Tunneling & Pipeline Support
Hyperbaric interventions, intake pipe descaling, and conduit inspection.
Hyperbaric interventions, intake pipe descaling, and conduit inspection.
Tunneling & Underground Infrastructure Marine Support
TBM cutterhead interventions, hyperbaric locks, intake pipeline de-silting, and aqueduct cleaning.
Large-diameter tunneling projects beneath waterways face extreme hydrostatic pressures, soil instability, and compressed-air intervention requirements.
Chow Marine provides specialized marine and hyperbaric engineering support for Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) operations, submerged pipeline construction, and deep municipal aqueducts.
Our teams specialize in compressed-air cutterhead interventions, supplying certified hyperbaric decompression chambers, qualified medical chamber operators, and saturation divers to change TBM cutter discs under pressures exceeding 5 bar.
We also execute long-distance tunnel de-silting and inspection operations using high-thrust crawler jetters and vacuum extraction lines extending hundreds of meters underground.
Hyperbaric Medical Protocol
Establishment of hyperbaric treatment facilities, compressed-air decompression tables, and physician watch.
Cutterhead Air Lock Ingress
Controlled compression of hyperbaric technicians into pressurized cutterhead chamber under bentonite slurry.
Disc Cutter Replacement
Torquing and replacing worn carbide roller discs, hydro-cleaning cutterhead spray nozzles, and inspecting structural wear.
Controlled Decompression
Staged oxygen decompression in accordance with CSA Z275.1 standards and post-intervention medical clearance.
| Intervention Pressure | Up to 6.5 Bar Compressed Air |
| Chamber Systems | Multi-Place Twin-Lock Hyperbaric Units |
| Medical Oversight | Certified Diving Medical Officers on Call |
| Breathing Gases | Medical Air / Nitrox / Trimix |
| Tunnel Jetting Reach | Up to 1,000m Internal Line |
Hyperbaric Cutterhead Interventions on Sub-Aqueous Transit Tunnel
Management of 28 consecutive pressurized cutterhead interventions at 4.2 bar pressure to replace 64 worn cutting discs beneath an active shipping canal.
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What is a hyperbaric cutterhead intervention?
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What is a hyperbaric cutterhead intervention?
When a tunnel boring machine digs beneath a body of water or through water-bearing soil, the front excavation chamber must be pressurized with compressed air or bentonite slurry to keep water from rushing in. Technicians enter through air locks under high pressure to inspect and replace worn cutter tools.
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What safety standards govern your hyperbaric tunneling work?
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What safety standards govern your hyperbaric tunneling work?
We comply with CSA Standard Z275.1 (Hyperbaric Operations), OSHA 29 CFR 1926 Subpart S, and the International Tunneling Association (ITA) guidelines for compressed air work.
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Do you provide on-site decompression chambers?
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Do you provide on-site decompression chambers?
Yes. We supply transportable, containerized multi-place hyperbaric treatment chambers complete with medical locks, primary and secondary air supplies, fire suppression, and environmental scrubbers.
Ready To Mobilize Crew & Tooling?
Connect directly with our Hamilton operations superintendent for emergency rapid mobilization, site evaluation, and firm engineering proposals.