Dredge Projects

Kruse Integration has experience providing automation solutions in a variety of industries. Our staff of seasoned engineers can provide solutions in industries as diverse as pharmaceuticals, chemical processing, steel making and food and beverage. We have automated many different process types, including discrete manufacturing , continuous and batch processes. We have developed ways to improve efficiency, reduce downtime and increase production in many facilities.

We complete over 200 projects annually. Kruse Integration specialists can provide answers for your specific needs.

 

Automatic Slope and Profile Control on a Cutter Suction dredge
Customer: Palm Beach Aggregates
Location: Palm Beach, FL

Description: The customer required to have the ladder automatically follow a predetermined contour of the local municipalities geodesic pond designs for water storage.

Details: The dredge has a 30″ discharge pipeline with an 11′ diameter cutter and 4500 h.p. hull pump. We installed DredgePack software and instrumentation to supply ladder depth and cutter GPS location offsets to the on-board Programmable Logic Controller. The Trimble RTK GPS was setup to give position, tide and heading accurate to the dredge ladder trunion. We developed custom calculations to provide location offsets (2 tens foot accuracy when validated) of the cutter location relative to the ladder trunion. The final calculated location was sent to the DredgePack software through OPC communication capabilities. DredgePack displays real-time positioning of the dredge and cutter relative to the permitted area to the Operator. The municipal slope and elevation requirements of the ponds were entered into the DredgePack software as 3D Face files. Our logic in the PLC keeps the bottom of the dredge cutter moving smoothly to maintain the required slopes regardless of the pond design or dredge slope approach. All of the displayed data was collected in a local data-base and we incorporated a secure Ethernet Wireless system to remote the real-time and historical information to the remote office. All of the data can be viewed through the Internet with proper log on authorization. This allows for remote viewing, data collection and troubleshooting of the system. Additionally, we have developed production and downtime collection and reporting database and tables which are viable remotely via any web browser.

Points of Interest: The dredge ladder winch and swing winches are automatically controlled by the PLC system to precisely maintain the required slopes and elevations designed by the local Palm Beach municipality • Engineering and survey personnel don’t have to go to the dredge to retrieve permit data • Files and updates can be transferred over the wireless system • Maintenance personnel can monitor the dredge performance from remote locations • Web-based reporting of downtime and production are acquired through a secure Internet connection • Remote access provides less expensive and quicker system support.

Environmental Dredge Positioning and Status recording
Customer: JF Brennan
Location: Lacrosse, WI

Description: The customer required to have four of their existing swinging ladder c/s dredges retrofitted with GPS position logging of the cutter as well as dredge system status monitoring for environmental permitting assurance.

Details: Each dredge required an RTK GPS system with two receivers to give position, tide and heading of the ladder trunion. We installed DredgePack for the position logging as well as a graphical interface package to display dredge system parameters on the same lever room computer. An encoder was installed on the swinging ladder as well as inclinometer on the ladder for angle sensing. The articulating cutter knuckle had an underwater inclinometer for cutter angle offset. Additionally, we had to install a pitch and roll angle sensor in our instrument control cabinet for correcting motion offsets. Kruse Integration developed custom calculations to provide location offsets (1-2 tens foot accuracy when validated) of the cutter location relative to the ladder trunion. The final calculated location was sent to the DredgePack software through OPC communication capabilities. DredgePack displays real-time positioning of the dredge and cutter relative to the permitted area to the Operator. On the same screen are the graphical real-time bargraph displays developed to indicate several dredge parameters to the Operator. All of the displayed data was collected in a local data-base and we incorporated a secure Ethernet Wireless system to remote the real-time and historical information to the remote office. All of the data can be viewed through the Internet with proper log on authorization. This allows for remote viewing and troubleshooting of the system.

Points of Interest: The dredge Operator is able to maintain the required permit removal depth based on watching the real-time cutter location superimposed on the lake bathometric view • Engineering and survey personnel don’t have to go to the dredge to retrieve permit data • Files and updates can be transferred over the wireless system • Maintenance personnel can monitor the dredge performance from remote locations • Web-based reporting an be added to the system with minimal effort and development • Remote access provides less expensive and quicker system support

DredgeMasters International, Inc. hydraulic cutter suction (CS) dredge
Customer: Phoenix Pinelands
Location: Warren Grove, NJ

Description: The customer teamed Kruse Integration with DredgeMasters International, to build a custom highly automated dredge.

Details: Kruse Integration was contracted to automate a DredgeMasters International, Inc. hydraulic cutter suction (CS) dredge. The customer was interested in automating the new dredge to produce efficiently, logically and automatically with little operator intervention. The dredge has an 18in. discharge and a 105ft ladder, capable of digging to 90 ft in the customer’s sand pit. The dredge automation included automatic production control, automatic swing speed control, automatic swing direction control, automatic line plug detection and corrective action logic, automatic step forward logic, automatic wall detection and corrective action logic, automatic back-up logic, alarms, interlocks, trends of pressures, temperatures and production, remote shore control, DGPS logging and control as well as automatic ladder descent logic. Additionally, the automation will keep track of equipment usage and produce automatic daily reports of tonnage, alarms, operator selections, downtime and cutter depth with locations. Kruse Integration included DredgePack positioning software and DGPS receivers to graphically display and log dredge cutter depths and locations in real-time to the Operator. This data is also displayed to the Office Manager. Working with the customer’s IT department, we opened a secure Internet Port to allow access to the dredge on-board redundant servers through RDP, which allows us to make PLC and graphical diagnostics and modifications from anywhere as well as allowing management to view Operator screens and web based reports from off site.

Note: See World Dredging, Mining and Construction article on this web site.

Points of Interest: The dredge Operator has the tools to make efficient decisions • Dredging efficiency is improved and downtime is reduced due to automation • Dredge Operator can view Sand Plant status, motor currents and hydrosizer data to make immediate informed decisions regarding overloads to the Plant • Management and Plant Operations don’t have to go to the dredge to receive real-time information or production/downtime reports • Files and updates can be transferred over the wireless system • Maintenance personnel can monitor the dredge performance from remote locations • Remote access provides less expensive and quicker system support