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Application
LoTS oF SAnD
AnD LITTLE WATER
Automation of high-precision dredgers
on the sea floor
When excavators are used on land, you can see every shovel moving and the
sand pile getting bigger. On the sea floor, however, this same work is not
quite as easy. A highly technical process is required instead: A large volume
of measuring data is collected continuously, the position of the dredger has
to be determined precisely, and the devices used must operate trouble-free in
extreme conditions. In addition to this, the sand has to be separated from the
water. These are all tasks for which Van Oord are specialists, and the company
was impressed by the Bachmann M1 controller system.
Van Oord Dredging and Marine Contractors
is a family-owned enterprise based in
Rotterdam (nL). The company is active in
the field of marine infrastructure projects.
Van Oord has 4,500 employees worldwide in
25 branch offices. It has a fleet of 95 ships.
special ship ‘vox Maxima’
with a trailing suction hopper
dredger
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bachmann.realtimes 11/2011
V
an Oord is a Dutch-based, independent family
business that offers solutions for demanding
marine infrastructure projects. Since its founding
over 140 years ago, Van Oord has been constructing and
maintaining ports and building defences for rivers and
coastlines in order to protect land from the hazards of
environmental influences resulting from climate change.
The company is also active in the construction of offshore
wind parks or pipelines. Land reclamation is another one
of the company’s strengths: One of its most well-known
projects is the ‘Palm Jumeirah’ – one of the three palm
shaped islands off Dubai. For all these projects, van oord
has to move large quantities of sand: Trailing suction
hopper dredgers are the tools for the task.
lArge DeviCe in operATion
The dimensions of these types of dredgers, such as the
‘Vox Maxima’, are enormous: Giant pumps with an output
of over 31,000 kW convey the sand through suction pipes
up to 100 m in length from the sea floor onto the ship.
The hopper, with a capacity equal to that of 1,250 trucks,
is filled in only two hours: This is the equivalent of more
than ten truck loads of sand per minute. A kind of ‘mouth’
is fitted at the end of the suction pipe and is provided with
‘teeth’ to loosen up the sand on the sea floor so that it can
be sucked in. The process of loading as much sand but as
little water as possible at the same time is complicated.
Several parameters have to be monitored and processed
by the control system.
iMpressive M1 perforMAnCe
Van Oord has developed the ‘Vodas’ automation system for
these kinds of tasks. On the ‘Vox Maxima’ this determines
the exact position and dredging depth of the suction
dredger, as well as measuring the vacuum, the sand and
the water flow. As in other applications, van oord was
faced with the increasing demands placed on the actual
control system and its interfaces to its Vodas system.
For this reason, the company started looking some time
ago for a replacement for its previously used controller
platform and came across Bachmann: “The Bachmann
»
system is being used on an increasing number of ships
so that we have been able to have a closer look at it.
The first impression was already promising and we were
pleased with the compact, robust design,” Igor Jeuken,
PA Engineer at Van Oord, describes the initial contact.
The technical evaluation and a comparison with other
controller systems showed that the operation of the M1
was outstanding: “The openness of the system helped us
a great deal: We were able to continue the use of our own
tried and tested programs,” Igor Jeuken expresses his
delight and adds: “There are no limits to developments
in the future since the M1 can be expanded without any
problems.” The ColdClimate modules of the M1 controller
are perfect for Van Oord: The temperature range from
-30° to +60°C and the operational safety even when
condensation is present are impressive features. The fact
that the Bachmann system also comes with the necessary
type tests from ABS, Dnv, LRS, Bv and GL was also a key
factor
profiTAble CollAborATion
Twenty engineers from Van Oord took part in a oneday training program in Bachmann’s veendaal offices
in Holland, and nine of them were then trained up
as specialists for the Bachmann controller system at
Bachmann’s headquarters in Feldkirch. “our engineers
gained an excellent impression of the high standard
maintained by Bachmann during development and
production,” Igor Jeuken explains. “We were very pleased
to meet the experts at Bachmann, who are also available
to us for special technical issues.”
The combination of Bachmann’s M1 and Van Oord’s
experience will allow more efficient and more precise
work in the future. “We intend to use the M1 more for the
automation of our processes,” Igor Jeuken sums up. “Our
aim is to own the most state-of-the-art fleet in our sector.
The use of Bachmann’s M1 is an important part of this.”
We’ve been impressed by
the openness and flexibility of
the Bachmann M1 controller
system.
igor jeuken
PA Engineer at Van Oord
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