MasterFlow® 9800 – a bulk supplied offshore grout enhancing productivity and safety

BASF and FoundOcean Ltd. have launched an integrated material?and?service system for the provision of a new high?strength grout, MasterFlow^® 9800, in Edinburgh, UK. BASF will present the new product at its booth at the EWEA Offshore 2015 fair in Copenhagen, Denmark, from March 10 to 12.

The new MasterFlow 9800 high-strength grout is the result of over three years of joint development with FoundOcean Ltd., the primary purpose of which has been to deliver significant and quantifiable improvements in productivity and safety when grouting offshore structures. The material is especially formulated for large?scale applications where bulk grout supply and continuous mixing and pumping are a major benefit.

“MasterFlow 9800 was developed toward the demanding requirements of a highly challenging offshore application environment. Aligning the excellent properties of the new offshore grout with the operational advantages of FoundOcean’s continuous mixing and pumping equipment will bring major health and safety improvements and installation cost reductions”, says Luc Westhof, Global Key Account Manager at BASF’s Construction Chemicals division.

Major advantages in operational processes

MasterFlow 9800 is set to improve offshore grouting by introducing a high?strength grout with important operational advantages. The material can be shipped and stored in silos rather than bags, facilitating quayside storage in all weathers as well as more flexibility in deck layout and omitting the requirement for bag or container lifting during grouting operations and dockside resupplies.

The material offers a number of superior properties, including extremely low autogenous shrinkage and excellent early strength development, even at cold temperatures, and high fatigue resistance. When combined with its operational advantages, these properties have the potential to provide significant reductions in grouting time cost optimization for the foundations installation, whilst ensuring the durability of the grouted connection.

“FoundOcean recognized a need amongst its customers for a material that could provide high early strength development and low temperature performance, yet also offer increased efficiency, safety and cleanliness”, comments Managing Director Jim Bell on the motivation behind the joint development.

It also allows for the use of an upgraded version of FoundOcean’s Recirculating Jet Mixer (RJM). The delivery rates when using an RJM are upwards of 20 cubic meters per hour and as such faster grouting of the annulus can be achieved, saving valuable offshore operating days. The closed circuit between the silo and RJM, along with the continuous mixing process, also minimizes overage, as well as reducing dust.