Dredge Arm Visual Deterrents for Reducing Marine Life Mortality
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Solution Overview
Problem
Dredging operations using trailing suction hopper dredgers often result in harm to marine life, particularly sea turtles, due to contact with dredge arms and suction mechanisms, necessitating regulatory compliance and industry standards for reducing such harm.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of visual marine life deterrents, including LED lights, light reflectors, and predator silhouettes, coupled to dredge arms to deter marine life from the dredging area, combined with flexible components that physically guide marine life away from the dredge arm, minimizing contact.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If dredge arms and suction mechanisms are used for dredging operations, then productivity is improved, but marine life mortality increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces visual deterrent devices (lights, reflectors, predator silhouettes) as intermediary elements between the dredge arm and marine life. These devices create a visual barrier that influences marine life behavior without physically interfering with the dredging operation, allowing the dredge arm to maintain its productivity while reducing harmful contact with marine organisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The visual deterrent devices are positioned to create a preliminary visual warning zone ahead of the dredge arm. This preliminary anti-action allows marine life to detect the approaching dredge equipment and move away before physical contact occurs, preventing harmful effects while maintaining continuous dredging operations.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If visual deterrents are added to dredge arms, then marine life mortality is reduced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The visual deterrent system is segmented into multiple independent components (lights, reflectors, predator silhouettes) that can be individually attached to or removed from the dredge arm. This segmentation allows the deterrent functions to be added without fundamentally redesigning the dredge arm structure, minimizing the increase in device complexity while effectively reducing marine life mortality.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system effectively reduces marine life mortality by influencing sea turtles and other marine organisms to move away from the dredging equipment, thereby minimizing harm and ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements.
Implementation Method 1
A visual marine life deterrent is coupled to the dredge arm and is configured to direct light toward the sea floor where marine life may be located. The light is configured to be observable by the marine life, thereby influencing the marine life to move away from the dredge arm.
Data Source
AI summary
A system for dredging a seabed includes a trailing suction hopper dredger. The trailing suction hopper dredger includes a hull, a rail coupled to the hull, and a dredge arm coupled to the rail. The dredge arm includes an upper suction pipe coupled to a lower suction pipe. A pump is coupled to the upper suction pipe and is configured to draw material toward the upper suction pipe from the seabed. A visual marine life deterrent is coupled to the dredge arm and is configured to direct light toward the sea floor where marine life may be located. Another visual marine life deterrent includes a silhouette of a marine life predator. The visual marine life deterrents are configured to be observable by the marine life and cause marine life to move away from the dredge arm.