Suncor Dredge Detailed Engineering Design

The Canadian government regulates tailing pond recovery in the Oil Sands by establishing a set of criteria for minimum recovery at each site, through “Directive 85”. Making the recovery of tailing increasingly difficult is the amount of organic matter, or “muskeg”, that is found in the ponds. The muskeg in the ponds frequently clogs dredge lines and prevent continuous operation.

Rotaflow partnered with Hagler Systems to deliver the Electrical Instrumentation and Controls design for a robust dredge that could stand up to the muskeg. This dredge is not only Suncor’s first electrically driven dredge, it is also the first dredge to use shredder technology to manage underwater debris.