Washing Dishes
GEC Marconi operate satellite receiving stations worldwide. Aquablast UHP water blast pumps
were chosen to renovate the aluminium dish on their mid-Atlantic tracking station on San Miguel
Island in the Azores.
Because of the complex rotating tracking assembly at the base of the antenna there was
great concern at the prospect of using open dry abrasive blasting on the overhead dish.
Aquablast UHP was the perfect solution for the project. Abseilers were able to work
comfortably inside the dish because of the low reaction force from Aquablast 35,000 psi
(2,600 bar) UHP guns and the failed coatings, including the aluminium etch primer, were
quickly removed without damage to the comparatively thin aluminium dish.
At typical water flows of only 12 litres per minute per gun, the drinking water supply to
the station’s continuously-manned control room, was easily able to supply water for the
project. The total amount of water falling from the dish during water blasting operations
was less than normally experienced from normal rainfall.
The underside of the dish was sweep-blasted to remove loose rust and scale and the whole
project, including re-painting and mobilisation/demobilisation of equipment and personnel
back to mainland Europe, was completed in less than one month.
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