Cable Trackers Help Diving Companies and Military
Trying to locate subsea power and communications cables has always been a difficult job. Regulations require cables be buried from several feet to several meters under the ocean bottom to prevent snagging by boat anchors and fishing trawls. The amount of overburden on a cable often means it’s too deep to be located with conventional metal detection equipment. The device that has proved most effective in finding them is a cable tracker. This system has two parts, a signal injector and a probe. The injector is attached to the shore end of a line and induces a signal into one of the conductors.
New Technology for Subsea Pipe and Cable Tracking
Utility companies have been laying pipes and cables across the ocean floor for more than a century. Prior to the introduction of GPS, marking their location was difficult, and position information was often erroneous. It is extremely important to know where existing lines lie before undertaking dredging operations or when new pipes and cables are laid down. Regulations require they be buried from several feet to several meters under the bottom to prevent snagging by anchors and…
Diving Companies Track Pipes and Cables
WJ Castle PE & Associates Castle was recently subcontracted by Brayman Construction to perform an inspection and document the underwater conditions at a utility’s proposed site for a diffuser pipe extension. Using JW Fishers CT-1 cable tracker and PT-1 pipe tracker, Castle’s team of divers searched for a high voltage power cable and pipeline running through the area. Complicating the job was the excessive amount of debris littering the site, including steel plates, beams, and wire rope. Also close by were a seawall, constructed of steel-reinforced concrete and steel plates. Very high concentrations of ferrous metal in the area prevented the use a standard magnetometer, as it would be impossible to locate individual pieces.
