SST810 Inclinometer Sensor Provides Safety Protection for Trailing Suction Hopper Dredger

The mission of dredger is to carry out the construction of underwater earthwork, specially: digging deep, widening and cleaning existing waterways and ports; excavating new waterways, ports and canals; dredging docks, locks and foundation trench of the underwater buildings and etc.

The trailing suction hopper dredger is one of the suction type dredgers. It draws mud through the hoes placed on the sides or tails of the hull, and works by sucking and sailing. The trailing suction hopper dredger is flexible, efficient, and resistant to wind and waves. It is suitable for operation in coastal ports, wide rivers and ship anchorages.

During the dredging operation of the trailing suction hopper dredger, it is difficult to observe the huge underwater suction pipe, and it is impossible to accurately understand the position of the drag head and the dredging depth. Therefore, it must be equipped with an operation display device to monitor the actual working position and movement process of the suction pipe on two sides, which are generally achieved by installing tilt sensors.

The trailing suction hopper dredger is a surface working equipment. The wind and waves directly cause the hull to work under dynamic conditions for a long time. In addition, the vibration caused by the work of high-power equipment brings a large error to the attitude measurement.

Vigor Technology SST810 gyro-enhanced dynamic tilt sensor can be applied on trailing suction hopper dredger for attitude measurement. SST810 inclinometer sensors mounted on both sides of the suction tube or the drag head can accurately measure the pitch and roll attitude of the suction pipe in real time. These attitude data can be used to perform attitude alarm and control system closed-loop feedback or comprehensive analysis of system data, etc. Besides, the inclination measurement sensors are easy to install that can be directly attached to the structure surface which is above the water or under water. The trailing suction hopper dredger can be systematically upgraded without changing the existing structure.