Dredging Short Courses

Elizabeth Kaiser

By Eric Lillberg, SRS Crisafulli Senior Applications Engineer

When I first started as an applications engineer for SRS Crisafulli, I searched for information on the subject of dredging. I was surprised to find there was very little non-commercial content available. I have since found a pair of short courses, offered annually by Texas A&M, which I recommend highly to any professional interested in dredging. The Center for Dredging Studies at Texas A&M has amassed a teaching staff of notable individuals from the dredging world.

 Center for Dredging Studies

Dredging Engineering Short Course

Sixty four participants attended the 4 ½ day Dredging Engineering Short Course held January 11-15, 2010 at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas.  The short course was sponsored by the Center for Dredging Studies in the Coastal and Ocean Engineering Division of the Zachry Department of Civil Engineering.  Participants received a certificate of completion and 2.9 continuing education units. 

A wide range of dredging and dredged material placement topics were covered including: dredge pump and slurry pipe flow principles; sediment re-suspension; basic geotechnical engineering and dikes; cost estimating; basic dredge laws; cutter suction and hopper dredges and dredge automation; modeling dredged material placement; contaminated sediments; geotextile tubes; instrumentation, surveying and positioning; silent inspector program; confined disposal and capping; environmental regulations; testing manuals; EPA and port perspectives; wetland creation; enhanced settling of dredged material; beach nourishment; sand-water separation techniques; and beneficial uses of dredged material.

The next Dredging Engineering Short Course is scheduled for January 9-13, 2012 at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas.  More information and an application may be obtained from
r-randall@tamu.edu or Center for Dredging Studies.

 

Cutter Suction Dredge Simulator Short Course

The upcoming Cutter Suction Dredge Simulator Short Course will demonstrate the fundamentalCutter Suction Dredge Simulators of hydraulic dredging using a cutter suction dredge. Topics will include cavitation, deposition of sediment in the pipeline, cutter power, pipeline length limitations, pump power limitations, different sediments (fine sand, medium sand, stiff clay, etc), channel currents, and swing winch limitations.

In the January 2011 course the simulators were programmed with a 24-inch (610 mm) spud carriage and fixed spud dredge (other size dredges can be simulated as well).  Three simulators interfaced actual controls for a cutter suction dredge to personal computers, and each participant spent approximately 30 minutes on a simulator for each of 7 exercises.

In February a second simulator short course was offered for dredging personnel from the J. F. Brennan Company, of LaCrosse, Wisconsin.  In June a third simulator short course was conducted for the Bureau of Reclamation, of Yuma, Arizona. For the June course, the simulators were programmed with a 12-inch cutter suction dredge with spud carriage, to match the new dredge purchased by the Bureau from Ellicott Dredge.

The next simulator short course is scheduled for January 16-18, 2012 at Texas A&M in College Station, Texas.  More information and applications are available at  Center for Dredging Studies.

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