Technology to fix a Pontoon at low draft

Discussion in 'Boat Design' started by manon, Mar 6, 2012.

  1. manon
    Joined: Dec 2007
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    Location: dhaka

    manon Junior Member

    Good day,

    Right now I am having a problem regarding a pontoon, which has to be fixed near river shore. The purpose of the pontoon is to give support to a machinery arrangement which suck grains from a ship. Ship will be attached to the pontoon while unloading. A pipe line from the machinery arrangement will go to the land (around 200 meter and not straight). For this reasons, the pontoon needs to be fixed to avoid any translatory movement. On the other hand, it should be able to move vertically compensating tide and seasonal change of water level.

    What technology should I consider? 4 anchors and winches at each corner? Spuds? or anything else?

    Please let me know if any other information is needed.

    Thanks in Advance.

    Manon
     
  2. mydauphin
    Joined: Apr 2007
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    Location: Florida

    mydauphin Senior Member

    If Pontoon is strong enough spuds, or just vertical piles driven as an anchor. But you might consider tying it to shore anyway to take at least some of the strain. How long is this going to be for? How much wave/wake action in this location? What are the tides like?
     
  3. kvsgkvng
    Joined: Jan 2012
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    kvsgkvng Senior Member

    Unless I misunderstood, the problem is not to keep the pontoons in absolute position. It looks like you are looking for both of those units to remain motionless relative to each other.

    What if you just use electro-magnets to fix the barge to the pontoons (or visa versa) to keep them in relative immobility. Let them move together with a small amplitude. Instead of electric magnets, a simple oversized latch would do the job.

    Then the only problem would be to anchor the platform. Why not let it go a little up and down, left and right with tides? Perhaps there are other boundary conditions I am not aware of.

    The problem of the shore hose could be solved with a few flexible links or spiral reinforced plastics. I am pretty sure this technology is out there in the industrial field.

    Just my thoughts.
     
  4. Squidly-Diddly
    Joined: Sep 2007
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    Squidly-Diddly Senior Member

    Need more info, got pics or drawing?

    My main questions is how fixed does the pontoon platform need to be? And does it also keep the ship form moving while the ship is docked and how big a ship are we talking?


    Are we talking about a 1000 ton ship docking to a platform with a flexible pipe to shore and the platform could drift around up to 10meters or our we talking about docking a 40,000 ton ship to ridge pipe that can't move more than 2 inches?
     

  5. manon
    Joined: Dec 2007
    Posts: 88
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    Location: dhaka

    manon Junior Member

    Dear Mydauphin, Kvsgkvng, Squidly- Diddly,

    Thanks for your quick reply.
    1st of all about your queries, Pontoon is supposed to move vertically compensating the water level rise due to tide or other reasons.

    Machinery operation: 1000-1400 tonne cargo vessel, carrying grains will dock at the pontoon. The machine arrangement on the pontoon is attached. Purpose of the machinery arrangement is to suck the grains from ship and transfer through flexible pipe line to shore. So two connections are connected with the pontoon. One is the machinery sucking pipe and another one is pipeline to transfer grains to shore.

    Problem is: We have to allow vertical movement, but not sure yet how much translatory or transverse movement we can allow with this arrangement. Should it be tightly fixed? If it should, may be we have to use spuds or vertical stands. Can any one tell me, how much transverse/translatory movement we can allow for this operation?

    thanks
     

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