Flexible spudcarrier

Bend or break ....

Strong winds and high waves can create problems for cutter suction dredgers. The waves can exert enormous pressure on the spud that holds the dredger to the seabed, straining the spud or even breaking it. So very heavy seas can force the dredger to stop working and to take shelter in a harbour.

A flexible spud carrier can help to solve this problem. Moving with the flow of the waves is the solution. It enables to cope with the forces exerted on the spud and therefore to keep on working longer in heavy seas.


How it works

DEME's cutter suction dredger, the D'ARTAGNAN, is one of the first dredgers equipped with a flexible spud carrier system. The spud carrier on the D'ARTAGNAN has been made more flexible by the introduction of crossed wires. The movement of the ship results in the rotation of the spud carrier, stretching the wires and generating forces in the opposite direction to the rotation of the spud carrier. The system includes hydraulic cylinders to regulate the forces in the wires. So the spud carrier bends to the waves in a controlled way, preventing the overloading of the spud.


Simulation model

The Product Development department at IHC Dredgers built a simulation model for the flexible spud carrier. The model was used to determine safe parameters for the hydraulic system, taking into account the impact of water depth, tides, penetration into the bed, etc. The model was validated using measurements conducted on cutter suction dredger, the D'ARTAGNAN. DEME made it possible for tests to be conducted on the Ras Laffan project in Qatar, where the dredger was at work in a rocky bed and severe sea conditions.


Performance

The flexible spud carriage system provides increased production figures and operational persistence under increasing sea state conditions. The system can also be applied on smaller dredgers. The smaller dredgers will profit of the phenomenon within their own dimensions and power. More information ...

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