit Dubai, where we showed them our deck blaster in action.
He was impressed with the production rates, and following further discussions we agreed to build a special "under bridge blaster" tool for them. They also purchased a JETSTREAM 260 HP pump unit to run it, and a three gun set for areas inaccessible with the UBB. The only available access to the underside of the bridge was the inspection/maintenance gantry, which can travel from end to end of the main deck.
Following a site visit we designed and built the UBB in Dubai to be mounted on a rail system along the gantry, which was fabricated and installed by Metel locally. One of the major challenges was to account for the vertical oscillation of both the bridge deck under traffic, and the gantry suspended under it. The problem being that they moved at different frequencies, resulting in a continuous variation of the distance between gantry and deck of up to 100 MM.
The AWE solution to this problem was to design the system to absorb the vertical movement mechanically, and this was never a problem throughout the job. As an added bonus, the UBB can be converted back into our standard deckblaster. The UBB can hydroblast four 355 MM wide strips across the deck before the gantry has to be moved to the next position. By experimenting with the drive gearing, Metel were able to achieve an amazing production rate of 84 M2 per hour with the UBB. Following the success of the first job, Metel were awarded another one to hydroblast and paint the box section girders of the approach viaducts, for which they modified the UBB themselves to work on vertical surfaces. Later, another job was awarded to hydroblast and paint the internal surfaces of the main deck box sections, and once again AWE designed and built the special tool required, this one being designated IBB, or inner bridge blaster.
The IBB Installed The IBB is designed to access all internal surfaces, and hydroblast them to WJ1, ready for coating. Longitudinal and lateral movements are speed controlled for maximum repeatable productivity.
SUBSEA When GULMAR OFFSHORE, a major international diving contractor, were looking for a waterblast system to remove weight coat from undersea pipelines, we suggested that a more efficient tool than underwater guns could be developed. Underwater guns are inefficient because 50% of the water flow must be directed backwards in order to neutralize the rearward thrust produced by the cleaning jet at the front of the gun, which would otherwise propel the diver holding it backwards, therefore only 50% of the potential cleaning power is available to do the job required. Initial trials were successfully carried out with promising results, and Gulmar decided to proceed with the project. Gulmar used their own engineering expertise to design and build a manipulator, which could be attached to the pipeline, and AWE provided the rotary waterblast tool required to maximize efficiency. Since the manipulator attached to the pipeline absorbs the nozzle thrust, there is no requirement for rear facing nozzles, and all of the cleaning power can be directed at the job. Using a JETSTREAM300HP pump producing 15,000 PSI @ 31.2 USGPM, Gulmar were able to reduce the time taken to remove the weight coat down to bare metal on each 1.2 metre long section from 12 hrs using divers guns, to less than one hour with the new tool. A dramatic saving when you consider that the specialist vessel required for this contract costs several thousand dollars per HOUR. This was a case where the client provided most of the expertise and engineering work, and AWE supplied only the waterjet expertise and equipment, but the result was similar to the other AWE solutions detailed here, a MORE PRODUCTIVE, MORE EFFICIENT, MORE PROFITABLE result for the client. Polytech Operations and Maintenance, are one of the fastest growing specialist contractors in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and were posed a difficult problem when asked by one of their potential clients to clean a tube bundle with polymer deposits to a high standard for iris testing, which no other local contractor had been able to do. When AWE carried out a technical review of the application, we concluded that only a different lance and nozzle were required to utilize their existing equipment more efficiently, in order to achieve a successful result. With skillful application of the revised set up, Polytech cleaned the bundle in record time, and to a very high standard. Later, this and other well executed jobs were instrumental in persuading Polytech's client to award them a long term maintenance contract. In this case we applied our technical knowledge and expertise to provide the client with a simple, cost effective solution utilizing his existing equipment to achieve a superior result. Get MORE from your waterblasting
equipment or application, get a AWE Solution!
|
           |
