Mechanical Dewatering of Navigation Sediments: Equipment, Bench-Scale Testing, and Fact Sheets

mechanical dewatering at dredged material placement sites. This document introduces the basic pieces of equipment that make up a dewatering circuit or train, some advantages and disadvantages of different equipment options, the state of the practice in bench-scale testing, discussions of performance specifications and cost, and several fact sheets on various process technologies and their applications. BACKGROUND: The fundamental objective of the Innovative Dredging Technology Focus Area of the Dredging Operations and Environmental Research (DOER) Program is to identify and catalog innovative dredging operations, processes, or equipment and techniques developed by domestic and international dredging entities. A number of technologies developed within the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) are currently undergoing evaluation for potential demonstration under the DOER Program. Among these is the mechanical dewatering of dredged material at confined disposal facilities (CDFs). INTRODUCTION: The solids content of a typical dredge discharge slurry ranges from roughly 100 to 200 g/l, as compared to the in situ solids content, which may range from 250 to 1800 g/l, depending upon the grain size distribution of the in situ sediment. Conventional uplan