Remote Control Dredging Adds a Margin of Safety in Removal of Hazardous Wastes
What would you do if you had 16 lagoons that were so contaminated with TNT and other hazardous wastes that they turned pink…or if you had a pond filled with such high concentrations of phosphorus that it could ignite spontaneously and burn when dry?
These are but two of the many serious hazardous waste problems facing corporations today. Fortunately, both the company with the TNT-contaminated lagoons and the company with the phosphorous-laden pond (Occidental Chemical) realized that dredging was the only safe way to remove these dangerous materials and they turned to the MUD CAT™ DIVISION of ELLICOTT INTERNATIONAL to provide dredges with the extra margin of safety required for these situations.
Mud Cat™ engineers responded by designing building and manufacturing two remote control dredges, an auger Model SP810 and a cutter suction Model 270 dredge. These aren't just ordinary dredges . . . they include special safety features that address each customer's unique concerns.
The common and primary safety feature on both dredges is a design that allows remote control operation of the dredges. An umbilical cord from the dredge to a remote control room, located on shore, allows operators to safely run all major dredge functions, yet remain isolated from the hazardous environment. All major functions are identical to those on a nonremote control machine so operators do not have to be retrained.
Remote television monitoring cameras were added to the control cab of the SP810 auger dredge for viewing the dredge's movement. The dredge is being used as a means of diluting the unsafe concentrations of TNT, which exist primarily in a layer at the bottom of the ponds, by mixing the explosive material with underlying soils. The company then transports the diluted materials to an incinerator where they can be safely burned.
Of course the standard features of the SP810 auger dredge are also important in this application. It is one-truck transportable with easy set-up, can operate in less than two feet of water and can be diesel or electric powered with pump discharge diameters of 6" to 10".
The SP810 cuts a swath eight feet wide and up to ten feet deep. Other Mud Cat™ auger dredges cut up to nine feet wide and to depths of twenty feet or more . . . ALL WITH MINIMUM TURBIDITY! An optional cage and auger wheels can be provided to protect pond liners from damage when necessary.
The Model 270 cutterhead dredge required additional unusual features which Mud Cat™ engineers expertly designed. Special spraying nozzles were built on the swing winches and pump to extinguish any sudden fires. An automatic shutdown valve was added to the ladder so when raised it would not spray any liquid on the dredge or surrounding area.
Transportability and fast set-up are important requirements easily met by the Model 270. In addition, it offers rugged construction features with heavy duty diesel power, digs to depths of fifteen feet or more, and has a capacity 250 cubic yards/hour with pump discharge diameters of 8"-10".
Ellicott has over 100 years of experience in designing and building quality dredges and dredge components to handle projects of any size around the world. They sell and lease dredges, pipelines, booster pumps, components and provide 24 hour parts service.
When a company anywhere in the world faces a wet hazardous waste problem, the MUD CAT™ DIVISION of ELLICOTT INTERNATIONAL has a dredge for the application and the engineering know-how.
Reprinted from Pollution Equipment News
