Environmental protection dredging system for separating solids and liquid
OwnerPaul M. Breidenbaughinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An environmental protection floating dredging system for removing material from the bottoms of bodies of water, separating it into liquid and semi-solid and solid components by the action of co-acting on-board centrifugal separators and dryers of the solid material dredged and a suction return system for collecting and recirculating the liquid component through the dredging system by way of the dredge head, thus minimizing disturbance of the bottom dredged and pollution by material discharged overboard, and eliminating pollution from dumping of separated solids, which are processed and stored aboard in light-weight dry form adapted for dry-landfill and for use in aggregate mixes in some cases.
Claims16
A unitary dredging system comprising a vessel having thereon:
- means for continuously lifting spoil, comprising a hydraulic dredge head;
- a distributor conduit having connection with the hydraulic dredge head, a turntable on the vessel, means for continually centrifugally-separating the spoil lifted into liquid and solid components, comprising a plurality of containers with means rotatably mounting each container about a vertical axis, all said vertical axes equally spaced around the circumference of the turntable, means for imcrementally turning the turntable for positioning each container in turn beneath the distributor conduit, means for successively rotating the containers about said respective axes;
- means for additionally lifting spoil with said liquid component, comprising means for injecting said separated liquid component upwardly within the hydraulic dredge head;
- means for drying said solid component, means for bagging in individual lots said component dried, and means for moving and storing aboard the vessel the individual lots bagged.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.