Saturation works for maintenance operations in TBM - Hong Kong

Hydrokarst trained 50 hyperbarist technicians to live and work in saturation for maintenance operations in the TBM cutter head Tuen Mun - Chek Lap Kok in Hong Kong for Dragages Hong Kong and Bouygues TP. This 6.5 km long tunnel aims to connect Lantau island and the international airport.

LIVING AND WORKING IN SATURATION:

Technicians live in confined spaces, in the hyperbaric chambers and are transferred under pressure with hyperbaric shuttles up to the TBM cutter head.
They reach the pressurized area where they change cutting wheels, provide general maintenance and evaluate ground cohesion.
They return to pressurized habitat where they sleep, feed and live for 28 days.
Decompression, process of safe return to the surface, occurs at the end of their stay and lasts about 3.5 days.

TECHNICAL MEANS:

Intervention depths between 35 and 65 meters imposed the use of respiratory gases based on oxygen, nitrogen and helium specially calculated for this project because pressurized air is toxic at these pressures.
Base camp, transfer shuttles have been specially designed and built for this operation of more than 18 months and a total of 2 456 man-days of saturation.

TIME LINE:

Project explanation: 00:23
Hydrokarst presentation: 01:42
Tunnelling boring machine: 02:40
Intervention in compress air area technique: 03:10
Saturation diving technique: 04:50
Saturation chambers: 06:55
Saturation procedures: 07:50
Chamber transfer in the TBM cutter head: 09:53
Technician in the cutter head: 11:00
Personnel: 11:16

LINK:

If you are interested about saturation diving techniques, check out:

Our video: Insulation of bottom outlet and water intake - Punt Dal Gall Dam:    • Insulation of bottom outlet and water inta...  
Our reference: Punt Dal Gall project : https://www.hydrokarst.fr/en/referenc...
Our last publication for Hydro 2018 conference in Poland about benefits of saturation diving for bottom outlet rehabilitation: https://www.hydrokarst.fr/en/referenc...

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
https://www.hydrokarst.fr/en/