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Rock Cutting With the T750 Super Trencher

Conference Paper · January 2007

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 ROCK CUTTING WITH THE T750 SUPER TRENCHER

Allan Spencer, Jon Machin

Perry Slingsby Systems
821 Jupiter Park Drive, Jupiter, FL 33458 USA
Eric Jackson
Cellula Robotics Ltd.,
632 Carnarvon St., New Westminster, BC, V3M 1E5 Canada

ABSTRACT
Perry Slingsby Systems is upgrading the T750
Trenching System originally supplied to Canyon
Offshore in 2003 to include a rock-cutting wheel. This
wheel will extend the trenching capability to cut
trenches 8” wide by 24” deep through rock with a UCS
of 8MPa at 80 m/hr, and will allow the trencher to
perform rock cutting and water jet trenching
simultaneously under a single subsea vehicle
configuration.
This paper will describe, in some depth, the principle
features of the upgraded trencher and methods of
calculating predicted trenching performance. Subject to
availability - the field results will be compared with the
performance predictions.
INTRODUCTION
The T750 advanced trenching system was delivered by
PSS to Canyon Offshore UK Ltd., in August 2003. The
complete system, as delivered, comprised;
Subsea Vehicle Assembly:
ROV based system configurable for trenching
operations to a maximum of 1500msw in free-fly, pipe /
cable – riding, tracked and skid modes. Water jet
powered primary trenching tooling system - mounted
mid-vehicle and including three pairs of interchangeable
cable and flow line burial tools of lengths 1m, 2m and
3m mounted on a deployment mechanism to achieve
burial depths and accommodate trench widths over a
nominal range of 120mm to 750mm. Aft mounted
tooling – comprising water jet powered eductor tools
interchangeable with water jet powered backfill tools.
Surface Control & Power Systems:
Pilot, Co- Pilot, Tooling and Auxiliary control consoles,
transformers and power distribution panels mounted
within a 6.1m standard A0 rated ISO container. Primary
power system including variable speed drive system
mounted within a 9.1m A0 rated ISO container.
Umbilical & Winch:
1800m of 58mm diameter, power and fiber armored lift
umbilical provided for operations to a maximum depth
of 1500m, supplied with 20m coverage of Linksyn
umbilical flotation. Also provided – hydraulically
powered umbilical winch for storage, deployment and
recovery of 1800m of armored umbilical to a maximum
diameter of 62mm at line speeds between 22m/min and
30m/min.
Miscellaneous Surface Equipment:
Workshop and stores containers provided: both 6.1m
A0 rated standard ISO offshore containers,
interconnecting cables and hoses, vehicle charge cart
and winch HPU.
PROJECT SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS
Subsea 7 / Petro SA have a requirement to in install 3
off in-field umbilicals utilizing the vessel ‘Navica’,
offshore South Africa.
A new pipeline is to be laid adjacent to the umbilical
route and options for the protection of the post laid
umbilicals include displacement of the umbilical towards
the pipeline to afford cover for the umbilical from the
pipeline, alternatively the umbilicals are to be buried. If
the burial option is preferred, the seabed characteristics
are such that a proportion of the route can be jetted
with conventional water jet based trenching tools of the
type originally supplied with the T750. There are 4
routes to be trenched, having a mixture of jet-
trenchable soils and rock. A total of approximately 50
km of the routes to be trenched have been identified as
being unsuitable for water jet trenching. For these
sections it will therefore be necessary to deploy
alternative trenching tools to achieve the desired
trench.
There are three umbilicals to be trenched:
Main Umbilical, OD = 143.8mm
Infield Umbilical, OD = 137.6mm
Buoy Umbilical, OD = 116.5mm
The design minimum bend radius for the umbilicals for
trenching purposes has been identified as being 3000
to 5000mm, the desired trench depth is specified as
500mm.
Water depth is specified as 300m maximum for the
umbilicals installation project.
The current / projected work schedule for the T750 is
full utilization offshore until end of September 2006,
with the exception of a period on the beach in Houston
during March / April 2006 for essential maintenance /
flotation refit. Any upgrade work required on the system
to make ready for rock trenching would need to be
conducted during November / December 2006, the
location for the upgrade work being Aberdeen,
Scotland.
PSS presented their preliminary thoughts and concepts
based around proposed modifications to the existing
subsea vehicle system through the addition of a
mechanical cutting tool mounted aft to supplement the
existing water jet trenching tools plus product guide
pathway passing over the top of the vehicle and a
product loading / unloading manipulator.
DISCUSSION OF SUITABLE UPGRADE CONCEPTS
In addition to the project specific charac teristics
identified above, PSS identified the following resultant
design requirements and critical interfaces which must
be taken into consideration when determining the
suitability of upgrade options:
Umbilical / Cable Path
Given the diameter and MBR of the products to be
handled and buried by the trencher, an essential design
constraint is to ensure that at no point through the
guiding or burial of the product is the MBR
compromised. To ensure this, the product path through
the trencher must include a positive guiding and
support mechanism sufficiently robust to capture,
deflect and retain the product along the desired path
from seabed to the bottom of the newly cut trench,
without damaging the product in anyway. Therefore at
no point anywhere in the product guide / trencher
interface must the product be deflected against a
guiding surface with a radius of less than the
constraining MBR.
Burial Depth / Trench Characteristics
The specified burial depth for the product is specified as
a nominal 500mm (20”) to bottom of trench. A parallel
walled trench profile, i.e. vertical trench walls with no
slope is acceptable. In order to account for undulations,
etc., in the seabed during trenching a nominal ‘safety
margin’ of 250mm has been added to the target trench
depth by PSS. Therefore the rock cutting tool
deployment mechanism fitted to the T750 shall have
the capability of deploying the cutting tool to a
maximum trench depth of 750mm (24”). The trench
width is to be suitable to accommodate the diameter of
the product plus a nominal clearance, the maximum
product diameter being 143.8 mm (5”) the trench width
is to be 203mm (8”).
Vehicle Configuration
Since the trenching scheme for which the T750 is to be
upgraded will include conventional water jet effected
trenching for the majority of the route, it is obviously
desirable to maintain this capability within the vehicle
and ensure that the rock wheel upgrade scheme does
not involve unnecessary major configuration changes to
the subsea vehicle or associated surface equipment, or
facilitate lengthy vehicle down times due to adding or
removing major items of equipment when configuring
between jetting and rock cutting.
The optimum would be to develop an upgrade solution
whereby the vehicle is capable of jet cutting and rock
cutting under a single configuration without having to
recover the vehicle to make any configuration changes /
remove / add equipment.
It is understood that the preferred configuration for the
vehicle during either jet or rock trenching shall be track
mode. Careful consideration is to be given to the
loading and trim effects of the additional upgrade
equipment on the vehicle structure and the ability of the
track systems to accommodate any increased weight.
This is especially pertinent if an optimised solution
between jet and rock cutting in a single configuration is
to be achieved.
Loading and unloading of the product into the T750,
prior to and at the completion of a trenching run is
another critical interface / process which requires
careful consideration. PSS have previous experience of
providing product loading and unloading equipment for
similar applications and have found that the use of a
marinised industrial off-the-shelf knuckle boom crane
offers a very efficient, effective and economical
solution. Previous trenching equipment supply projects
on which PSS have successfully applied this approach
include the GATOR I & II and HDCP1500 heavy duty
plow. The latter vehicle used a marinised Palfinger
PK10000MA knuckle-boom crane mounted on the
vehicle structure and operated remotely from the
surface via the vehicle’s control system, to successfully
load and unload interfield umbilicals during a number of
trenching campaigns offshore Norway and UK, 2001.
The crane can be mounted on the vehicle structure in
such a position that every point on the product path
through the vehicle can be accessed to ensure that the
product is properly loaded or unloaded. A typical end
effector used on the crane to handle the product
comprises an off-the-shelf log handling claw set
modified to include specially profiled UHDP guide
shoes fitted to the jaws to prevent damage to the outer
sheath of the product during handling.
FWD AFT
Fig. 1 Loading Product into the HDCP1500 Plow using
a Palfinger PK10000MA crane and Log Grabber
Following careful consideration and investigation of
feasible product loading and guiding paths through the
T750, PSS discounted a product loading and guide
path location which would pass to the underside of the
vehicle, in favor of an alternative solution which utilizes
a field proven product loading and guiding method
which passes over the top of the vehicle.
The figures below illustrate the resultant product path
plotted through the vehicle and also the optimum
mounting position for the product handling crane, in
terms of accessibility through the entire product path
and overall vehicle trim.
 Product path – open trough design complying
with product MBR constraints
Product handling crane
mounting interface
Full View – FWD / STBD
Articulated Aft section to
follow Rock Wheel
Deployment
Side Elevation – Rock Wheel stowed
The product trough would be fabricated in sections from
a grade ASM A36 or A537 structural steel and would
mount to the vehicle core frame structural members at
appropriate locations using mechanical fasteners and
custom designed interface bracketry. Thus any
damaged or worn sections of the trough can be easily
removed and replaced, without hot work.
Note that the product path is offset to one side of the
vehicle primary lift point this is to ensure that the LARS
docking head interface does not foul the product path
guide structure during launch and recovery.
To summarize; some of the major advantages PSS
have identified with this solution are as follows:
The primary jetting functions / capabilities of the vehicle
can be largely maintained in parallel with the addition of
the rock wheel and product guiding mechanisms. i.e.
the vehicle would still be capable of jet cutting a 2m
deep x 0.75m wide trench utilizing the original primary
burial tool and deployment mechanisms, without the
need to recover the vehicle and remove any of the
additional equipment fitted to achieve the rock cutting
capability. Although the full range of jet cut trenches,
i.e. 1m to 3m depth can not be maintained, the solution
goes a long way towards retaining the flexibility of the
vehicle’s overall trenching capabilities.
By routing the product above the vehicle, the product is
kept clear of the cutting zone and remains completely
visible during loading / unloading and the entire
trenching process, Any chance of interference between
the rock wheel and the product is thus eliminated.
Side Elevation – Rock Wheel
deployed
Product path shown clearing
docking head interface
ODS docking head interface
as per drawing Plan View
1215-01-GA-10000
The exceptionally generous ground clearance offered
by the T750 in its original jet cutting configuration
remains significantly uncompromised. i.e. risk of
damage to the product or guiding mechanisms beneath
the vehicle through seabed obstacle collision (e.g.
boulders or other hazardous seabed features) is
eliminated.
Since the product lays ‘free’ in an open trough, there is
more scope to achieve the easy removal of the product
from the trencher without the need for cutting (the
product) in the unlikely event of a major equipment
failure scenario occurring.
The product loading/unloading and guide systems are
significantly simplified and hence more inherently
reliable. The proposed product loading/unloading
method utilizing a knuckle boom type crane is a tried
and tested method which PSS have successfully
incorporated on cable and flexible pipeline plows and
trenching machines currently in-service in the field (e.g.
HDCP 1500, GATOR I & II).
Since the product is 100% visible through the
loading/unloading process, the operator at the surface
executing this task remotely is able to do so with
significant ease and confidence that the product has
been loaded correctly without snagging, prior to
commencement of trenching.
Product Handling Sequence and Slack Management
The outline sequence of operations for loading /
unloading and handling the product subsea, using the
upgraded T750 system would be as follows:
a). The T750 is deployed from the surface vessel via
the lift umbilical, through the water column in the
conventional manner.
b). The T750 is landed-out on the seabed such that the
product to be trenched lays at a nominal distance clear
from the STBD side of the T750.

c). The knuckle boom crane is deployed from the FWD

end of the vehicle via remote control interface at the
surface. The crane includes a grab type end effector
with specially cushioned and shaped jaws to allow the
product to be captured without compromising the MBR.
The pilot is able to easily maneuver the crane to allow
the product to be captured and lifted from the seabed.

d). The product is thus lifted from the seabed at the

FWD / STBD side of the vehicle and placed over the
open cable guide trench at the FWD end. The crane
releases the product by actuating the end effector
grabber to the open position. A miniature camera with
integral LED light ring mounted externally to the lower Chain driven mechanical trenching tool
boom section member of the crane provides visual (Ditch Witch H710 Trencher)
feedback to the pilot during positioning and operation of
the end effector.

e). The pilot is then able to rotate the crane about its
base to the MID and AFT positions of the vehicle and
repeat the product lifting, positioning and release
sequences, ensuring that the product is fully loaded
through the entire product guide trough.

f). Unloading the product from the guide trough at the

completion of the trenching run is essentially a reverse
of the above sequence.

Rotary Cutting Wheel

Note that while in rock cutting configuration, the T750
maintains the capability to water jet cut trenches to a
maximum of 2m deep (subject to the usual soil shear
strength characteristics) without the need to recover
and reconfigure the subsea vehicle.
Cutting Wheel
In considering alternative options for suitable rock
cutting tools PSS weighed such factors as:
• Target trench width and depth
• Tool and deployment mechanism weights
and dimensions
• Available mounting envelope for tool and
deployment mechanism
• Power requirements to operate tool
• Tool and deployment system control issues /
interface with existing vehicle control systems
• Magnitude, type and effect of resultant
loadings on the vehicle structure from tooling
and deployment mechanism.
Two principal types of suitable rock cutting tools are
readily / commercially available and PSS have
successfully integrated both types in past projects:
(Ditch Witch H740 Saw)
Both of the above tooling schemes have been used
successfully on PSS’ GATOR I & II trenching machine,
and it would be physically possible to integrate either
option into the T750 trencher. However, the chain
driven tool lends itself more to cutting much deeper
trenches than required for this particular application, the
cutting wheel is thus a much more optimised and
compact solution for shallower trenching.
By mounting the rock wheel to the AFT of the vehicle,
the primary jet burial tools, deployment mechanism and
water supply systems remain largely unaffected, other
than a collision between the primary tools and the
wheel when the 3m jetting tools only, are fitted. It
therefore seems the best compromise in vehicle
trenching performance to limit the jet trenching
capability to 2m (usual constraints on actual trench
depth due to soil strengths / compositions still apply)
when the rock wheel is fitted. A product guide trough is
fitted to the OEM supplied wheel guide, such that as the
wheel is stowed and deployed, the trough articulates
and swings into or out of the trench with the wheel.
It will not be possible to fit the eductor, backfill tools or
aft pipe rollers in combination with the rock wheel,
however, since the mounting location for the rock wheel
would be in direct conflict with the mountings of the aft
tool deployment system and pipe roller mountings,
therefore trench backfill operations or pipe riding would
no longer be possible with the vehicle in rock cutting
configuration.
The mechanical mounting of the rock wheel assembly
is achieved by bolted interface with the transverse Rock & Wheel
structural beam at the aft of the vehicle, following
removal of the existing aft tool deployment mechanism The trenching performance requirements are as
mountings and the addition of custom designed support follows:
bracketry. The cutting reaction loads and vibrations are
thus transmitted effectively through the mounting Cut Depth 24” (0.61 m)
brackets and into core structure of the vehicle. Cut Width 8” (0.20 m)
Advance Rate 80 m/hr (0.022 m/s)
The cutting wheel assembly includes a new deployment Rock UCS Up to 8 MPa
mechanism mounted to the STBD, consisting of
hydraulic cylinders which effectively swing the wheel The cutter wheel chosen for the T750 Trencher has the
vertically into and out of the seabed to make the cut. following specifications:
Control of these functions would be achieved utilising 1.57m diameter x 0.2m wide - trenching depth 0.6m
existing hydraulic valves and control interfaces retained 7 pick sets per revolution
from the aft tool deployment system. The rock wheel 1” spacing on the face, 0.5” spacing on the gauge rows
primary drive itself will require the addition of a new The teeth are in a V-shaped pattern of 11 teeth across
hydrostatic drive mounted locally to the wheel and with 7 V’s to make a total of 77 teeth. So in one
taking a supply and return through the main vehicle revolution 7 teeth will cut in the same path.
hydraulic system. The hydrostatic drive yields the The wheel uses standard carbide rock-cutting picks -
optimum approach over the addition of large, heat see Figure 1.
generating valves.

Crane

PSS have successfully integrated off-the-shelf marine

grade hydraulic knuckle boom style cranes into
previously supplied trenching machines. PSS has used
the PK10000M series of cranes manufactured by
Palfinger for this purpose. These cranes are intended
for surface use on ship decks, however, PSS have
found that most of the crane componentry is suitable for
complete intermittent immersion in sea water to depths
of 1500m with little or no modification necessary other
than relief of enclosed cavities and addition of anodes
fro corrosion protection.
In considering the required reach envelope, lift
capability and the optimum mounting position for the
crane on the vehicle structure to give sufficient rigidity
to the mounting foundations without unduly
Figure 1: Cutting Pick (3.5” long)
Drive
The wheel is driven by a fixed displacement axial piston
hydraulic motor through a gearbox. The motor is
driven by an axial piston pump with a variable swash
plate. The motor is reversible in case the wheel is
jammed.
Figure 2 illustrates the power flow in the drive system.
Note that the wheel torque is essentially independent of
rpms - it is dependent on the pick penetration.

Advance pentrtn
Rate f(X/Y) Rock
Figure 2: Rock Wheel Drive System Relationships

Electric
Motor pick
rpm flow rpm rpm speed
cc/rev cc/rev ratio radius

Pump Hydr Wheel

swash plate Gearbox
Motor

cc/rev cc/rev ratio radius

torque pressure torque torque force

compromising overall vehicle trim, PSS have

determined that a Palfinger PK10000MA crane fitted
with a ‘Loglift’ end effector would be a suitable solution
for this application. The crane has a maximum reach of
8m with a lift capacity of 1120kg at maximum reach.
PERFORMANCE PREDICTIONS
Performance Prediction
To calculate the cutting torque for the wheel, we
estimate the stress with which the rock fails, and we
calculate the torque required to generate that stress.
The torque increases as the size of the “slice”
increases. See
Figure 2 - the shaded area represents the slice that is
taken by each set of cutting picks as the wheel rotates.
At any given segment of the cut slice, the area that the
force is applied into is determined by the width of the
cut multiplied by the penetration into the rock. This
calculation assumes the teeth are acting as a solid
blade across the width, instead of individual picks.
Note that the cutting efficiency tends to increase with
pick penetration. However, the maximum pick
penetration is limited to the depth of the carbide tip of
the pick. If the penetration exceeds this depth, the
picks will wear quickly.

Figure 2: Cut Volume Profile
Flushing System
We performed an analysis to see if the spinning action
of the wheel was adequate to flush the cuttings out of
the trench. The wheel pulls water around its perimeter,
acting as a pump. The pump is loaded due to the drag
of the fluid and the acceleration and lifting of the
cuttings out of the trench.
The analysis focused mainly on the region of the rock
wheel in which the picks are in full contact with the rock,
as shown in Figure 3. This region is shaped as a
section of torus with a rectangular cross section,
bounded on three sides by the solid rock trench walls
and floor, and on the upper side by the rim of the rock

In calculating the wheel torque during trenching

operations, we assume that the stress required to cut
the rock is the unconfined compressive strength
(“UCS”) of the rock (which is reasonable from
experience). However, to allow for a certain amount of
re-grinding of cut material and to allow for slurry-
pumping by the motion of the wheel, we assume that
the wheel torque must generate a cutting pressure
estimated at 150% of the rock UCS, with an upper
bound of 200% and a lower bound of 100% of the rock
UCS.
The wheel torque is the product of the wheel radius and wheel.
the net cutting force. The cutting force is determined by Figure 3: Region of Interest for Analysis
the resistance of the rock to failure as the picks drag
through it. It is essentially independent of the wheel The flow of water and cuttings through the region of
speed. The force is estimated from the product of the pick/rock contact was modeled using the momentum
pressure at which the rock fails (i.e. the unconfined equation for fluid flowing in a control volume. The
compressive strength of the rock) and the cross- cuttings are treated like a fluid, so that with two fluids
sectional area that the cutting force is applied into. flowing through the control volume at different
velocities, two momentum equations are necessary,
one per fluid.
The depth of the cut slice (i.e. the width of the shaded Figure 4 shows the resulting pumping performance
area in curves (head vs. flow) for the rock wheel at various
Figure 2) is the depth that the picks penetrate into the rpms. The pumping efficiencies are shown as well.
rock. The pick penetration depth is a function of the
wheel rotation rate and the trencher advance rate. The
formula is:
penetration = (advance rate) / ((wheel speed)
* (pick-sets /rev))
where:
penetration is the penetration of each set of picks in
meters
the advance rate is the advance rate of the trencher in
meters/second
the wheel speed is the rotational speed of the wheel in
revolutions/second
pick-sets/rev is the number of sets of cutting picks on
the circumference of the wheel (which is 7 in our case)
The calculations of tooth penetration as a function of
advance rate and wheel speed assume that only new
material is cut, i.e. the cutters are not re-grinding Figure 4: Cutting Wheel Pumping Performance
material that has already been chipped free by previous
The combination of water and solids can be treated as
picks. That is, all cut material is immediately cleared
from the trench. a settling slurry. Flows of settling slurries are known, in
pipelines, to exhibit different behaviors at different
 velocities. Four regimes are recognized in settling slurry
flows:
1. Stationary bed, in which most of the solids
have settled out along the bottom of the duct.
2. Moving bed, in which the larger solids form a
moving bed along the bottom of the duct.
3. Heterogeneous mixture with all solids in
suspension. The solids concentration
decreases with height above the base of the
duct.
4. Homogeneous or pseudo-homogeneous
mixture with all solids in s uspension.
Transitions between these flows occur sequentially with
increasing velocity. We examined the transition
parameters for our case, and we appear to be
comfortably within the heterogeneous flow regime. See
Figure 5, which shows the velocity profiles of the liquid,
solids and picks along the region of interest. The cyan
curve labeled “min. V. Het.” Figure 6 shows the
minimum (transition) velocity for the heterogeneous
flow regime. The transition velocity to homogeneous
flow is well above the values shown in this chart.
Advance Rate = 80 m/h, Wheel Speed = 152 RPM
12
10
8
velocity, m/s
6
4
2 0.01
0 0
0 10 20 30 40 50
position in trench, deg
Figure 5 Velocity Profiles and Solids Fraction through
Trench
At the specified rates of 80 m/h advance and a wheel
speed of 152 rpm, our model indicates that the solids
will readily flow out of the trench.
PROGRESS
At the time of writing this paper the upgrade project was
in the installation / integration phase and progressing
well. The final date for the completion of the upgrade
work having been rescheduled to early January 2007.
Following successful completion of the upgrade works it
is envisaged that there will be sufficient time to conduct
limited sea trials with the upgraded trencher, including
some rock cutting and maneuverability testing, offshore
Aberdeen before transiting to offshore South Africa to
execute the first project.
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CONCLUSION
PSS delivered the T750 Super Trencher to Canyon
Offshore UK Ltd., in 2003. As originally supplied, the
system was configured for conventional water jet
trenching in a range of soils, clays and sands to a range
of trench depths varying from 1-3m. The system also
featured a revolutionary electrical variable speed drive
which allowed optimised power sharing at the vehicle
propulsion and jet tooling systems , fully adjustable from
the surface, in real time, without the need recover the
ROV.
The system flexibility and performance has now been
enhanced further to include rock cutting capabilities in
compliment to the existing jet trenching capabilities, i.e.
the vehicle is still capable of jet cutting a 2m deep x
0.75m wide trench utilizing the original primary burial
tool and deployment mechanisms, without the need to
recover the vehicle and remove any of the additional
equipment fitted to achieve the rock cutting capability.
Comprehensive predicted performance analyses have
been employed extensively during the design phase of
the upgrade to ensure that the optimum rock cutting
methods and equipment are selected to suit the client
requirements. These analyses are founded on first
0.06
water principles, industry recognised and accepted methods
solids for evaluating the mechanisms of rock and soil failures
picks 0.05 and behaviors and combined and compared with
min.V. Het.
experience and actual performance from similar
0.04
equipment and systems.
The target performance criteria for rock cutting with
fraction
0.03 upgraded system was originally specified as:
0.02 Rock wheel Trenching Rate - 80 to 400 m/hr
(depending on soil conditions)
Typical Soil Conditions:
Sand - 400 m/ hr
Volume Fraction
Stiff Clay - 150 m/hr
Rock to 8 MPa UCS - 80 m/hr
60 70 80
The predicted performance analysis indicates that the
upgraded system should not only achieve the target
performance.