10 IDR June/July 2019 www.dredgemag.com
WEDA-TechNotes Program Suggested to Provide Industry with Detailed Information on Dredging Topics
BY JUDITH POWERS The Western Dredging Association (WEDA) Environmental Commission Chair Craig Vogt will present his idea for a WEDA-TechNotes program at the Environmental Commission meeting on Tuesday, June 4 at the WEDA 2019 Dredging Summit and Expo in Chicago. The proposed plan will facilitate the position of WEDA as the center of excellence in technical knowledge regarding dredging, dredged material management, and marine construction by pro- ducing technical notes on topics of interest to the dredging industry, and making them avail- able as PDFs on the organization's website. The TechNotes would be two to four-page summaries of technical information on dredging technologies, engineering aspects of navigation and environmental dredging, dredged material management, and environmental and safety is- sues on dredging, navigation, marine engineer- ing and construction projects. The information in each WEDA-TechNote would interest those in the dredging, naviga- tion, marine engineering and construction com- munity, i.e., dredging contractors, equipment manufacturers, consultants, academics, students, regulators, the public, media and other stake- holders. Each TechNote would be drafted by one or two WEDA members and be peer-reviewed by two other WEDA members that are select- ed by the chair of the WEDA Environmental Commission, the WEDA Safety Commission or other WEDA commissions or committees. The WEDA Board of Directors, or their designee, would conduct the final review before placing the final TechNote on the WEDA website. The WEDA Environmental Commission would initiate development of WEDA-Tech- Notes related to environmental concerns and issues, the Safety Commission would steward safety issues and concerns, and topics in Dredg- ing 101 would serve as the basis for developing the first WEDA-TechNotes. Initial plans for the TechNotes call for a sum- mary of information and not in-depth engineer- ing and technical reviews of information. Key references will be cited for more comprehensive and detailed information. Depending upon the subject and who is pre- paring the WEDA-TechNote, the ideal time- frame from initiation to posting on the website is four to six months. The program will be intro- duced and initiated during the Environmental Commission meeting in Chicago. At that meet- ing, the Environmental Commission will seek volunteers to prepare WEDA-TechNotes on the following topics: What is Dredging-Types and Characteris- tics of Dredging Projects Benefits of Dredging What are Dredges: Hopper Dredges, Pipe- line Dredges, Mechanical Dredges Dredged Material Disposal and Management (open water, CDFs, CADs, Upland) Beneficial Use of Dredged Material Regulatory Roles of Federal and State Agencies in Dredging Navigation Dredging: Regulatory Overview Dredged Material Characterization and Testing Permit Terms and Conditions in Dredging Environmental Issues Associated with Dredging Environmental Monitoring of Dredging Mitigation and Dredging Engineering with Nature The plan is to prepare and post the first notes by the end of 2019, with a long-term schedule including the production or revision of four to six WEDA-TechNotes (from the Environmen- tal Commission) every calendar year. Regular review of previous publications would be in- corporated into the overall schedule. When WEDA-TechNotes are placed on the website, members will be notified. Vogt referenced the International Asso- ciation of Dredging Companies (IADC) Facts About series, and the U.S. Army Corps of En- gineers TechNotes as templates for the WEDA program. Websites for these programs are: IADC: https://www.iadc-dredging.com/84/ dredging/facts-about/ USACE: http://www.wbdg.org/ffc/army-coe/ technotes. In addition to quality control tests, static and dynamic tests look at the ball joints under standard operational conditions. A static test will pressure the joint to 30 bar, the required operational pressure. The dynamic test involves applying movement to the joint (simulating the movement during dredging operations), while the joint is pressurized. The ball joints for this project are suitable for a continuous pressure of at least 30 bar, and Debo said the standard range for a ball joint is 10 to 30 bar. The ball joints have been designed using FEM (fine element metal) analysis, which uses computer software to model how the prod- uct reacts to different physical effects/forces, such as heat, pressure, vibrations and motion, to simulate how the ball joint would perform under different conditions. In the field, two parts of the ball joint are welded to the steel pipeline. Thick heavy welds ensure the system can withstand the needed pressure. While the standard range for ball joints is 10 to 30 bar, Dredge Yard is currently working on a new project for the delivery of high pressure joints, suitable for up to 50 bar. Dredge Yard produces ball joints and other dredge components, such as dredge pumps, valves, pipes, auger heads and cutter heads. Dredge Yard also manufactures small to medi- um-sized dredges - plain suction, water injec- tion, auger and cutter suction dredges.
Dredge ball joints are used as a flexible connection or coupling between steel pipelines. Before delivery, the ball joints underwent a number of tests, including a dynamic test to mimic the move- ments of a dredging operation.
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