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T +31 18 443 19 22 F +31 18 443 15 05 [email protected] www.ihcsystems.com This document remains the property of IHC . All rights reserved. This document or This document reserved. All rights of IHC Merwede. the property remains This document or or otherwise not be made public or disclosed, copied reproduced may part thereof any IHC Merwede. means without prior permission in writing from any or by form used in any IHC Systems Dedicated to Efficient Dredging

Dredging Training Simulators

an IHC Merwede company Efficient Dredging...

‘Efficient Dredging’ helps contractors to make the most of their dredging equipment: to generate high economic and ecological benefits, achieve optimal utilisation rates, reduce dredging time, make the dredging process smoother, simplify fault diagnosis, reduce downtime and wear, prevent under- and over- dredging, and maximise crew satisfaction.

Even after a shipbuilder has built reliable and efficient equipment, and even after contractors have optimised equipment utilisation, the Efficient Dredging concept continues to make a significant contribution, providing dredgers with extra ‘senses’ and ‘hands & feet’.

Relatively modest investments in instrumentation, automation, surveying and simulation techniques produce major improvements in efficiency and accuracy. Automation under dredge master supervision can enhance production by up to 30%.

IHC Systems draws on all kinds of conventional and innovative control, automation, communication and presentation technologies. We also make the most of the knowledge and resources of the entire IHC Merwede group.

The concept is honed in close alliances with contractors and worked out in specific products, systems and services for every category of dredger and in every field. The products can cope with all dredging and mining conditions.

Our knowledge, expertise and experience are dedicated to reducing over-dredging, spillage, energy consumption, emissions, turbidity, ecological side-effects and operational costs. They represent our contribution to a sustainable future for all our stakeholders.

...our contribution to a sustainable future

2 The benefits of training simulatorsIntroduction.

Modern industries use proceeding relentlessly. These from IHC Systems are, in the dedicated simulators widely advances make high-efficiency, first place, used to familiarise for crew training. The idea is high-accuracy dredging operators with the manual to provide realistic training operations possible, and make control of the dredging while eliminating accidents, it possible to cope with more installation on board dredgers, production losses, damage difficult soils and tougher to teach them to get the best to highly expensive assets site constraints. Advanced out of monitoring and automatic and even personal injury. automation and control systems control systems and to train Simulators represent substantial make it possible to use the appropriate responses to difficult investments but cost just a innovative dredging equipment situations, failing equipment and fraction of the real thing. So it’s in efficient and sustainable calamities. But they open up no surprise that the dredging ways in these circumstances, other opportunities: industry is using more and more but final performance still of these systems. depends on the crew and They can be used to familiarise the project management. So technical staffers, electricians Simulators are one element highly competent crew and and field managers with the in a comprehensive dredging staff – utilising a combination operational ins and outs of training programme. For of proper dredging knowledge, jobs and the possibilities of the example, trainees can partake in skills and experience – are vital. vessels deployed on that job, a simulator-supported training Without extensive training, to draw in new talent and to course at IHC Merwede’s training it is impossible to exploit the motivate new staff and assess institute TID. Large organisations opportunities provided by their potential. that train about 100-150 people modern dredging technology. annually are better off with a Finally, projects can be prepared simulator of their own. Secondly, current project sizes on the simulator for showing to and huge equipment investment clients. Survey data is loaded As well as the cost and safety programmes are leading to into the simulator and clients considerations, there are two an increasing shortage of can see themselves in their other reasons for the increasing experienced crew. So the need own backyards, observing the use of simulators. Firstly, for recruitment and training is dredger, strolling around the improvements in the efficiency of clear. Simulators have a role to scene and shaping the landscape dredging technology, advanced play in both these areas. according to their plans. This designs, dredging components is an attractive marketing and integrated systems are Of course, training simulators application.

Training on the CSD simulator Winch page in a TSHD simulator TSHD physical overview page

3 Typical training simulator

A typical IHC Systems simulator for dredging, TID. Standardised draws on proven hardware and modules serve the modularity software, including: of the system and allow for the • A powerful PC containing the configuration of the simulator ‘dredger’, i.e. the models. This for more than one dredger of the PC communicates with the HMI same type. and also with the PLC system, The simulator is highly versatile. It controlling and reading the can house all a dredger’s features, later’s ‘soft’ I/O. It also such as: generate realistic sounds taken • the number of pumps from the real vessel and (submerged and in-board), manipulated by the models. their power provision and • Outside and artificial camera multi-stage gearboxes; views (picture-in-picture • the length and configuration suitable for wide-screen of suction tubes, ladders, Real copy of control hardware presentation. booms, sticks, spuds, spud • A complete copy of the carriers, anchor booms, dreger’s control equipment backhoe upper carriers and and instrumentation panels. other mechanical parts; • A programmable logic contro • the type of dragheads (active ler (PLC), supervised by a or passive), cutter heads, human-man-interface system buckets, backhoes and, for (HMI) consisting of a fast PC example, hammers; network, video screens/touch • the number and arrangement screens and operator of bottom doors, self keyboard-trackballs. emptying doors, visors, swell • A desk for the trainer with a compensators, winches, jet CSD process and underwater view ‘soft’ control console, which is water and dredging-circuit in fact an extension of the sluice valves, and so on. HMI system, providing a mixture of physical Several options are available: presentations and the familiar • DP/DT and one-man operated interactive dialogue windows. bridge functionality on TSHD simulators; A simulator must imitate the • interfaces with survey behaviour of the real-life dredger, equipment, DP/DT, DTPS and so the system is crammed with ECDIS functions; physical models that are integrated • incorporation of vibrations in in an overall model. The models the operator’s chair for a major use a range of sources: literature enhancement of the Dynamic Positioning page and standard modules from the impression of reality in CSD public domain, knowledge from and excavator simulators; external knowledge centres, • TID simulator-supported expertise and models from IHC dredging courses and training Merwede’s R&D institute, MTI manuals to any desired extent. Holland, and its training institute

4 Typical training session

Training simulators from IHC Systems are used to familiarise operators with the manual control of the dredging installation aboard dredgers, to teach them to get the best out of automatic control systems and to train appropriate responses to difficult situations, failing equipment and calamities.

A training session may draw on the trainer’s room. After a session, any selection from the full training the system generates a trip report. programme. The trainee operates the control levers and is expected For realistic training, trainees to deliver a correctly dredged site. should not see more than they Normally, the trainer provides the would on board the dredger. So, operator with a fully operational during training, that is the view vessel. If the trainee’s response presented to them. On the other falls short, the system generates hand, for evaluation purposes The trainer guides every session calamities such as jammed tools, and for trainees looking over clogged pipes and overloaded the shoulder of the trainer, it is diesel engines. As trainees start considered useful to observe the to feel at home with the virtual physical effects of their actions. dredger, the trainer can throw So the presentation can be other events at them, such extended to include picture-in- as equipment failures: failing picture (PIP) features: relevant hydraulic pumps, leakages, worn subsystem ‘puffin’ views are impellers and so on. Trainers inserted in the main display, can alter settings and introduce allowing for a comparison between calamities and equipment failures the ‘real’ thing and the process by altering values on their ‘soft’ pages in the simulator. This feature control console. considerably enhances the rapid Fellow trainees can follow training, acquisition of an understanding either alongside their colleague at of the dredger’s possibilities and the control levers, or on a screen in limitations in practice.

Excavator dredger training session

5 Outside view

The outside view, which is projected on a wide screen, presents a high- quality 3D picture of the dredger from any angle, whether above or below the water. This is known as the ‘puffin’ view, referring to the way this bird is equally at home above and below the water. IHC Systems’ unique outside view realistically presents the amounts, structures and estimated colour and texture of material taken from one place, loaded, and then deposited at other places: sand, silt, rock, clay, peat, gravel, boulders, or whatever.

The main characteristics are: • The possibility of immediate • A realistic 3D presentation of a seawater run-off resulting in a dredger of the specific type and complete, ‘dry’ underwater its subsystems. This includes the view. This opens the way to a presentation of layers of wire on host of additional features, such winches, running wire sheaves, as the realistic presentation of moving gantries, swell operations with dragheads, Overflow process compensators and overflow visors and water flaps, cutter ducts, dangling suction tubes, heads, spuds and buckets. The a connected shore discharge true dredged track is presented pipeline and rainbowing – or a using the calculation of the running cutter and side winches, process values and the etc. in the case of a CSD parameters of the soil model. simulator. An excavator • A defined dredging area set in simulator shows a moving boom, a natural landscape that can be stick and one of the tools as well adapted to any client as the mixture loaded in a barge. requirements and that can • True process phenomena such incorporate any landscape as jet water flow, the mixture elements from the public Bird’s eye view of CSD flowing into the hopper, the domain. The landscapes include overflow water, water jets and varied climate conditions – day the turbidity around the ship. In and night, clouds and light addition, a state-of-the-art intensity. The weather type can approximation is provided of the be adjusted from bright sun to mixture breach patterns in the heavy showers. Of course, the hopper during shore discharging sea state affects the dredger’s or rainbowing, divided according behaviour in the simulator, but it to the bottom door also determines the appearance compartments. This true-to-life of the water in the outside view. presentation is only possible because IHC Systems, as part of It is barely possible to express TSHD suction track the IHC Merwede group, can all the outside views’ features in draw on MTI Holland’s extensive writing. Please visit our website scientific knowledge and vast and run the simulator videos at the experience with sophisticated hopper dredger and the excavator soil models. main pages for a better impression.

TSHD outside view with ‘puffin’ inserts

6 Examples of IHC Systems’ training simulators

IHC System’s training simulators can be configured specifically for nearly all types of equipment, including dipper dredgers, grab crane dredgers, submerged crawlers, ROVs and the like. In practice, the ten operational units delivered in recent years are restricted to three common family members: TSHDs, CSDs and Excavator Dredgers.

Trailing suction hopper dredger mixture transport chain and the (TSHD) simulators influence of tide, current, waves Operators training to handle a and weather. They discover how TSHD learn about the complete to operate and debug the vessel’s loading and unloading processes, power and auxiliary systems including suction pipe handling, and about the specifics of those the aspiration process at the systems. Any process situation can CSD simulator draghead, jet water handling, be saved, and recovered again at the pumping process, hopper the start of a new training session. settlement, unloading through Optionally, operators can learn bottom doors, pumping ashore, how to operate and make the most rainbowing within the constraints of automatic cutter control (ACC) of tide, current, waves and functionality, DTPS and ECDIS. weather. They learn to operate and debug the vessel’s auxiliary Excavator dredger simulators systems and about the specifics Would-be operators of an of those systems. Any process excavator dredger/backhoe situation can be saved, and be dredger learn about the complete TSHD simulator re-used at a later stage at the dredging and dumping process, start of a new training module. including barge loading, boom, Optionally, operators can learn stick, tool and cabin movements, how to operate and make the loading and shifting barges, most of automation, the one-man rock placement and whatever is operated bridge, DP/DT, DTPS and involved. They get a feeling for the ECDIS. cutting forces and the interaction between soil and bucket, caving Cutter suction dredger (CSD) in and breaching of the soil and simulators the influence of tide, current, Operators training to handle a waves and weather. They find out CSD become acquainted with the how to operate and debug the Excavator dredger simulator complete dredging and discharging d