Make-up water derived from an on-shore treatment facility is returned to a
slurry processing unit on board a dredge by means of a water supply
pipeline floating alongside a slurry delivery pipeline that conveys
dredged material to the on-shore treatment facility. After separation from
the slurry solids, the return water is pressurized to a transport pressure
at the treatment facility with a centrifugal pump and then boosted to the
desired working pressure once aboard the dredge. This two-stage pumping
and re-cycling process reduces the amount of clear make-up water needed
for proper operation of the slurry processing unit by more than 50%. This
has resulted in a substantial reduction in the overall cost of remediation
by reducing the amount of water that must be cleaned prior to disposal.
