PSL Develops New Tech to Improve Divers’ Safety

PhotoSynergy (PSL), a Scottish research and development company, has produced a new technology which aims to enhance safety for deep sea divers in the oil and gas industry.

Namely, PSL, a spin out company of the University of St Andrews, has further developed its fibre lighting system LIGHTPATH, which offers a technical solution to many sectors where safety of life is paramount.

Its new SLS2000 is a small, compact unit at just 30mm in diameter and 70mm long, which has been designed to provide a light source to saturation divers using an LED attached to the umbilical at the divers’ end.

The development of the SLS2000 closely follows the successful launch earlier this year of the deep water SLS7000, a version of LIGHTPATH that may help identify the position and orientation of seabed operations down to 3,000 metres to reduce the time for installation, maintenance and repair by work-class ROVs.

PSL Director Don Walker said that operational sea trials of the new SLS2000 would begin with existing clients later this year, following final in-house and external pressure testing.

“We had been testing the SLS5000 with a number of clients during its development phase and had received feedback from divers and their teams on the benefits of having a low power, minimal sized package, which would not impede the diver and which could be illuminated from the diver end as opposed to the dive bell end.

“The first unit was ready for testing just two months after we received the initial feedback on specific requirements. As a sealed-for-life unit, it’s a first for PSL and simplifies the construction in terms of its complexity, part count and minimal size, and maintenance while retaining the lighting concept. It’s our aim to start sea trials by the end of this year at the very latest.”