Dredging
Waim Akshay Ravindra
Dredging
Dredging is the term given to digging, gathering, or pulling out material
to deepen waterways, create harbours, channels, locks, docks and
berths, desilt lakes and keep river entrances and approaches to boat
ramps clear. The material removed during dredging can vary greatly and
can be any combination of rocks, clays, silts or sands.
Dredging is the removal of bottom sediments from streams, rivers,
lakes, coastal waters and oceans.
The resulting dredged material is transported by ship, barge or
pipeline to a designated disposal site on land or in the water.
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Necessity of Dredging
To maintain the depth in existing ports, harbours and channels to provide ready
and safe passage for commercial and recreational vessels.
To create new or deeper access for berths for vessels. This may mean the
deepening and widening of channels and anchorages as well as the excavation of
basins and marinas from areas of previously dry land.
To provide material for specific purposes, eg. Re-Nourishing of washed out beaches
To place a structure inside water bodies
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Dredging: Procedure
Dredging procedure can be classified as:
1) Pretreatment,(Excavation and Lifting)
2) Extraction and
3) Disposal.
Pretreatment means treatment of the ground before the dredging operations.
It usually consists of a separate operation carried out independently of other
dredging.
There are two basic methods of pretreatment: chemical and mechanical and
both are applied to rock or cemented soil.
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Dredging: Procedure
Extraction:
The extraction process involves the movement of the spoil from its natural
pretreated position into vertical transportation and its delivery to the transport
system.
Extraction processes are often a combination of at least two operations: the
primary operation which disintegrates or dislodges the soil and the secondary
operation which moves it. (performed either mechanically or hydraulically).
Disposal : Disposal facilities are consist of bottom discharge, grab, scrapers,
pipelines, land based unit, natural processes.
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Dredging: Types
1. Mechanical Dredging
1. Bucket Dredger
2. Grab Dredger
3. Backhoe Dredger
2. Hydraulic Dredging
1. Suction Dredger
2. Cutter Suction Dredger
3. Trailing Suction Hopper Dredger
4. Reclamation Dredger
5. Barge Unloading Dredger
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Dredging: Types
Bucket Dredger
It is a stationary dredger, fixed on anchors and moved while dredging along semi-arcs by winches.
One of the oldest types of dredging equipment.
It has an endless chain of buckets that fill while scraping over the bottom.
The buckets are turned upside down and empty moving over the tumbler at the top. The dredged material is
loaded in barges.
Grab Dredger
It is a stationary dredger, moored on anchors or on spud-poles.
The dredging tool is a grab normally consisting of two half-shells operated by wires or (electro)-hydraulically.
The grab can be mounted on a dragline or on a hydraulic excavator of the backhoe type.
The grab dredger is used in harbours; the dragline type also in deep water. The dredged material is loaded in
barges.
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Dredging: Types
Backhoe/Dipper Dredger
A Backhoe Dredger is a stationary dredger, moored on anchors or on spud-poles.
A spud is a large pole that can anchor a ship while allowing a rotating movement around
the point of anchorage.
Small backhoe dredgers can be track mounted and work from the banks of ditches.
A backhoe dredger is a hydraulic excavator equipped with a half open shell. This shell
is filled moving towards the machine.
Usually the dredged material is loaded in barges. This machine is mainly used in
harbors and other shallow waters.
Backhoe and dipper dredgers again consist of a rectangular pontoon, on which is
mounted the excavator unit. The excavator can be either an integral part of the dredger
or a proprietary mobile type adapted for marine working.
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Dredging: Types
A Suction Dredger is a stationary dredger used to mine for sand. The
suction pipe is pushed vertically into a sand deposit. If necessary water jets
help to bring the sand up. It is loaded into barges or pumped via pipeline
directly to the reclamation area.
A Cutter Suction Dredger is a stationary dredger which makes use of a
cutter head to loosen the material to be dredged. It pumps the dredged
material via a pipeline ashore or into barges. While dredging the cutter
head describes arcs and is swung around the spud-pole powered by
winches. The cutter head can be replaced by several kinds of suction heads
for special purposes, such as environmental dredging.
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Dredgers: Hydraulic Types
A Trailing Suction Hopper Dredger is a self-propelled ship which fills its
hold or hopper during dredging, while following a pre-set track. The
hopper can be emptied by opening bottom doors or valves (offloading)
or by pumping its load off ashore. This kind of dredger is mainly used in
open water: rivers, canals, estuaries and the open sea.
A Reclamation Dredger is a stationary dredger used to empty hopper
barges. A suction pipe is lowered into the barge. Extra water can be added
by water by water jets to facilitate the suction process. The dredged
material is pumped by pipeline ashore, to a reclamation area, or to a
storage depot.
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Dredgers: Hydraulic Types
Dredgers: Hydraulic Types
Barge unloading dredgers are used to transfer material from hopper
barges to shore, usually for reclamation.
A barge unloader is basically a pontoon supporting a suction pump for
the unloading, and a high-pressure water pump used to fluidize the
barge contents by jetting.
The mixture is then pumped through a pipeline to the point of
reclamation or relocation.
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Dredgers: Other Types
Air-lift dredgers are very similar to the jet-lift dredgers
Difference: the medium for inducing water and material flow is high pressure air
injected at the mouth of the suction pipe.
As with jet-lift dredgers there are no moving parts in the flow system. Hard or other
difficult to loosen materials cannot be dredged.
Augur suction dredgers operate on the same principles as a cutter suction dredger,
except that the mechanical cutting tool is a rotating Archimedean screw placed at right
angles to the suction pipe.
The screw dislodges material, which is fed to the centrally placed suction pipe. Most
units have a shroud over the cutting screw which reduces the spread of the plume of
disturbed bed material which normally escapes from all dredgers.
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Dredgers: Other Types
Pneumatic dredgers work on the ‘evacuator’ principle. A chamber with inlets for bed
material is pumped out with the inlets closed. The inlets are then opened, and water and
material drawn in. The mixture is then pumped out and the cycle repeated. The unit is
generally suspended from a crane on land or from a small pontoon or barge.
Amphibious dredgers have the unusual feature of being able to work afloat or elevated
clear of the water surface on legs. They can be equipped with grabs, buckets or a shovel
installation.
Water Injection Dredger: A Water Injection Dredger is a self-propelled dredger which brings
the sediment to be excavated into suspension with waterjets. This suspension is denser
than water. It will be carried away by gravity and currents. Water injection dredging is
mainly used for maintenance in harbours.
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