Shallow Water Effects Research Articles

Ship Autonomous Berthing Strategy Based on Improved Linear-Quadratic Regulator

There has been significant interest in the research field of ship automatic navigation, particularly in the area of autonomous berthing. To address the key challenges of path planning and control during ship berthing, we propose an enhanced Linear−Quadratic Regulator (LQR) control approach, reinforced by the Covariance Matrix Adaptation Evolution Strategy (CMA−ES), along with an adaptive berthing strategy decision model. This integrated framework encompasses ship motion control, path planning, and berthing strategy selection to facilitate adaptive and autonomous ship berthing. Initially, a dynamic mathematical model of ship motion is established, taking into account wind and current interference effects. Subsequently, an adaptive environment−aware berthing strategy model is introduced to enable automatic selection of berthing strategies based on spatial relationships between environmental factors and the berth. By utilizing the refined LQR method, autonomous motion control for ship berthing is achieved. To validate the effectiveness of our controller, comprehensive simulation analyses are conducted under varying operating conditions to encompass crucial factors such as large drift angle characteristics of ships, shallow water effects, and bank effects across seven diverse working conditions. The simulation results underscore the robustness of our proposed method in responding to environmental interference while demonstrating its capability to select appropriate berthing strategies based on varying operational scenarios.

Towards autonomous inland shipping: a manoeuvring model in confined waterways

ABSTRACT Autonomous inland water vessels are essential for promoting intelligent and sustainable waterborne transport. An accurate ship manoeuvring model ensures reliable control strategies and enhances navigation safety. Although ship manoeuvrability models have existed for decades, few studies address shallow and restricted waters. This study introduces a manoeuvring model for inland water vessels, accounting for confinement effects on ship motion. The Manoeuvring Modelling Group (MMG) model in open water serves as the baseline, incorporating empirical methods for shallow water and bank effects. This approach aims to provide a fast and accurate prediction of vessel motion response. The model was validated with free-running experimental data of a pusher-barge model from turning tests at three water depths. Additional case studies highlight shallow water impact compared to infinite water performance under bank effects. Finally, course-keeping case studies are presented, integrating a Proportional-Derivative controller with combined river current and bank-induced forces..

Rans investigation on the hydrodynamic performance of a ship moving obliquely in shallow and narrow channel

ABSTRACT The ship traveling in restricted waterways often experiences larger hydrodynamic forces and moments, together with larger sinkage, trim and heel, compared with that in open water. The hydrodynamic performance of an oil tanker moving obliquely in a shallow and narrow channel is investigated by using a RANS (Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes) method in this work. The effects of ship-bank distance, water depth, etc. on hydrodynamic performance are analysed. When the ship gets closer to the channel bank or the inclination of the channel bank becomes steeper, the blockage effects due to the channel become more considerable. The effects of shallow water and ship drift motion will augment bank effects. The captive model test for a ship moving obliquely in a shallow and narrow channel are numerically carried out in both Circulating Water Channel (CWC) and Towing Tank (TT). The bank effects showed by TT are more considerable than that by CWC.

Numerical simulation study on ship manoeuvrability in mountainous rivers: Comprehensively considering effects of nonuniform flow, shallow water, narrow banks, winds and waves

Ships navigating inland waterways, especially mountainous waterways, may encounter complex navigation environments. Under these circumstances, the force of the ship is extremely complex, the attitude of the ship may be unstable, and the control performance may decrease, possibly resulting in marine accidents. In this study, a modular-type manoeuvring model (MMG) is used to develop a ship manoeuvring model that comprehensively considers multiple factors. Based on this model, numerical simulations are conducted on the ship Seiun Maru, and Esso Osaka; the simulation results are found to be in good agreement with the results of real ship motions. Then, numerical simulations are conducted on the navigation of a 500-ton ship in a typical mountainous waterway, the Suoluo Rapids in the Lancang River, and the impact of the complex environment in this area on the safety of ship navigation is explored. The results reveal that ignoring the influence of environmental factors may put ships in dangerous situations when navigating mountain waterways. In addition, the model can effectively simulate the manoeuvring motion of a ship in a typical mountain waterway, and the calculation cost is negligible. This study provides valuable suggestions for long-distance ship manoeuvring in complex inland river environments.

Research on the effect of shallow draft on the performance of azimuth thruster under bollard conditions

For the azimuth thruster installed on shallow draft ships, the shallow water effect leads to a decrease in propulsive performance, especially under the bollard condition. In order to accurately predict the bollard propulsion performance of the azimuth thruster under shallow draft conditions, this paper firstly obtains the bollard thrust performance in several waters through the shallow water test, and then analyzes the effect of hull wake and cavitation on the bollard thrust performance of the azimuth thruster by using the CFD method. The results are consistent with the test results under the open water. When the water depth is less than 1.0D, the thrust coefficient increases with the increase of water depth, when the water depth is greater than 1.0D, the thrust coefficient basically does not change; Considering the influence of hull wake, the axial inlet velocity of the azimuth thruster is 7.27% higher than that of the open water condition; meanwhile considering the influence of the hull wake and cavitation, the leading edge of the bottom of the azimuth thruster conduit and the back of the paddle blade are susceptible to cavitation, which leads to average decrease of the thrust coefficient and torque coefficient by 7.03% and 6.12%, respectively.

Integrated trajectory planning into automatic berthing control of underactuated ship based on fuzzy-backstepping method

The trajectory planning and automatic berthing control are traditionally studied separately; however, the planned trajectory is indeed required to be the reference trajectory for the automatic berthing control system. In this paper, a novel trajectory planning strategy is presented and integrated into the automatic berthing control of underactuated ship. First, a novel trajectory planning strategy, including the Bezier curve planning, the least square fitting, and the speed assignment mechanism, is presented for the first time herein to provide the differentiable reference trajectory for the automatic berthing control system based on backstepping method. Second, a novel coordinate transformation between the Earth-fixed frame and the berth-fixed frame is established for the first time herein for the arbitrary berth position. Third, the fuzzy logic system is incorporated into backstepping controller to alleviate the influence of the model uncertainty, which is probably introduced by the shallow water and bank effects. The closed-loop signals are proved to be stable based on Lyapunov theorem. Two simulations are conducted to illustrate the effectiveness and advantages of the presented fuzzy-backstepping-based automatic berthing control methodology.

Impact of Port Shallowness (Clearance under the Ship’s Keel) on Shipping Safety, Energy Consumption and Sustainability of Green Ports

In a majority of ports, a ship’s speed is limited for reasons of navigational safety. At the same time, captains and port pilots choose the speed of the ship, but it cannot be higher than the speed allowed in the port. Therefore, the speed of the ship also depends on the experience of the masters and harbor pilots and the sailing conditions in specific situations. Choosing the optimal speed of the ship in the port, considering the hydrodynamic effect of shallow water and the controllability of the ship, can help reduce fuel consumption and ship emissions, which is important for the development of a sustainable port. In all cases, the safety of the shipping is the highest priority. The main objectives of this article are determining the optimal speed of ships in ports with low clearance under a ship’s hull, ensuring navigational safety, reducing fuel consumption and emissions, and creating a sustainable port. This article presents the methodology for calculating the optimal ship speed as the minimum controllable speed, fuel consumption and emission reduction, as well as its implications for sustainable and green maritime transport and port development. The methodology presented has been tested on real ships and using a calibrated simulator, navigating through port channels and port water’s restricted conditions.

Tidal energy extraction modifies tidal asymmetry and transport in a shallow, well-mixed estuary

Tidal energy extraction is increasingly being studied as a potential renewable energy resource in estuaries worldwide. Although it is understood that energy extraction via tidal stream turbines can modify currents and transport within estuaries, it is not clear how the underlying nonlinear physical mechanisms dictating tidal hydrodynamics are modulated. This research investigates the influence of a hypothetical tidal stream turbine array on barotropic tidal processes in a shallow, well-mixed system: the Piscataqua River – Great Bay (PRGB) estuary, using a numerical model. The modeled turbine farm includes 180 turbines which would extract an estimated 44.7 GWh of energy, annually. The tidal hydrodynamic model for the existing condition is validated with in-situ observations of currents and water level before analyzing tidal asymmetry and transport with and without tidal turbines. Results indicate that the tidal turbine array will decrease tidal elevation and current magnitudes system-wide, but generally reduce ebb currents and transport more than flood over most of the estuary footprint, thereby diminishing tidal asymmetry. The smaller asymmetric distortion compared to the no-turbine case is attributed to reductions in the storage volume of water over the estuary’s extensive tidal flat regions between low and high waters which decreases the associated nonlinear intertidal storage mechanism up to 25%. This leads to weakened ebb dominance over estuary sections from the mouth to mid-reaches, where depths are deep enough to keep the combined nonlinear shallow water and frictional effects from asserting control over the storage mechanism. Even in upstream shallow regions where depth-dependent friction controls asymmetry in both cases, the frictional mechanism is reduced only by 10% with turbines. Some environmental considerations of this work are discussed, with focus on sediment transport, water quality, and ecology.

Development of a ship performance model for power estimation of inland waterway vessels

A ship performance model is an important factor in energy-efficient navigation. It formulates a speed–power relationship that can be used to adjust the engine loads for dynamic energy optimisation. However, currently available models have been developed for sea-going vessels, where the environmental conditions are significantly different from those experienced on inland waterways. Inland waterway shipping has great potential to become a mode of transport that can both improve safety and reduce emissions. Therefore, this paper presents the development of an energy performance model specifically for inland waterway vessels (IWVs). The holistic ship energy system model is based on empirical methods, from resistance to engine performance prediction, established in a modular code architecture. The resistance and propulsion prediction in confined waterways are captured by a newly developed method, considering a superposing of shallow water and bank effect. Verification against model tests and high-fidelity simulations indicate that the selected empirical methods achieved good accuracy for predicting ship performance. The resistance prediction error was 5.2% for single vessels and 8% for pusher-barge convoys based on empirical methods. The results of a case study investigating the performance of a self-propelled vessel under dynamic waterway data, indicate that the developed model could be used for onboard power monitoring and energy optimisation during operation.

Atmospheric Wind and Pressure-Driven Changes in Tidal Characteristics over the Northwestern European Shelf

Understanding drivers of tidal change is a key challenge in predicting coastal floods in the next century. Whilst interactions between tides and atmospheric surges have been studied, the effects of wind and pressure on tides on an annual scale over the Northwestern European shelf have not been investigated. Here, a modelling approach using the shallow water MARS model is carried out to understand and quantify meteorological effects on tidal characteristics. The model setup is validated against the GESLA 3 tide gauge database. Combined and relative influences of wind and pressure are investigated using four modelling scenarios: tide only; tide, wind, and pressure; tide and wind; and tide and pressure. Influences are investigated using a single year of tidal forcing, and across multiple years of meteorological data to examine the sensitivity to temporally changing meteorological conditions. It is found that meteorology influences tidal constituent amplitudes by +/−1 cm, yielding changes that may locally reach 15 cm in the predicted highest tide. Analysis of the shallow water equations show three non-linear interaction terms between tide, wind, and pressure (advective effects, quadratic parameterization of bottom friction, and shallow water effect). Part of the observed changes is shown to arise from meteorologically induced mean sea-level changes.

Numerical Assessment of the Resistance of a Solar Catamaran in Shallow Water

In this paper, a numerical assessment of the effect of shallow water on the total resistance of the solar catamaran SolarCat is carried out using computational fluid dynamics within the software package STAR–CCM+. The unsteady viscous fluid flow was modelled based on the Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) equations with the application of the k−ω SST (k−ω Shear Stress Transport) turbulence model. The RANS equations were discretized by the finite volume method, and the position of the free surface is determined by the volume of fluid method. In shallow water conditions, a mesh morphing algorithm is applied. Numerical simulations were carried out for the deep water and limited depths corresponding to h/T=7.6, h/T=4, and h/T=2 at two speeds. The verification study was carried out and the total numerical uncertainty was calculated for the total resistance and sinkage of the catamaran. A detailed analysis of the flow around the catamaran was carried out.

Analysis on the split absorber integrated with taut-moored floating turbine

A new wave energy converter is proposed in this paper, consisting of three split heave point absorbers, combined with a taut-moored floating turbine. It is adapted to the waves in the China Sea area, which are characterized by short periods and small amplitudes. Based on a series of physical model tests in regular, irregular, and extreme waves, the hydrodynamic performance of the integrated device is systematically investigated under different damping forces and incident wave directions. The experimental results reveal that the split point absorber presents new hydrodynamic characteristics and that the wave energy capture efficiency of the new device is greatly improved for the short-period waves in low sea states. Moreover, due to the out-of-phase heave motion, as well as the induced shallow water effect, the submerged platform makes a contribution to improving the energy capture efficiency of the split floater, particularly pronounced in the case of a high damping force in the power takeoff system. Under the condition of incident wave direction being coincident with the horizontal projection of mooring lines, the energies of pitch motion and mooring force of the integrated system are increased as a result of the high-frequency oscillation, which needs to be solved by further optimizing the taut mooring system.

Generalizing Shallow Water Simulations with Dispersive Surface Waves

This paper introduces a novel method for simulating large bodies of water as a height field. At the start of each time step, we partition the waves into a bulk flow (which approximately satisfies the assumptions of the shallow water equations) and surface waves (which approximately satisfy the assumptions of Airy wave theory). We then solve the two wave regimes separately using appropriate state-of-the-art techniques, and re-combine the resulting wave velocities at the end of each step. This strategy leads to the first heightfield wave model capable of simulating complex interactions between both deep and shallow water effects, like the waves from a boat wake sloshing up onto a beach, or a dam break producing wave interference patterns and eddies. We also analyze the numerical dispersion created by our method and derive an exact correction factor for waves at a constant water depth, giving us a numerically perfect re-creation of theoretical water wave dispersion patterns.

Shallow water effects on circular motion tests using an efficient and robust approach

This paper presented an efficient and robust numerical approach for conducting circular motion tests (CMTs) with fully appended ship under deep and shallow water conditions. A 135 m long benchmark inland waterway ship was selected for systematic investigations. By comparing predictions obtained from the widely applied moving grid and rotating reference frame approaches for CMTs, the proposed rotating flow approach attained predictions equally as accurate as the moving grid approach, but computationally significantly more efficient. By coupling the rotating flow approach with the free surface, the ship’s trim and sinkage were also accounted for. Grid independence study and comparison with physical CMTs carried out at HSVA validated the proposed approach. The influence of the free surface and the action of the propellers on hydrodynamic forces and moments was demonstrated by performing CMTs at water depth to draft ratios of 8.0 and 1.2. Effects of the free surface and the propellers were more pronounced in shallow water. In the end, systematic CMTs were carried out with the free surface and operating propellers across four different water depths, employing water depth to draft ratios of 1.2, 1.5, 2.0, and 3.0, and demonstrated the influence of shallow water on maneuvering forces and on the associated turning ability of the investigated ship.

The Influence of Shallow Waters on the Maneuvering of Large Ships

The increasing demand for goods that can be transported by sea and the reduction in transportation costs have led to a trend toward larger ships. The increase in ship capacity leads to an increase in ship length and, thus, a decrease in transportation costs. The maneuverability of large ships in shallow water when calling at ports is becoming increasingly difficult. This is due to the discrepancy between increasing ship dimensions and unchanged waterway structures such as approach channels, harbors, and ports. The maneuverability of a vessel in shallow waters is different from the maneuverability in deep waters. The reasons for this are due to the shallow water effect. Shallow water affects the maneuverability of ships due to hydrodynamic forces caused by the current, shallower depth under the keel and proximity to the shore. It is a major challenge both for shipbuilders to design such vessels and for shipowners to have trained and well-educated officers who can navigate large vessels in shallow waters. This article presents the effects of shallow waters on large ship maneuvering and mathematical models that have been used to predict ship behavior under the influence of these forces.

Mathematical modeling of shallow water effects on ship maneuvering

An Abkowitz-type model was extended to improve the prediction of maneuvering dynamics of inland ships in deep and shallow waters. First, additional coupled rudder and speed related hydrodynamic derivatives were added to better capture hydrodynamic forces and moments. Second, higher order drift related hydrodynamic derivatives were implemented to more reliably predict longitudinal forces. Steady RANS-based captive model tests were performed to estimate speed-dependent hydrodynamic derivatives. Unsteady captive model tests, based on applying a novel Euler equations based numerical approach, were carried out to determine acceleration-dependent zero-frequency hydrodynamic derivatives. Executed were propulsion tests, rudder tests, coupled propulsion and rudder tests, rotating arm tests, drift tests, and coupled rotating arm and drift tests, all at five water depths to draft ratios of 1.43, 1.79, 2.00, 4.00, and 8.00. Tests at the ratio 1.79 were validated against physical captive model tests, and regression analyses estimated the hydrodynamic derivatives. At each water depth, a 45 deg turning circle test, a 35/10 zigzag test, and a 45/110 evasive action test were carried out. Turning circle maneuvers were significantly influenced by shallow water. Compared to deep water, in shallow water the tactical diameter increased from 1.6L to 2.6L, and the drift angle decreased from 21 deg to about 4 deg. Compared to turning circles maneuvers, effects on the zigzag and evasive action maneuvers were relatively small in shallow water. Drift angles and yaw rates in the simulated 45 deg turning circle and a 35/5 zigzag tests agreed favorably with full-scale trials of a similar ship; however, scale effects and the slightly different hull shapes led to different speed losses.

Numerical Investigation of the Stress on a Cylinder Exerted by a Stratified Current Flowing on Uneven Ground

In this study, a three-dimensional internal wave (IW)—cylinder—terrain coupled numerical model is established. Based on the large-eddy simulation (LES) method, the IW mechanical characteristics of the cylinder and the flow field evolution around the cylinder over different types of terrains are explored. The similarities and differences in the mechanical characteristics of the cylinders in the environments with and without terrains are compared. The research results show that, when the IWs propagate over terrain, the waveform structures are prone to continuous changes. The intense reverse alternating flow of the upper and the lower water, bounded by the pycnocline, results in huge IWs forces differences between the case without terrains and the cases with terrains. In the case without terrains, the maximum horizontal resultant force on the cylinder is positive, while the resultant forces are negative in the cases with terrain. Compared with the case without terrain, the shallow-water effect caused by the combined action of the terrain and the IWs enhances the flow field strength, making the lower parts of the cylinder suffer larger horizontal forces in the opposite direction to the IW direction. Moreover, the additional vortices produced by the interaction between the IWs and the terrain causes a more complex flow field around the cylinder and the greater forces on the cylinder.

Experiment and numerical simulation study on resistance performance of the shallow-water seismic survey vessel

In this paper, a new type of shallow-water seismic survey vessel is proposed to solve the problem that the traditional seismic survey vessels cannot satisfy the requirements of the shallow-water marine resources exploration. To reveal the influence of shallow water effect on resistance and flow field, this research is to obtain the resistance and shallow-water characteristics of this shallow-water seismic survey vessel through ship model experiments and numerical methods. Firstly, the ship model experiment predicted the resistance at different speeds in shallow water and obtained the benchmark data to validate numerical methods. Then, the CFD methods were used to calculate the resistance of the ship in deep and shallow water. The numerical results are in good agreement with the experimental results. Finally, this paper provided details of the distribution of wave, pressure and flow fields at different water depth conditions in order to explain the causes of increased resistance in shallow water, providing a reference for the shallow-water seismic survey vessel design.

Numerical Evaluation of the Wave-Making Resistance of a Zero-Emission Fast Passenger Ferry Operating in Shallow Water by Using the Double-Body Approach

The consideration of shallow water effects has gained in importance regarding inland operations. The interaction between the keel and the riverbed affects the hydrodynamic characteristics of marine vessels. The highly complex nature of the interference phenomenon in catamarans makes the shallow water problem more complicated as compared to monohulls. Hence, catamarans are very sensitive to speed changes, as well as to other parameters, such as the shallow water effects. This makes the design of catamarans more challenging than their monohull equivalents. At lower Froude numbers, the higher importance of the frictional resistance makes the greater wetted surface of the catamaran a disadvantage. However, at higher speeds, there is the potential to turn their twin hulls into an advantage. This study aims to investigate the wave-making resistance of a zero-carbon fast passenger ferry operating in shallow water. The URANS (unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes) method was employed for resistance simulations. Then, the double-body approach was followed to decompose the residual resistance into viscous pressure and wave-making resistance with the help of the form factors of the vessel calculated at each speed. The characteristics of the separated wave-making resistance components were obtained, covering low, medium, and high speeds. Significant findings have been reported that contribute to the field by providing insight into the resistance components of a fast catamaran operating in shallow waters.

천수 효과가 대형 컨테이너선의 저항 성능에 미치는 영향에 관한 전산유체역학 해석 연구

It is easy for a ship passing through confined waters to be exposed in dangers of collisions and grounding due to different hydrodynamic responses. Since marine accidents can cause significant impacts on environments, global economy, and human lives, it is necessary to study the effect of shallow water on hydrodynamic performance of a ship. In this paper, the effect of water depth on resistance performance was investigated using CFD analysis as an initial study for improving navigational safety of a large container ship under confined waters. After a CFD set-up for deep water condition was validated and verified by comparing CFD analysis with model test results, CFD calculations according to ship speed and water depth were conducted. The features were investigated in terms of tendency and physical knowledge related to resistance performance. The increase of resistance due to shallow water effect was reviewed with empirical formula suggested from SWABE JIP. Speed loss due to shallow water effect was additionally reviewed from estimated delivered power according to ship speed and water depth.