The International Association of Dredging Companies (IADC) today revealed that there are eight nominations in the running for the Safety Award 2018.
IADC said in its latest release that the next nomination is DynaCover by Damen Dredging Equipment.
Dredge pumps experience extreme forces during operation, requiring a robust piece of equipment to combat them. Failure of this connection can impact a project’s efficiency or in the worst case, crew.
The advent of the double-walled pump improved safety and reliability, marking a major step forward compared to the formerly prevalent sheet steel pump casings.
The wear-resistant casted pump casing was covered by a sheet metal outer casing which prevented the spilling of mixture while the inner pump house could be used until it disintegrated.
An alternative by Damen Dredging Equipment, the DynaCover, was fabricated and tested at full-scale.
Holes were made in the inlet pipe, so when the pump was filled up, water flooded between the inner pump casing and the DynaCover. By doing so, the inner and outer pressure of the pump casing is the same, preventing the inner casing from collapsing.
After several attempts and modification, a pressure of 20 bar was reached.
IADC said in its announcement that the winner will be announced on 15 September 2018.