A new laboratory apparatus to evaluate hydrodynamic dispersibility of soil during ocean dumping

Hydrodynamic dispersion of soft marine dredging during ocean dumping may cause ecologic damage of the marine environment. The dispersibility of the fine-grained marine deposit may be mitigated by soil treatment, so as to eliminate the potential ecologic damage. An apparatus is specifically designed, fabricated, and assembled to simulate the ocean dumping process, in particular the process of how the material settles through water, to evaluate the viability, feasibility, and practicality of ocean dumping of cement-treated marine deposit, and to develop a better understanding of various complex hydrodynamic and dispersion processes during ocean dumping of soft marine deposit. The design criteria and details of each component of the new apparatus are presented. The distinct advantages of the newly developed apparatus are discussed. Typical experimental results obtained by the apparatus are presented to demonstrate its simplicity of operation and versatility in the measurement of various parameters at temporal intervals.