| The Roat Deal Each month John Roat will furnish this page with a new column. Feel free to email him with your questions, comments, or accusations. This guy's the real deal and he definitely has his very own groove. .
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Born
11/16/42. I am currently a working diver, surface air/gas and a
saturation supervisor. I was a member of Underwater Demolition Teams
21, UDT 11 and SEAL Team 1. I
went to work for Taylor Diving and Salvage the end of 1969 as a
tender and broke out at Taylor Diving in 1970. I have also worked for
Sub Sea, Comex, J. Ray McDermott, Tennessee Valley Authority, Global,
Martech, Offshore Petroleum Divers, Cal Dive and too many
small companies, some of them very good, to name. Taught rigging, open
tanks, harbor and burning for one year at the College of Oceaneering. I
authored “Oxy-Arc Underwater Burning Class”, a 90-minute training
video and manual, for Oceans Technology. If I were evaluating myself in this business it would be: good divers, that will leave the next diver well, burn with the best of them. I am proudest of having never bent or injured a diver. I have been running dive’s from 1969, when the tender did the job. I have been supervising since 1977.
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Thank You Devon Energy!
18” of 1” steel With 1 Tubular Steel Rod No Hangers
JCR
I am usually not impressed with all the endless safety talk in this industry. However, Devon Energy, one of the largest independents in the business has impressed the hell out of this old diver. How did they do it? They put their money where their mouth is, and I believe it’s paying off for them and us.
They took one simple, but bold step. They require every diving company performing underwater burning tasks on any Devon Energy project to qualify their divers and burning equipment to a standard. Devon developed this standard and qualifying process through input from diving industry SME’s. To top it off, they pay for the testing on every qualifying diver. Therefore, the diver is paid, and the contractor is allowed to defer a little of the training cost to the end user.
Training is a big part of safety, and Devon is requiring contractors to provide the training enabling proper knowledge and procedures to perform the specified task. Being a qualified underwater burner is not just about talent, the diver has to be knowledgeable about the overall process, the safety issues, and be able to pass a written exam. Additionally, the diver must be able to demonstrate the ability to set up and troubleshoot the equipment. Finally, a demonstration of burning talent per different thickness of steel with tubular steel an exothermic type rods is required.
I may see things differently then most, but for me the greatest factor effecting safety in our industry is proper Skills Training. I’m not talking about the basics of diving, most of the commercial dive schools do well in this area. I am talking about the training needed to employ the tools / equipment divers utilize to get the job done.
18” of 2 ⅛” Steel using 1 and ˝ Tubular Steel Rods No Hangers
JCR
Devon has set a certification standard for the equipment utilized, including spare parts requirements. The contractor is required to provide the proper tools for the job.
Over the next years, a large portion of the diving effort in the GOM will be related to well, platform, and infrastructure abandonment and salvage. Devon has set a standard I believe will be safe, improve job performance, and hopefully get the rest of the oil patch to follow suit.
Yes the pictures above are brag shoots and there are guys that can do better but I want your attention and I want you to know I know what I’m talking about. Read below and think about it.
To: ADC and IMCA
From: John Carl Roat
Subject: Scientific Testing Oxy-Arc Burning Process
Gentlemen;
After reading Andrew Pettitt’s report on Swordfish O2 less burning rod, for Shell Oil UK, I was struck by the fact most of what we know about Oxy Arc Underwater Cutting is based on supposition, not scientific fact. I am proposing the ADC and IMCA jointly fund testing so that effective standards can be written.
1) Reasoning for test
A) The basic technology was developed in the 1930’s without the benefit of today’s scientific testing capabilities. Although a vast amount of experience [trial and error] has been gained much of it is based on theory & assumptions, some of which are wrong [see Mr. Andrew Pettitt’s recent findings on the effects of underwater explosions]. These findings have changed our understanding of explosive effects underwater.
B) The offshore oil industry, world wide, is placing more focus, and dedicating more resources to the plugging / abandoning of depleted wells; and the removal of associated production platforms. With the amount of injury and death over the last 30 years involving Commercial Divers and Oxy-Arc Underwater Cutting many of the major oil companies are reluctant to allow the use of this still viable tool.
C) It is my firm belief once appropriate / rigorous scientific testing, utilizing modern technology is accomplished; we can write a standard allowing the SAFE and effective use of this valuable tool.
2) Suggested areas for testing;
A) Present of Oxygen required for Oxy-Arc Burning process at different depths.
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Pressure and volume of Oxygen required at different depths.
B) Optimum Amperage Settings for effective Cutting.
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Amperage losses due to size of cable, length of leads and water temperature.·
Amount of Hydrogen created at different Amperage settings
C) Thicknesses of steel able to be effectively cut with Tubular Steel (flux and non-flux coated) and Exothermic type rods
D) Amounts of explosive gases created: by each type rod, per inch burned, in the Oxy-Arc Burning process.
E) Failure potential of Burning Torches: Flash Arrestors; flow valves; insulator hoses.
F) Welding Machines performance: comparison of DC Generators and AC/DC Converters.
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AC/DC Converters tested for AC Amperage leakage.
G) Explosive potential of Knife Switches.
The testing team would be headed up by Andrew Pettitt. The proposed test would be run at the National Hyperbaric Centre in Aberdeen Scotland. All burning would be done by a team of four experienced Diver Burners and four Divers with limited to no Burning experience.
I believe it would be in the best interest of the industry if these tests where funded by both the ADC and IMCA. The findings will be the basis for a joint committee to write definitive standards for Underwater Oxy Arc Cutting.
Sincerely
John Carl Roat
Cal Dive International Supervisor/Diver; Training Facilitator
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click here to email Roat
I will do my best to answer any response to the things I say. That is, if you put your name and e-mail address with it. If there is no name and e-mail address, I won’t post your e-mail and I won’t respond. If you just want to let everyone know how you fell about what I say, without putting your name on it, post it on the discussion board. Dive Safe and Profitable John Carl Roat |
| From the Diver's Forum: Posted by Surprised Diver on 7/11/2004, 6:05:56 I read that old bastard Roat’s book, Class-29, I couldn’t put it down. No wonder he has so little patience, most of us don’t know what the words "team work" or "effort" mean. The thing that surprised me most was he made me laugh. I hate to give him the satisfaction but I’m going to ask him to sign it. Well maybe not. |
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