Overview

The Bladecutter is a fluidising technology that can be deployed horizontally by a hydraulically powered, remotely operated tracked platform, or vertically by robot crane or gantry. Both vertical and horizontal platforms have a patented fluidising mechanism with no moving parts, only pressurised water, that can be deployed accurately to remove hazardous sediment wastes.

Several sizes of vertical Bladecutters have been developed since their invention. The 4-inch vertical Bladecutter was developed and tested for the Washington River Protection Services (WRPS), to mobilise and retrieve hazardous sludges from the bottom of Hanford Tank farms which can only be accessed down 4-inch risers. The vertical Bladecutters are also used for fluidising and remobilising waste that has been collected inside pressure vessels as well as a Rotocutting ROV.

All Bladecutters can be finetuned to specific collection rates depending on to client waste stream requirements. The systems can retrieve sludge of varying viscosities including, alluvial sands, clays, gravels, oils, PHP arisings, cementitious sediments, B30 simulants CMS and CMgS.

Waste transfer

Bladecutter is a fluidising technology that can be deployed horizontally by a hydraulically powered, remotely operated tracked platform, or vertically by robot crane or gantry. Both platforms have a patented fluidising device with no moving parts that can be deployed accurately to remove hazardous sediment wastes.

Heterogeneous waste recovery

Fluidised sediment waste is removed from the operating environment by a bespoke pumping system. Bladecutter can tolerate, without damage, larger particles and heterogenous waste components such as nuts bolts and fittings. Its patented design allows it to cut through and collect stratified nuclear sludge, fluidising the material as part of the process. This allows contaminated material to be collected from radioactive sludge ponds and gathered for more effective storage – usually box encapsulation.

Agile and compact

Bladecutter is dimensionally compact to allow for deployment into confined spaces. Bladecutter is also attached to a robust umbilical system that provides power and control as well as debris removal for processing.

Designed for hazardous environments

The complete system is designed for durability and reliability. All features are designed to minimise contamination by hazardous wastes and to be easily decontaminated after use. Hoses, cables and pipes are suitably protected from the ingress of contamination.

Dedicated deployment

Bladecutter can be deployed from the surface of a large body of water by the Barrnon Hydrospyder.

Key Points

• Cuts and collects stratified nuclear sludge
• Successful deployment at Hunterston-A nuclear facility in the UK
• 10m³/hr to 60m³/hr depending upon sludge type and working environment
• Remote operation using umbilical system
• Modular system
• Compact for confined spaces

Bladecutter Capabilities

Bladecutter can retrieve sludge of varying viscosities. In testing and deployment, it has successfully handled alluvial sands, clays, oils, PHP arisings, cite sediments and B30 simulants CMS and CMgS. In practice, it has shown to be capable of removing 30 cubic metres of contaminated sludge in just 10 operational days. Bladecutter's ongoing success has led to requests for several design variations to meet specific client needs.

If you require an efficient, effective tuneable sludge retrieval tool, reach out to Barrnon to discuss how the Bladecutter could be of use to you.