A Simulation-Based Optimization Study of Dredging Techniques in the TOSHKA Pump Station Intake Canal Project

This paper presents a meticulous study employing Discrete-Event Simulation and optimization techniques to devise the most effective methodology for excavating the Toshka Canal, a significant irrigation project in Egypt. The canal, extending for more than 3 km in length and with average 400 m in width, necessitates dredging to increase its depth from 7 m to more than 50 m, which is crucial for functioning of a connected pump station plant. The dredging process is executed by dredgers of varying capacities and dredging depths. Additionally, split barges which employed to collect the dredged soil, with tugs responsible for towing these split barges to the filling zones. This complex dredging operation demands optimization of the construction process for optimal construction method. This paper leverages the power of AnyLogic simulation software to develop a comprehensive model, integrating critical parameters like the capacity of dredgers, productivity of excavation equipment, strategies for resource allocation. Through multiple simulation runs, a variety of scenarios are evaluated to assess the performance of the construction process. Key metrics, such as rates of equipment utilization and total excavation time, are used to measure the efficiency of each scenario. The simulation results yield to valuable resource utilization and allocation, task sequencing, and potential bottlenecks, facilitating the identification of the most efficient strategies for the Toshka Canal construction and on any similar construction process by exploiting advanced simulation modeling and optimization techniques; this contributes to the evolution of construction processes for such types of projects.