James Fisher Subsea Excavation, part of James Fisher and Sons, has brought the SP12000 mass flow excavation (MFE) tool to market to support clients with large scale excavations.
The SP12000 produces more than 6-tonne of thrust at full power and a volume output of 12,000 L/sec (3170 gal/sec) of water, which can be used for large seabed preparation projects, sandwave clearances, freespan rectifications and large diameter pipeline trenching.
James Fisher Subsea Excavation’s team has recently completed an extensive re-engineering project on the SP12000. Advanced hydrodynamics and improved efficiency have been combined to improve the flow regime for a mass or controlled flow excavator to cut trench. Despite its size, the fully-controllable SP12000 is also capable of smaller-scale, precision excavation.
This technology is also being applied to the company’s existing fleet of mass flow excavators, also known as controlled flow excavators, around the world.
“The technological advances we have developed during this engineering phase have already started to be transferred to our other excavators with the benefits being realized on recent projects for our clients,” said Graham Murdoch, technical director of James Fisher Subsea Excavation. “The ability to match different tools to any given workscope allows us to provide the most time and cost-effective solutions available for projects worldwide. It (SP12000) has immense power with the capability to provide large-scale clearance and trenching, but it retains the precision and controllability to be as safe and exact as our other market-leading tools. This is a real game changer for our clients who have large-scale requirements.
James Fisher Subsea Excavation’s equipment is used for applications including pipeline and cable trenching, deburial, rock dump dispersal and seabed clearance and preparations. The mass flow excavators are ideal for moving materials such as sand, silt and mud, drill cuttings, clay and rock dump. These tools provide a non-contact form of excavation that can reduce the risks associated with other excavation methods, especially around complex subsea assets. The tools also have real-time sonar imaging, which enables precision excavation in confined areas, as well as for large cable or pipeline scopes.
Image: SP12000/ James Fisher Subsea Excavation
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