Creation of Ice-Free Zones for Dredges and Industrial Barges

The creation of ice-free zones for the passage of dredges and floating industrial barges is a major concern for mining and oil companies in northern Quebec and in Alberta in particular.

Several mining companies have contacted us on numerous occasions. In particular, for barge deicing needs. Sometimes the simplest solutions such as a Kasco Marine propeller deicer is sufficient to meet their needs.

In other more complex cases, such as in Alberta where the tar sands are found, the conditions are specific and are combined with extreme cold for several months. Our expertise in the deicing of industrial structures is often called upon. Deicing is a big part of their operations to protect equipment such as pumping and maintenance barges, dredges and other structures, allowing water pumping. With the combination of linear Bubble Tubing® deicing systems and propeller-driven deicing systems, we were able to meet their needs. To learn more about our turnkey deicing solutions, we invite you to read our article “Deicing solutions for the Alberta oil industry ”– a deicing project in the oil sands region of Northern Alberta.

In another case, with a mandate to build a new infrastructure at the base of a hydroelectric dam, a Northern Ontario company was looking for solutions to protect its barges from potential damages caused by ice and to ensure the freedom of movement of its barges on the work site.

We proposed the installation of multiple OctoAir-10 industrial diffusers. Here is an excerpt from an email from the project manager:

“(…) In all – the system worked well. We had to dial it in a bit, but during the entire Christmas shutdown 2011-2012, I did not receive a call from the personnel on site. Once we got it dialed in it ran for about 3 months with very little maintenance. We thank Bubble Tubing® for their assistance. I still have the 11 octo-diffusers, and will use this system again, should the need arise. “