Do you know how a cutter suction dredger works?

The cutter suction dredger uses a rotating cutter to loosen the soil at the bottom of a river or sea, mixing the soil with water to form slurry.

2024-11-28

Do you know how a cutter suction dredger works?

The working principle of the cutter suction dredger is relatively complex but efficient. The following is its detailed working process:

1. Overview of Working Principle
The cutter suction dredger uses a rotating cutter to loosen the soil at the riverbed or seabed, mixing the soil with water to form slurry. Then, the slurry is sucked into the pump body through the suction pipe and transported to the discharge area via the discharge pipe, achieving the purpose of dredging waterways and land reclamation.

2. Specific Working Process
Excavation Stage:
The bow front bridge of the cutter suction dredger is lowered below the water surface, and the cutter at the front of the bridge begins to rotate, loosening the underwater mud surface.
The rotational movement of the cutter achieves excavation and soil breaking, continuously loosening the seabed mud (sand, stones, etc.) and mixing it with water.
Suction Stage:
The mixed slurry is sucked into the mud pump through the suction inlet under atmospheric pressure.
The mud pump generates negative pressure suction, drawing the slurry from underwater.
The cutter suction dredger uses a centrifugal pump to create a vacuum, sucking the underwater slurry into the pump body.
Slurry Transport Stage:
The slurry pressurized by the mud pump is transported through the discharge pipe to the designated discharge area.
The cutter suction dredger uses the generated discharge pressure to push the slurry, allowing it to flow through the discharge pipe.
Finally, the slurry is discharged through the slurry pipeline to the designated reclamation or discharge area.
3. Construction Methods and Precautions
Construction Methods:
The construction methods of the cutter suction dredger include symmetrical steel pile cross-digging, three-cable positioning cross-digging, anchor cable cross-digging, etc. The specific choice depends on conditions such as wind waves and flow velocity in the construction area.
When the trench length exceeds the effective extension length of the dredger's water pipeline, construction should be carried out in sections according to the lengths that the dredger and water pipeline can excavate.
Precautions:
Accurate positioning and navigation are required during construction to ensure excavation accuracy and efficiency.
During construction, close attention should be paid to the wear of the cutter, and severely worn cutters should be replaced promptly to ensure excavation effectiveness.
During slurry transport, the pipeline must be kept clear to avoid blockage and leakage.
4. Application Fields
The cutter suction dredger is widely used in port construction, channel dredging, land reclamation, and other fields. Its efficient excavation and transport capabilities make it an indispensable tool in these areas.

In summary, the working principle of the cutter suction dredger is to achieve excavation and soil breaking through the rotation of the cutter, use the negative pressure suction of the mud pump to draw slurry into the pump body, and transport the slurry to the designated area through the discharge pipe. During construction, appropriate methods should be selected and various parameters closely monitored to ensure construction quality and efficiency.

Key words:

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