Cave diving rescue in France

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Re: Cave diving rescue in France

Postby yvonnedroms » Dec 3, 2010 10:00 am

Here is the official report from Spéléo Secours for Wednesday Dec 1 and Thursday Dec 2:

Both days were very similar, and the missions were identical: to pump and to remove sand. But each day had rewards and problems.

On Wednesday, the unstable weather conditions and especially the cold affected the electrical grid. The delivered voltage, already limited for such a large operation, collapsed from the extra demand due to the cold. The debit of the pumps was noticeably reduced. One of the daily missions for the bottom team is to reinstall the telephones, which are vital for the operation but rather sensitive to the conditions underground. Work at the bottom continues, and bags of sand are removed one by one from Sump 2. The cleared area is always increasing, but as soon as the water returns, it brings back a quantity of sand. Since the flow is toward the pump, it brings the sand down to the low spot that was created and sand accumulates at the entrance of the sump. This cycle forces each new team to do extra work. Towards 6 p.m. each day, the level of the water goes up in the cave, and the pumps are not sufficient anymore to absorb this additional flow. So the teams return to the surface.

On Thursday, the situation was the same, except that a technical problem kept the cavers from working for a few hours at the bottom. The pump at Sump 2 stopped functioning. After attempts to fix it failed, the decision was made to look for a new one. The reserve pump was brought down during the morning and the system became operational again. Work resumed, but the lost hours could not be recovered since the 6 p.m. hour arrived. The passage is not yet conquered, but the motivation of the teams remains intact.

-Yvonne
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Re: Cave diving rescue in France

Postby Harald Franzen » Dec 5, 2010 3:23 pm

Thanks for all the translates, Yvonne!

I will not spoil it for the December 4th report; go check it out!
Also, maybe you can take a look here http://www.ledauphine.com/ardeche/2010/ ... mmentaires

Although it is a newspaper report (and not an SSF report) it indicates that at this time, EUR 80,000.-- has been collected in donations.
Should you consider to contribute too: http://ssf.ffspeleo.fr/index.php?option ... Itemid=182

One of the statements in the newspaper article is "we do this partly because we feel supported by a large community standing behind us". Which includes all of you who have already contributed and those that will yet do so!

Cheers,

Harald
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Re: Cave diving rescue in France

Postby yvonnedroms » Dec 5, 2010 6:01 pm

(Sorry for the delay, I was away caving.)

On Friday, December 3rd, the team was very motivated because at the end of Thursday, it had been possible to empty all the water from the sump. However the sand was still there, completely clogging the sump's passage. The plan for Friday was to install a large generator at the site, in order to supplement the power grid that is too weak to be able to run all the pumps at the right voltage. Also, a special pump that can suck in water laden with heavy particles was to be brought down to remove the sand from the sump.

Two teams went down. The first one installed the communication devices and started the pump in Sump 2. The Removal of water and sand began. Luckily, the temperatures remained below freezing all day, which allowed the teams to stay in very late since the usual water increase around evening did not happen. The second team steadfastly persevered in removing sand. The ceiling rose, but it was just a pocket. A third team came in to take over. They brought supplies to blast the ceiling so they could dig out sand more easily. Various issues slowed the progress, such as pumps or tubes clogged with sand, but they were taken apart, cleaned out, and work could start again.

Late in the evening, a little window in the ceiling started forming, and with each additional shovel full of sand removed, increased in size. Finally, a caver was able to slither though it into a large passage. Sump 2 was conquered! The caver walked along on dry,sand for a little ways and arrived in a room with a diameter of about 26 to 33 feet. To the right, a small infeeder cascaded down. To the left, a passage about 6 by 6 feet led to a new sump. This Sump 3 is much more welcoming: its water is totally clear. The caver kept his reconnaissance very short, because of the risk of the water level rising unexpectedly and fast. He returned, announcing the good news to the rest of the team. It was 3:30 in the morning, and the exhausted but exhilarated team returned to the surface.

This terrible Sump 2, a passage no longer than 20 feet, had stymied all efforts since November 10. But everyone's motivation and strength finally conquered it.

(There is no report for this weekend's efforts yet, but unofficially I read that it has not yet been possible to cross Sump 2 again, due to issues with pumping, and weather: snow and rain. Equipment had to be brought back out of the cave because of the weather forecast.)

-Yvonne
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Re: Cave diving rescue in France

Postby yvonnedroms » Dec 6, 2010 11:17 am

Here is the weekend report from Spéléo Secours Français:
The objective for the weekend of December 4 and 5 was simple: consolidating the passage through Sump 2 and diving Sump 3. Since the beginning of this operation, this had been the hoped-for moment: this could well be the head waters of the Dragonnière de Gaud. Sump 3 might be the front door that will lead to Eric’s body. All cavers involved in this operation are hoping and wishing that this is the case. However, the weather is very seldom their ally. The cold spell of the last few days helped some, by freezing the water at the surface.

During the day on Saturday, some maintenance was required for the pumps and the tubing. The cold caused lowered voltage, which the pumps did not appreciate, and one of them even gave up after a temporary phase loss. But the main issue is certainly the sand and the sediments. The pumps suck up this thick “soup,” but as soon as a plug or a hard spot develops in the tube, it clogs up completely as far as the pump. The tube then needs to be disassembled and emptied with the greatest difficulty since this soup is very sticky. This wastes a lot of time, and in the meantime, the water rises again in the sump. By the end of Saturday, the decision was made to bring out all the damaged equipment out of the cave to be repaired. The dive in Sump 3 that was planned for Sunday was postponed since it would not be possible to pass through Sump 2.

On Sunday, since it’s now known that Sump 2 is only 20 feet long, the plan was to empty Sump 2 and start enlarging the passage. The first team down had to do some repairs to the dam, and start pumping. Again the weather interfered: thawing started and the water levels rose rapidly. The level of Sump 2 did not go down enough for the blasting team to start their work. By 5 pm everyone had left the cave. During the afternoon, an electrician wired the main panel. There are various electrical power sources at the moment. The grid serves as the general purpose while no one is underground. When teams go down beyond Sump 1, the 380 v network is deployed and fed by the 70 kwa generator. It is a much more powerful source than the grid and it allows the pump to function at it should, and it guarantees an output of about 10 cubic meters per hour to the outside of the Puits de Ronze. Having two generators (10 kwa and 70 kwa) also ensures redundancy in the system.

The idea for the next few days is to achieve being able to pass through Sump 2 without having to pump it out, by enlarging the ceiling with explosives. In this way, there will always be a non-flooded way through, which will allow the safe return of the cavers from behind Sump 2.

-Yvonne
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Re: Cave diving rescue in France

Postby yvonnedroms » Dec 7, 2010 6:08 pm

There was no official report from Spéléo Secours Français today for Monday December 6, so I’ll update you unofficially: there was a lot of water in the Puits de Ronze on Monday. One team enlarged Sump 1 to make it easier to pass through there even with a lot of water present, then they went down to Sump 2 to try to do some enlarging there, but the water was just too much. It overflowed the dam at a rate of 20 liters/second, so the team returned to Sump 1 to work on that some more, as well as on a tube-like passage nicknamed the anus, which has definitely become a bit snug with all the tubes and cables passing through it.

For Tuesday, the plan was to go down to work on opening up Sump 2, to make it possible to at least pass through with your head out of the water in the event that the pumps malfunction. Making the passage through Sump 2 safe seems to be the most important task at the moment.

-Yvonne
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Re: Cave diving rescue in France

Postby yvonnedroms » Dec 8, 2010 12:22 pm

From Spéléo Secours:

On Monday December 6, a number of tasks needed to be done in the Puits de Ronze. A couple of ropes that were showing wear needed to be replaced before the pumping system in Sump 1 could be put back in order. This area needs to be maintained regularly since it affects the safety of the cavers beyond that passage. The pumps were checked and the tubes repositioned after having been emptied of sediments. Once all that was back in order and operational, the dam had to be inspected. The water flow was much higher than usual, about 20 liters per second, or ten times more than normal. The pumps are not meant for such flow. On the other hand, the dam is holding up well and does not show any weakness.

The team then went down to the bottom with the goal of performing a series of shots in the sump. They found the water level in Sump 2 to be the same as usual, even though the dam was full. That means that Sump 2 is capable of absorbing all of the water without its level rising, and therefore there must be a downstream continuation that has maybe not yet been found. In spite of that, the team still started enlarging the sump, but after one shot, the conditions were so bad that they had to retreat farther up the cave. In order to make use of their time in the cave, they decided to work some more on the low passage in Sump 1, which will improve conditions when passing through that tight area. Then they went up to the -75 meter level, in the middle of the pit, and used a drilling tool to improve passing through. Once more, Monday did not permit making any progress towards the objective, and nature again had the upper hand, but the time was not wasted and conditions were make much better for continuing.

-Yvonne
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Re: Cave diving rescue in France

Postby yvonnedroms » Dec 8, 2010 6:02 pm

Just a quick note to say that there are no official reports for Tuesday or Wednesday yet, but unofficially I heard from a participant today that the cave is in flood, and the dives were canceled. Bad weather is causing problems and slowing everything down. However the cavers are there, having come from all over France to help. They have faith that solutions will be found and that they will prevail in the end. They thank the Mayor of Labastide de Virac who, modestly and in the background, has been tremendously supportive of the operation.

-Yvonne
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Re: Cave diving rescue in France

Postby yvonnedroms » Dec 9, 2010 10:17 am

From Spéléo Secours: On Tuesday Dec 7, the uppermost desire and preoccupation was to go to Sump 2 and create a passage through it out of the water by blasting the ceiling. A very motivated team went down to do their best. Once they reached the main stream, they noticed that the water flow has gone slightly down. It was about 15 liters per second, but still 54 cubic meters per hour. That meant that the pumps would only bring the sump’s water level down by a bit, but by wearing their wet suits, the cavers would still be able to work in the ceiling of the sump. They used drills with the longest bits available (32 inches of useful bit). Shot after shot, straight into the rock, they continued enlarging until evening. The push forward is modest but still significant considering the conditions.

In the Puits de Ronze, it’s not possible to have many people working at the same time. Therefore, another team restarted the enlarging effort in the insurgence on the plateau. The results are encouraging and positive signs are appearing…

-Yvonne
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Re: Cave diving rescue in France

Postby yvonnedroms » Dec 9, 2010 3:57 pm

On Wednesday, Dec 8, it had stopped raining and the temperatures had gotten milder. The soil was drying up slowly but surely. A team went down the Puits de Ronze. At the bottom, the water was still flowing strongly. After making sure all the pumps were functioning properly, the cavers started enlarging the ceiling of Sump 2. They spent the day doing that.

At the insurgence on the plateau, enlarging continued also. There seems to be a void about five feet below the existing floor. Is it the top of a pit? No one can tell, but for now, it motivates the diggers.

-Yvonne
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Re: Cave diving rescue in France

Postby yvonnedroms » Dec 10, 2010 10:34 am

On Thursday, December 9, the team at the insurgence continued digging downwards in the fissure. Concrete results are expected soon.

In the Puits de Ronze, enlarging Sump 2 is a much more complex operation. The water level in the main stream is going down, but too little and especially not fast enough. Shots were done even though the water level was only down 4 inches. Weather forecast is improving for the next few days. That should mean a significant drop in the water level. At the first opportunity, the narrowest part of the passage in Sump 2 will be enlarged. At the same time, a tube and a rope will be passed through. The tube will be used to empty the sump from the far side with a sump pump, and the rope will be used as a diving guide line. With this set up, even if the sump fills up again, the divers will be able to cross the obstacle and finally dive Sump 3.

At the end of each day, all teams return to the command post to report on their missions and to offer their perspectives for future work. The technical counsel then organizes the tasks for the following day with the means and personnel at hand.

-Yvonne
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Re: Cave diving rescue in France

Postby yvonnedroms » Dec 12, 2010 8:26 pm

Still no official report from Spéléo Secours for Friday Dec 10 and the weekend, but a participant who has just come back from helping at the Puits de Ronze wrote on a forum that the water level has been going down too slowly for enlargement work to be possible in the ceiling of Sump 2. By Sunday the overflow rate at the dam was still 5 liters per second, whereas the specially made Italian pump can pump out at maximum 3 liters per second. There is work being done at the site, but it’s mainly rerigging of ropes, clean-up, and replacement of pumps. The team who is widening at the insurgence has dug down to about -9 meters. Another participant noted on the forum that the diver who crossed Sump 2 on December 4 came back on site Sunday evening. Hopefully on Monday the water level will be down enough to be able to restart the pumps.

-Yvonne
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Re: Cave diving rescue in France

Postby yvonnedroms » Dec 13, 2010 10:46 am

Report from Spéléo Secours for Dec 10 through 12:

The main focus of attention during those three days was on the diagram of the water intake in the Puits de Ronze. The flow continued to decrease, but at a less-than-desirable rate. All the water that was trapped at the surface and in the upper layers by the cold was slowly being released each day by the rise in temperature. Even though flow has decreased by three quarters, it still exceeds the capacity of the pumps. Enlargement work in the ceiling of Sump 2 was very much affected since working with a drill while immersed in water up to your chest is not very effective in spite of the strong will of the cavers. There is no precipitation forecast for the next few days, and the temps should be going down, which should help with the water flow and make a full return to work possible.

Meanwhile, in the insurgence, every day brought additional gains in the fight against rock.

This respite allows the divers to fully prepare for the planned reconnaissance dive to find out what’s behind Sump 3.

-Yvonne

P.S. A participant posted some photos and videos at:
http://mascdu26.blogspot.com/ (see Dec 12 posting)
They show what it takes to crawl around the tight tubes inside the Puits de Ronze and give a good perspective of why it's important to think of safety first. If the water levels were to rise rapidly, or a pump were to fail, it would be very hard to get an entire team to get out of there in time. I assume that's why so much importance is put on enlarging the ceiling of Sump 2 before anything else.
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Re: Cave diving rescue in France

Postby yvonnedroms » Dec 15, 2010 10:26 am

Monday Dec 13 and Tuesday Dec 14. For the past few days, teams have been taking turns going down to the bottom of the Puits de Ronze to check on the water level at the dam. The level is decreasing some each day, and it is now getting low enough to be able to work effectively. Every day, the rock-diggers are achieving good results while working under very difficult and wet conditions. On Tuesday, two teams took turns enlarging Sump 2 with explosives. Having bought longer drill bits with larger diameter is helping effectiveness. Still, there is one serious parameter that needs to be managed: the level of gas is higher, and it’s imperative to keep a close eye on that.

Teams are also working on the insurgence on the surface. It doesn’t look like the fissure wants to get wider, but it continues to descend…

The first priority for the next few days is to open Sump 2 with explosives. Still, a dive is planned for Wednesday in Sump 2. The passage is known to be very tight, but if a diver could get through, much time could be saved. The diver would install a tube from Sump 2 to Sump 3. This would allow to empty Sump 2 without having to worry about pumping water up to the surface, since a simple basement-type sump pump could handle the water flow.

-Yvonne
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Re: Cave diving rescue in France

Postby BrianC » Dec 15, 2010 11:03 am

This is one heck of a documentary! Thank you Yvonne for keeping us informed about this tragedy!
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Re: Cave diving rescue in France

Postby FW » Dec 15, 2010 11:19 am

Yvonne Droms wrote:.... Still, there is one serious parameter that needs to be managed: the level of gas is higher, and it’s imperative to keep a close eye on that....

What gas are they talking about? Methane? CO2?
Any opinions are personal.
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