Suction boosted sand dredging and delivery system

Abstract

An arrangement of a water pump, a slurry pump, a jet power log, and an arrangement of hoses provides a suction boosted sand delivery system to pump water, sand and indigenous fill materials to fill geotextile containers at a beach or littoral zone. The system is lightweight, portable, has a small footprint, and is easy to use and operate, requires little labor to implement and maintain, can be assembled by hand without specialty tools, and can be operated by just a few individuals. Methods for implementing the system to fill a geotextile sediment containment device are also provided.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A sand dredging and delivery system, comprising:
 a water pump;   a slurry pump;   a water suction hose operationally connected to the water pump, with a proximal end of the suction hose in place to intake clear water from a water source;   a sand suction hose operationally connected to the slurry pump, with a proximal end of the suction hose in place to intake sand from a sand source;   a power jet log operationally connected in line with the sand suction hose and operationally connected to the water suction hose through an inlet port, and providing a connection of the water suction hose to the sand suction hose, the power jet log positioned proximal to the slurry pump; and   a discharge hose operationally connected to the slurry pump, the discharge hose positioned distal to the dewatering pump.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the discharge hose has a distal end configured to fill a geotextile sediment containment device. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the sand suction hose has a larger diameter than the diameter of the water suction hose. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the discharge hose has a smaller diameter than the diameter of the sand suction hose. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the distal end of the sand suction hose further comprises a suction nozzle. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the power jet log comprises a single water inlet port. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 6 , wherein the inlet port has an inlet angle in a range of 30°-45°. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the water pump is about a 3-inch pump, and the slurry pump is about a 4-inch pump. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the water suction hose has about a 3-inch diameter. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the sand suction hose has about a 4-inch diameter. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the discharge hose has about a 3-inch diameter. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the water pump and the slurry pump each have a suction capacity in a range of about 24-28 ft, at one atm. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the water suction hose, sand suction hose, and discharge hose are flexible. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein a portion of the sand suction hose spanning between the proximal end and the power jet log is flexible, and a medial portion of the sand suction hose spanning between the power jet log and the slurry pump is rigid. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the discharge hose further comprises a filling wand at the distal end. 
     
     
         16 . A method for dredging and delivering sand, comprising:
 providing the sand dredging and delivery system of  claim 1 ;   positioning the proximal end of the water suction hose in place to intake clear water from a water source;   positioning the proximal end of the sand suction hose in place to intake sand from the sand source;   positioning a distal end of the discharge hose at a location for discharging the sand;   providing power to the water pump and the slurry pump;   intaking clear water from the water source through the water suction hose and intaking sand from the sand source through the sand suction hose;   converging the clear water and sand inside the power jet log to form a sand slurry; and   discharging the sand slurry from the power jet log and out through the discharge hose.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising providing a geotextile sediment containment device, and discharging the clear water and sand through the discharge hose and into the geotextile sediment containment device. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the method is implemented to fill the geotextile sediment containment device at a littoral zone. 
     
     
         19 . A method of filling a geotextile sediment containment device, comprising implementing the method of  claim 17 . 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , comprising providing a plurality of the sand dredging and delivery system of  claim 1  to fill the geotextile sediment containment device.