University of Twente Student Theses
Design of an Innovative Siltation Removal System for Rolling Gates
Koets, Kelwin (2021) Design of an Innovative Siltation Removal System for Rolling Gates.
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| Abstract: | The Netherlands has an impressive infrastructure to manage the country’s relationship with water, e.g. dikes, bridges and locks. A crucial aspect of a lock is the gate, which opens and closes the lock. An option is the use of rolling gates. Rolling gates move perpendicular to the length of the lock and are a proven solution commonly used for wide locks (width > 40 m). However, a disadvantage of rolling gates is the susceptibility to siltation. Siltation is the accumulation of sediments (e.g. silt, sand and mud) at locations where the accumulation is disadvantageous. Dredging operations are used to remove the siltation, however such operations are time consuming, expensive and could even be dangerous. Meaning, a feasible alternative is desired. Thus, the main objective of this research was to design an effective siltation removal system for rolling gates. The siltation of rolling gates is a grey area, literature is extremely limited and the subject is difficult to investigate. As a result, an effort is made to include experts from start to finish in the design process. Experts provide knowledge, experience, insight and more which is essential for this research. The first step was to create a better understanding of the siltation problem of rolling gates, for which a literature study and expert interviews are used. Subsequently, the acquired information is used to realise a focus for the design. Additionally, more focussed interviews and a site visit to a rolling gate are performed. All information combined leads to the foundation of the design and eventually to the generation of twelve concepts. The concepts are subsequently exposed to an extensive concept selection process, from coarse to refined. The final steps of the selection process are concept scoring stage 1 and stage 2, in which experts are actively involved. Stage 1 resulted in two remaining concepts. The two concepts are validated with extensive prototyping in a home garage (due to restrictions as COVID-19) and the results are presented to the experts for concept scoring stage 2, leading to the final concept. The experts proved to be crucial from the start since literature is extremely limited. The key findings from the interviews are that the siltation of rolling gates is mainly divided into four different areas. The context differs per area (e.g. components, geometry and waterflow) and an universal solution for a siltation removal system for rolling gates is difficult to achieve. As a result, the design is focused on siltation removal from the gate recesses of rolling gates. The prototyping is used to validate the remaining concept 1 and concept 2. Concept 1 uses waterjets to remove the siltation and concept 2 uses a scoop. The quantitative data of concept scoring stage 2 shows concept 1 has an average score of 74% and concept 2 of 60% (relative to a perfect score). In addition, qualitative data in the form of notes from the experts is essential. A main concern of concept 1 is what happens to the siltation after concept 1 successfully removes the siltation out of the recess. However, vessels could disperse the siltation further and early tests (and notes from the experts) seem promising regarding aiming the jets sideways to improve concept 1 even further. Thus, concept 1 is confidently chosen as the final concept. The concept uses stair climber wheels to walk over the edge, removing the need for cranes. As a result, the concept is easy to use, mobile and effective in removing the siltation. In conclusion, the proposed method is successful in the design of a siltation removal system to remove the siltation from the gate recesses. The experts are essential in the design process of this research and provide valuable information regarding ideas, concerns, improvements and more. Without the experts, this research would not be possible. To further improve the final concept, future tests should focus on aiming the waterjets sideways, as well as tests with fine and compacted siltation. Furthermore, to better understand the effect of the experts on the design process a comparative study should be performed between the proposed method and a method without experts in similar conditions, e.g. on a case study. |
| Item Type: | Essay (Master) |
| Clients: | Witteveen+Bos, Amsterdam |
| Faculty: | ET: Engineering Technology |
| Subject: | 52 mechanical engineering |
| Programme: | Mechanical Engineering MSc (60439) |
| Link to this item: | https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/89279 |
| Export this item as: | BibTeX EndNote HTML Citation Reference Manager |
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