Laboratory study on the efficiency of water injection dredging: An analysis on the influence of different dredge settings on the density current and production rate

The Port of Rotterdam experiences large amounts of siltation from the upstream rivers in its basins and canals every year. Furthermore, container vessels increase in size every decade and therefore require a larger navigational depth. These two factors cause the yearly amount of dredged material to increase. Currently, mainly trailing suction...

The effect of organic matter degradation on the rheological behaviour of natural mud

The nautical bottom is defined as the level where physical characteristics of the bottom reach a critical limit beyond which contact with a ship’s keel causes either damage or unacceptable effects on the controllability and manoeuvrability of ships. The nautical bottom is usually assessed using the density of the bottom fluid mud layer as a...

Suspended sediment behaviour of a reallocation pilot study in the port of Rotterdam: Gaining insight into the sediment dynamics of a reallocation pilot study, by using model hindcasts and measurements

The port of Rotterdam is located within the Rhine-Meuse estuary where a substantial amount of fine sediment transport takes place. Therefore, the port of Rotterdam is subject to significant siltation, requiring maintenance dredging to guarantee a sufficient nautical depth of fairways and harbour basins. To optimise the dredging strategy in the...

Trench Siltation near the ETM of a Well-mixed Estuary

To exploit its socio-economic functions, engineering measures are regularly applied in estuaries. Estuaries are, however, known to be very complex systems. Stemming from this complexity is the generation of a so-called estuarine turbidity maximum (ETM), which poses great siltation problems to the engineering measures. An engineering measure,...

Suspended Sediment Modelling in the Port of Rotterdam

This Master thesis presents an improved model for the transport of fine suspended sediment (SPM) in the Rhine region of fresh water influence (ROFI) and in the Port of Rotterdam. It is known that the transport of SPM in the Rotterdam harbor depends on marine as well as fluvial processes. SPM transport inside the harbor has been modelled in the...

Deposition of high density tailings on beaches

One of the biggest uncertainties affecting the operations of mine and land reclamation activities is related to tailings / slurry management, for which the processes of beach deposition play a critical role. Deposited tailings produce both sheet and channelised flow, causing varying velocity profiles which lead to differential settlement. This...

Control of Subsurface Flow: The Effect of Al-OM Interactions on Hydraulic Conductivity

Control of subsurface flow is important for sustainable water management. It is, for example, a useful tool for the handling of contaminated sites or the reduction of unwanted seepage. In this thesis the complexation interactions between DOM and Al are successfully used to reduce the hydraulic conductivity of a sand layer. The complexation of Al...

Reconstitution of sensitive clays

In this thesis a method is developed to regain the geotechnical behaviour of undisturbed quick clay by reconstitution of remoulded natural quick clay samples. Quick clay is characterised by a high sensitivity; the ratio between the undisturbed and remoulded strength is very high. Because of the high water content they behave fluid-like after...

Bentonite cavities in diaphragm walls: Case studies, process decomposition, scenario analysis and laboratory experiments

This report is part of my master thesis research for the master ‘Underground Space Technology’ at the faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences at Delft University of Technology. Recent calamities e.g. at Vijzelgracht station, part of the North/South line in Amsterdam, triggered the need for research on diaphragm walls and the occurrence of...