Oil States MCS in Barrow-in-Furness, U.K. were involved in abrasive cutting operations in the heart of London, where the tallest ferris wheel in the world has been erected. The wheel, sponsored by British Airways and named the London Eye, weighs 1500 tons and is 450 feet in diameter, and looks down on County Hall and the Houses of Parliament.
The size of the wheel dictated that it be constructed on a workstation built over the River Thames. The workstation was supported by tubular piles driven into the riverbed. It was these piles which needed to be removed by cutting below the riverbed.
The Oil States MCS abrasive cutting system, originally developed in Houston and now used also by the U.K. unit, proved to be the ideal technique for the work. The system uses a high-pressure water and grit jet that cuts through the pile; the jet is then rotated through 360° to completely sever the pile.
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Oil States Industries, Inc.
Oil States International, Inc.