Commercial Diving Technology for Engineers

Introduction

Offshore Oil & Gas industry has progressed far beyond any earlier expectations, thanks to the fast-paced technological development and the brave offshore people who dedicated their knowledge and efforts to achieve this result. The story of oilfield diving illustrates the complex interplay between human and technical achievements and is an important component of the history of the offshore oil and gas industry.  The first offshore diving operations decades ago were little more than topside jobs completed underwater. Men recall jumping off boats, barges, and platforms to retrieve dropped objects, install clamps, or check for oyster beds.  At that time, they did not have, nor perceive a need for, formal training as divers. The offshore Oil & Gas industry could not have progressed as it did, had it not been for the adventurous and entrepreneurial spirit of the Offshore Commercial divers. 

Offshore Commercial divers perform underwater activities related to construction, inspection, search, salvage, repair, and photography within Offshore Oil and Gas fields.  They perform underwater welding; assistance in the construction and inspection of offshore platforms; installation, inspection and repair of subsea pipelines and valves; and many other diving support activities. They use specialized equipment such as diving helmets, underwater cutting torches, underwater welding equipment, wet-suits, dry-suits, hot water heated suits, diving bells, decompression chambers, full face masks, air compressors, HP water jet machines, underwater inspection instruments, jackhammers, bolt tensioning machines, and many other subsea tools and equipment.

Owing to several aspects of the work involved, commercial diving has been divided into several classifications. Within these classifications, there may be specialty diving and work qualifications. The two major areas of work; therefore the main classifications; are Offshore Diving and Inland Diving. Offshore Diving is the most well-known branch of commercial diving, with divers working in support of the exploration and production sector of the oil and gas industry. The work in this area of the industry typically revolves around the maintenance of oil platforms and the building of underwater structures used in the production process. Offshore Diving is divided into two main types, Surface-Oriented Diving (Air & Gas) and Saturation Diving. In Surface-Orientated Diving, divers in helmets work underwater, connected to a breathing apparatus on board a ship, barge, or platform. Saturation Diving is more useful for large-scale construction projects. In Saturation Diving, divers use a pressurized chamber, sometimes known as a Deep Diving System (DDS), attached to a diving bell. The chamber and bell begin onboard a ship. A team of divers boards the chamber, which is then mechanically pressurized to simulate the environment at the depth of the planned dive. The chamber is a complete living environment—equipped with beds, shower, and furniture—and able to accommodate a team of divers for weeks.

Objectives

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

• Apply and gain knowledge on offshore commercial diving and become familiar with diving physics and physiology
• Discuss the process of decompression and explain the medical aspects of diving
• Identify the various diving equipment used and to determine the different techniques and procedures in commercial driving
• Explain the characteristics of a good dive crew and acquire in-depth knowledge on air diving, mixed gas diving, and saturation diving
• Become acquainted with the hyperbaric chamber and employ the various underwater work & applications
• Determine the diving support in offshore oil & gas industry and apply underwater welding and burning
• Emphasize the safety considerations in offshore commercial diving and discuss venting
• Identify the depth and time considerations in commercial diving and perform subsea non-destructive testing
• Recognize the scope of underwater weld inspection and reports

Training Methodology

This is an interactive course. There will be open question and answer sessions, regular group exercises and activities, videos, case studies, and presentations on best practice. Participants will have the opportunity to share with the facilitator and other participants on what works well and not so well for them, as well as work on issues from their own organizations. The online course is conducted online using MS-Teams/ClickMeeting.

Who Should Attend?

This course is intended for technical and non-technical personnel dealing with offshore commercial diving in oil and gas companies such as managers, engineers, and administration and supervision staff. Further, the course is important for applied scientists and technologists interested in offshore commercial diving technology.

Course Outline

This course is designed to provide participants with a complete and in-depth overview of the Offshore Commercial Diving Technology. It covers Introduction to Offshore Commercial Diving, Diving Physics and Physiology, Decompression, Medical Aspects of Diving, Diving Equipment, Diving Techniques, and Procedures, Characteristics of a Good Dive Crew, Air Diving, Mixed Gas Diving, Saturation Diving, Hyperbaric Chamber, Underwater Work & Applications, Diving Support in Offshore Oil & Gas Industry, Underwater Welding, Underwater Burning, Safety Considerations, Cold Cut, Venting, Depth and Time Considerations, Subsea Non-Destructive Testing, and Underwater Weld Inspection and Reports. The course is designed for technical and non-technical personnel dealing with Offshore Commercial Diving in Oil and Gas companies such as managers, engineers, administration, and Supervision Staff. The course will not teach you how to dive but will provide you with invaluable knowledge and skills of how commercial divers perform their work and what they can and cannot do. It will provide you with updated knowledge about the possibilities, scenarios, restrictions tips and tricks of offshore commercial diving work, together with the rules, standards, and regulations that control the diving activities such as the UK-HSE and IMCA.