Wicket Lifter

Barge

In 2015, Bristol Harbor Group, Inc. (BHGI) was tasked through an Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Philadelphia District, Marine Design Center (MDC), to provide naval architecture and marine engineering services to design, size and specify details for a wicket lifting system and maintenance crane for the Olmsted Locks and Dams Wicket Lifter located on the Ohio River. The USACE also requested BHGI analyze and design the anchor point and hauling barge-positioning systems. BHGI revised the existing wicket lifter barge conceptual design to incorporate a larger wicket crane and maintenance crane. BHGI provided a class design package including drawings defining the structure, systems, equipment foundations and outfitting details. In addition, a weight study and stability document detailing the operational limits were provided (including crane off lead and side lead analysis). BHGI coordinated with Ariston Technologies, LLC for finite element analysis (FEA) to ensure that the barge structure could withstand the loads developed during wicket raising and lowering evolutions. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) was used to determine the forces on the barge and the runners and to develop winch line pull requirements. The class design package and finite element FEA were reviewed and approved by the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) and were released to shipyards for bid purposed in 2016. The vessel was delivered by Conrad Industries in the first quarter of 2018 and is currently undergoing on-site operational trials.