Plant for evacuating dredged material

Claim 1

A plant for conveying and discharging at a distance dredged material in the form of an aqueous suspension, in which the dredged material is loaded into lighters at a dredging station for transport to a distance, characterized in that said plant comprises a floating flow pumping station provided with at least one and preferably a plurality of submerged pneumatic flow pumps, having, respectively, a plurality of inlet pipes at least one transporting lighter selectively operatively connected to or disconnected from said floating flow pumping station, said transporting lighter having a discharge connection, the inlet pipe of each pump being removably connected to the discharge connection of the transporting lighter arranged for shuttling between the dredging station and said floating flow pumping station, further characterized in that said lighter, provided preferably with its own drive means, comprises a completely closed loading cavity with an upper aperture for receiving the dredged material and a discharge aperture situated in the bottom of the cavity, said discharge aperture being arranged for connection by way of said discharge connection to said flow pump inlet pipe in said floating station, means provided in said cavity for conveying the dredged material filling said cavity towards said discharge aperture, said flow station comprises in addition to at least one submerged pneumatic flow pump a mooring corridor for the lighters, provided with fixed mooring points such as to dispose the lighter and in particular its discharge connection in a predetermined position with respect to the submerged pump and in which are further provided means for bringing the inlet pipe of the submerged pump into tight communication with the discharge connection of the lighter, and said means for bringing the inlet pipe of the submerged pump into tight communication with the discharge connection of the lighter comprising a part shaped as a funnel generally coaxial with said inlet pipe and rigid with the free end of said inlet pipe, said funnel part terminating in a flat flange fitted with a seal gasket, arranged to mate with a flat flange formed on the bottom of the lighter at and concentric with said discharge connection, and means anchored adjustably downwards and rigid with said funnel part to ensure that the funnel part floats.