In Japan, an ROV fitted with a lance and driven by the Bristle Blaster® Subsea pump system has been demonstrated and adopted to clean dam structures underwater. It removes shellfish, fouling and non-native species remotely, reducing the need for divers.
Dams need regular underwater cleaning: debris, shellfish and other fouling build up on intakes, screens and walls. In Japan this work has been done by divers. Several pressures came together to change that:
- Accidents during diver-led debris and shellfish removal at dams
- An ageing diving workforce and too few younger divers coming in
- Strict limits on how long a diver can work underwater each day
The solution
The answer combines three parts into one system: a remotely operated vehicle (ROV), a lance mounted on the ROV, and the Bristle Blaster® Subsea high-pressure water pump system that powers it. The operator steers the ROV from the surface and removes attached organisms and fouling, including non-native species introduced from overseas, without a diver in the water.
MontiPower Japan demonstrated the system and it was adopted for dam cleaning. It has also been shown to the industry at exhibitions in Japan.
Why it matters
Every dive that a remote system replaces is a person kept out of a dangerous environment (People). Removing invasive species and fouling with water power alone, with no chemicals and no abrasive, protects the waterway (Planet). And cleaning that no longer depends on a shrinking pool of divers keeps essential infrastructure maintained on schedule (Power), which is prevention rather than cure for the structures that hold back the water.
Underwater cleaning at a dam, intake or port? Ask MontiPower Japan about the ROV and Bristle Blaster® Subsea system.
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