Placement of fill material using a discharge pipeline

2 Placement of fill material using a discharge pipeline General 

Filling by pipeline is the most common working method in reclamation projects. At its intake, the pipeline may be connected to a CSD, a TSHD, a plain suction dredger or a barge unloading dredger. 

At the discharge end, the pipeline is occasionally fitted with a diffuser to better distribute the fill in the immediate vicinity of the outlet. The discharge end may be placed on land, positioned just above water or may be submerged. 

The pipeline may also be connected to a spreader pontoon or a nozzle in order to spray or rainbow the fill. These two techniques are discussed separately in the sections 6.5.3 and 6.5.4. 

Without diffuser, erosion may cause craters in the existing seabed. When thickness control is required, it is possible to place the fill in lifts by moving the pontoon using winches and anchors. In this case the floating pipeline must have sufficient flexibility and slack to allow for the movements of the pontoon, see also Appendix A-8.5. 

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