Brush-Kart . The Brush-Kart is a diver platform which cleans a 1.2-in 



TOO 19"^ 



swath per pass . ' The unit, Figure 10, is held in contact with the 

 hull by rotary suction of the brushes. The vehicle is steered by divers 

 and cannot operate by remote control. A diesel engine in a workboat oper- 

 ates hydraulic pumps which provide power through two coaxial hydraulic 



hoses to rotate brushes and drive the rubber wheels on the vehicle. It has 



124 

 been used to clean a few U.S. Navy ships and has been reported to be an 



effective cleaning-tool system. It probably could be modified to operate 



at greater depths by pressurizing critical fittings. A convenient hose 



length operating over a wide range of cleaning depths would be possible 



if the OTEC platform were equipped with underwater connections providing 



hydraulic power. 



Figure 10 - Brush-Kart Cleaning Unit 



TM- 



U.S. Phosmarine, Inc , 



59 



