A Study of Free Surface Agitation in a Shipyard Using Numerical Modeling

Abstract

In recent years, the Port of Topolobampo, Sinaloa, Mexico, has experienced unusual free sea surface elevations, particularly during the months of November and December, affecting the shipyard areas, service docks, and berthing locations. This study focuses on analyzing the oscillatory behavior of free surface elevations in shipyard regions. A hydrodynamic model was employed to simulate the circulation and sea surface agitation, aiming to quantify the elevation magnitudes based on oceanographic and meteorological data from November of the preceding year. A 30-day numerical simulation was conducted, revealing the velocity fields associated with coastal currents and tides during November, as well as the interaction between incident waves and wave transformations due to protective structures. The results demonstrated accurate behavior in 95% of the simulation period, while anomalous elevations exceeding those specified in the design and operational guidelines of the Port of Topolobampo were observed during the final five days of the simulation. An ANOVA test was performed between the surface elevation and vertically integrated velocity to assess whether the deviations in the last five days were statistically significant compared to the rest of the simulation period. With a P-value of less than 0.05, the null hypothesis of no difference was rejected, confirming a significant variation. These findings suggest that the extreme values recorded should be considered for the potential redesign of shipyard infrastructure.