Evaluation of Dredging Performance in a Trailing Suction Hopper Dredger
Type:
Presented during:
WODCON XVIII - 2007 Orlando, Florida, USA
Authors:
Wangli, et al
Abstract: The performance and operational efficiency of a trailing suction hopper dredger currently heavily depend on the experience and insight of the operators on board of the ship. While dredging companies are interested in the continuous evaluation and improvement of the dredging performance, no sound evaluation methods have been proposed yet. In this paper, a systematic methodology is developed to evaluate the dredging performance based on data measured onboard. Four performance indices are proposed: Added tons of dry solids, Dry solids production rate, Sand storage ratio and TDS mass ratio. These indices facilitate performance evaluation from the production and time efficiency point of view. A dredging cycle is first evaluated as a whole to get an overall indication of the performance. Furthermore, in order to get more insight in what causes such a performance, the dredging cycle is divided into three phases: 1) initial filling of the hopper without overflow, 2) constantvolume phase with overflow, and 3) constant-tonnage phase with overflow automatically controlled by lowering the overflow pipe. The performance indices are then employed to evaluate the three phases separately. The proposed methodology can be used as a tool for an off-line analysis and also as a part of an on-board decisionsupport or advisory system. In this way, the operators ca
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