Start Date
2018 11:35 AM
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Swartenbroekx, C. (2018). Physical Design of Upper Harbor at Auvelais Lock, Belgium. Daniel Bung, Blake Tullis, 7th IAHR International Symposium on Hydraulic Structures, Aachen, Germany, 15-18 May. doi: 10.15142/T3564G (978-0-692-13277-7).
Abstract
In the Meuse catchment in Belgium, the Auvelais lock nowadays allows for ECMT class Va ships (2000 tons, 110 m x 11.40 m). However, the present upper guard wall, which separates the upstream harbor from the river flow, is not well suited for class Va vessels because it is 110 m-long and its extremity is curved. It is planned to be modernized. To ease and secure the navigation, the new configuration should respect six criterions: it should (1) increase the space at the harbor entrance; (2) minimize the stream velocity in the lock axis; (3) reduce the transverse currents; (4) ensure a smooth velocity gradient distribution to minimize the forces and yawing moments exerted on the vessel at the harbor entrance; (5) reduce the flow contraction in the river channel to maintain the river flood discharge capacity; and (6) not be too expensive. A 1:50 physical model is used to analyse the velocity field in the upper harbor for several geometries and discharges. The present layout is compared to three solutions: (1) a 124 m-long straight solid wall; (2) a 124 m-long straight wall with 9 openings; and (3) a 124 m-long straight wall with 5 openings. The result reproducibility is satisfactorily checked. The velocity profiles show that solution (3) gives the best results according to the six criterions.
Physical Design of Upper Harbor at Auvelais Lock, Belgium
In the Meuse catchment in Belgium, the Auvelais lock nowadays allows for ECMT class Va ships (2000 tons, 110 m x 11.40 m). However, the present upper guard wall, which separates the upstream harbor from the river flow, is not well suited for class Va vessels because it is 110 m-long and its extremity is curved. It is planned to be modernized. To ease and secure the navigation, the new configuration should respect six criterions: it should (1) increase the space at the harbor entrance; (2) minimize the stream velocity in the lock axis; (3) reduce the transverse currents; (4) ensure a smooth velocity gradient distribution to minimize the forces and yawing moments exerted on the vessel at the harbor entrance; (5) reduce the flow contraction in the river channel to maintain the river flood discharge capacity; and (6) not be too expensive. A 1:50 physical model is used to analyse the velocity field in the upper harbor for several geometries and discharges. The present layout is compared to three solutions: (1) a 124 m-long straight solid wall; (2) a 124 m-long straight wall with 9 openings; and (3) a 124 m-long straight wall with 5 openings. The result reproducibility is satisfactorily checked. The velocity profiles show that solution (3) gives the best results according to the six criterions.
