Dredging Plant

Types of equipment and their uses

11 February 2021 Dredging Management Course

 A brief history of dredging

19th century saw

Centrifugal pump
Manual excavation on steam powered
developments led to
makeshift equipment mechanical dredgers
hydraulic dredging
and barge loading

1970s saw
development of rock 21st century saw boom Recent developments
cutting equipment to in vessel size to match focus on sustainability
tackle projects in project sizes or bespoke solutions
Middle East

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 Material life cycle

Excavation:
Material Transport
Deposition
removed from - how?
seabed

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 Excavation techniques

Erosion (sand, silt)

• Material has no/low cohesion and loosens under
hydraulic pressure.
Cutting (rock, clay)
• Mechanical cutting loosens material and removes a
level of material.
Ripping (rock)
• Mechanical force exploits fractures in rock so that
‘cutting’ is reduced.
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 Types of dredger

Cutter suction Trailing suction

dredger hopper dredger

Other
Backhoe and grab • Water injection
dredgers • Ploughing

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 Cutter suction dredger

Large CSD (Bray et al, 1997)

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 Video: Cutter suction dredger

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 CSD –Loading alternatives

Image courtesy of DEME Group

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 Cutter suction dredger
◼ Cutterhead
 Material loosened, carried up ladder by
hydraulic flow (pumped)
 Various teeth by material type
◼ Dredges silt, sand, clay and rock
◼ Transport & deposition methods
 Barges – side-loading or via pontoon
 Pipeline offshore or onshore
 Bottom placement
◼ Environmental Above:
 Spillage at cutterhead Cutterhead with
 Silt curtains pick-point teeth

Left – silt
curtain
assembly

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 Video: Trailing suction hopper dredger

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 Trailing suction hopper dredger
◼ Operation ◼ Environmental
 Self-propelled  Overflow control during loading
 Dragheads mobilise and suck material into  Green valves
hopper  LNG power and reduced emissions
 Suits granular or low strength materials for
both capital and maintenance works

◼ Placement methods
 Rainbowing from bow
 Onshore pumping via pipeline
 Bottom placement

TSHD (Bray et al, 1997)

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 Video: Backhoe dredger

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 Backhoe & grab dredger
◼ Operation:
 Floating pontoon
 Bucket size and teeth vary by
material
 Bottom placement or barge loading
 Tugs and/or spud movement to travel
◼ Can dredge variable material e.g.
boulder clay & some rock
◼ Suits confined environments
 Rivers, berths etc.
 Near structures
◼ Environmental
 Small source-term (sediment release)
 Backhoe lids and ‘clam’ grabs reduce Top – Backhoe on River
source-term Thames

Right – grab bucket

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 Water injection dredgers and ploughs

◼ Water Injection Dredger

(WID)
 Water jet close to sea-bed
 Dilutes and mobilises low-
strength fine material
 Maintenance work in
harbours and channels Top – WID (Bray, 1997)

◼ Agitation Bottom – WID raised bar

(Jetsed, Van Oord)
 Material placed into water
column for dispersion by
currents
◼ Plough
 Cutting blade dragged by
vessel along seabed
 Levelling high spots and
relocating material
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 Novel approaches
◼ Cutterhead attachment – combines Left - Waterking
amphibious dredger
backhoe manoeuvrability with hydraulic
transport Right - Italdraghe
backhoe dredger
◼ Amphibious excavators – land cutterhead
transportable and self-sufficient

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 Comparing equipment

CSD TSHD BHD WID

• Continuous • Greatest flexibility • Small source-term • Low overhead

production. in dredge depth (sediment plume). cost.
• Several material and wave climate. • Suits for most • Suits loose,
transport options. • Self-contained material types relatively fine,
• Can be configured operation. • Best accuracy e.g. mobile materials.
to suit many • Scope to reduce near structures. • Low production
material types. environmental • Low production rate.
• Potentially large impact. rate. • Relies on external
support fleet. • Most effective in forces to relocate
• Limited scope to granular material. material (limited
reduce • Greatest vessel control)
environmental draught.
impact.

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 A few considerations for plant selection
Logistics Project requirements Manoeuvrability
• Production rate and • Schedule and costs • Dimensions of volume of
schedule • Acceptable level of risk material
• Supporting plant • Re-use of material and • Confined access
• Crew numbers condition post-dredging • Sensitive structures
• Mobilisation & local plant • Capital or maintenance

Wave climate Depths & currents Environmental

• Deposition and dredge sites • Tidal windows • Removal of seabed
• Storm events • Draft at deposition and • Plumes
• Safe mooring dredging sites • Noise
• Side slope stability • Tidal and river flow • Contaminants
• Natural infill • Dissolved oxygen

Port usage Geotechnical conditions

• Marine traffic • Dredgability
• Speed restrictions • Variability
• Design dredge depth • Uncertainties
• Obstructions / wrecks • Debris
• Emissions limitations • Unexploded ordnance

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Auxiliary equipment

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 Split Hopper Barge

◼ Can be self propelled

◼ Are loaded by CSDs or BHDs
◼ The hull splits to release the
dredge material

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 Spray Pontoon & Booster Station

◼ Discharge dredged material at

a particular location in a
controlled way

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 Multicat and Tug

◼ Push/ tow
◼ Deliver parts and spares
◼ Install navigation aids
◼ Anchor handling…

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 Survey Vessel & Crew Transfer

◼ Undertake hydrographic
surveys
◼ Transfer personnel

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 Interesting publications

◼ Bray et al (1997) Dredging: A

Handbook for Engineers,
Butterworth-Heinemann
◼ Bray (2008) Environmental
Aspects of Dredging, CRC Press
◼ BS 6349-5 (2016) Maritime
Structures: Dredging and Land
Reclamation
◼ CEDA/IADC (2018) Dredging for
Sustainable Infrastructure
◼ PIANC (2014) Classification of
Soils and Rocks for the Maritime
Dredging Process, WG144

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Questions
g.sforzi@hrwallingford.com

11 February 2021 Dredging Management Course