Waterway System Research Articles

Challenges and opportunities for a South America Waterway System

South America has been developed from its coast to its hinterlands since the beginning of its Western colonization. However, to this point, no significant effort has been made to integrate its interior. Waterways transportation can be considered the most sustainable inland mode of transportation due to its low CO 2 emissions per ton of cargo transport. With this in mind, this paper investigates the history, challenges and opportunities of the past proposals for the construction of the South America Waterway System (SAWS) connecting the La Plata, Amazon, and Orinoco river basins. It focuses on particular challenges of the proposed waterway. (i) a comparison between the deforestation surrounding existing road and waterway infrastructure in the Amazon, (ii) the large water level variation in the Amazon basin, (iii) and the alternatives for storing water to reduce the impacts of floods and droughts in the proposed waterway. We conclude that deforestation surrounding existing waterways is practically zero and that groundwater storage has an important role in storing water for the basin and reservoirs, a limited one. The SAWS can significantly foster South American integration, encourage sustainable extraction of natural resources in the region and help the conservation of the Amazon forest.

Anti-interference characteristics of variable speed pumped storage units for load cases of hydraulic disturbances

Variable speed pumped storage unit (VSPSU) is an innovative technology, and investigations regarding operating characteristics of VSPSU are significant. However, there are relatively few studies towards hydraulic disturbances of VSPSUs. The hydraulic disturbance means that pumped-storage units, which were originally in steady operation, are inevitably affected by suddenly operating changes of other units in the same waterway system. Normally, it will cause the power output of fixed-speed units to oscillate, and adversely affect the safety of generators and stability of power systems. Hence, investigations of VSPSUs’ characteristics under hydraulic disturbances are necessary. In this paper, VSPSU using doubly fed induction machine (DFIM) is adopted as a study case, and fast power control strategy is used in the controlling of VSPSU. The simulation result shows that VSPSU has good anti-interference performance, and normally operating VSPSU can still maintain stable power output and stator current even under disturbance from other units. However, despite the good anti-interference performance of VSPSU, the mechanical power of VSPSU lags far behind the electromagnetic power, and the hydraulic-mechanical transient processes of VSPSU are similar to that of a fixed-speed unit. The findings in this paper could provide understanding and guidance for practical operation of VSPSUs.

Improved transfer function method for flexible simulation of hydraulic-mechanical-electrical transient processes of hydro-power plants

The hydraulic-mechanical-electrical coupling dynamics of hydropower plants during transient processes is a key issue in engineering practice. Numerical simulation of transient process could provide support for practical operation of hydropower plants and avoid dangerous working conditions, indirectly increasing the unit operation time and improving economic benefits. Numerous previous studies used the transfer function method (TFM) for modelling and simulation of hydropower plants, but many previous models are oversimplified and cannot simulate some complicated transient processes. To solve this problem, a nonlinear and flexible model of hydropower plant is developed on Simulink in this work. TFM is adopted to model the waterway system with complicated hydraulic components, and an improved scheme of TFM is recommended. Quantitative comparison of time-domain and frequency-domain simulations demonstrates the accuracy of the improved TFM in simulating the water hammer in the waterway system. Besides, the improved TFM is applied to combine with complicated electrical modules on Simulink, simulating hydraulic-mechanical-electrical coupling dynamics under hydraulic disturbance and three-phase fault. In conclusion, the method developed in this paper has advantages of accuracy, flexibility, and expansibility, enabling deeper understanding and refined simulation for transient processes of hydropower plants. The hydraulic-mechanical-electrical coupling model can be used to simulate a variety of working conditions in engineering practice and support future research on the dynamic characteristics of hydropower plants.

An Estimation of Precipitation Retention Time Using Depth Metres in the Northern Basin of Lake Biwa

To facilitate climate change adaptations and water management, estimates of precipitation retention time (time required for precipitation to reach a lake) can help to accurately determine a water body’s terrestrial water storage capacity and water cycle. Although estimating the precipitation retention time on land is difficult, estimating the lag between precipitation on land and a rise in lake water levels is possible. In this study, the delay times (using a depth metre installed in the mooring system in the northern basin of Lake Biwa from August 2017 to October 2018) were calculated using response functions, and it evaluated the precipitation retention time in the catchment. However, as several delays between the river surface flow (<1 d) and shallow subsurface flow (≈45 d) remained unidentified, the delay times resulting from direct precipitation on the lake as well as from internal seiches were determined. The results suggest that delay times of approximately 20 d correspond to the paddy–waterway system between the river inflow and the subsurface flow, and that this effect corresponds to that of large rivers such as the Ane River. These findings can enhance water management strategies regarding the regulation of river flows, adapting to climate change-induced fluctuations in precipitation.

An AIS-Based approach for measuring waterway resiliency: a case study of Houston ship channel

ABSTRACT Resiliency measurement is a great tool for evaluating system performance and proposing solutions to prevent damage and to recover from disruptive events. This study proposes an analytic approach to quantify narrow waterway systems’ resiliency during disasters. First, metrics are introduced to quantify the resiliency before, during, and after a disruption. The existing Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for Maritime Transportation Systems (MTS) are examined, and two metrics, 1) the number of inbound and outbound vessels and 2) Total Stopped Vessel-Hours, are selected to measure the resiliency of a waterway system. Second, a heuristic method is developed to derive the KPIs from the Automatic Identification System (AIS) data. Finally, the proposed methodology is performed for the Houston Ship Channel (HSC) AIS data before, during, and after Hurricane Harvey, in August 2017. The results are presented for the entire channel and highlight useful information about the performance of individual docks, terminals, and waterway zones within HSC. This study helps decision-makers identify the weaknesses and potential bottlenecks in a waterway confronting a disruption and come up with remedies.

Decreases in wastewater pollutants increased fish diversity of Chicago's waterways

Throughout much of the globe, rivers are used to dispatch treated and untreated wastewater to the detriment of receiving ecosystems. Surprisingly, few studies directly relate water quality variables to fish community responses in receiving waterways on timescales that encompass the incremental and compounding improvements to wastewater infrastructure over time. Chicago (Illinois, USA) represents one such city, within which sits a series of waterways whose flows are primarily controlled by effluent discharges from three large wastewater treatment plants. Random forest regressions were used to construct models which predict changes in fish species richness within the Chicago Area Waterways over a period of 35 years from data on water quality and weather. The average number of species found at any one location across the Chicago Area Waterway system increased from ~5 to ~12 between 1985 and 2019. Decreases in concentrations of variables related to wastewater effluents (i.e., phenols, fecal coliforms, and nitrogenous compounds) were identified as highly informative, allowing increases in species richness to be predicted with a relatively high accuracy (R2 ≥ 0.49). Weather variables (particularly those related to snow and freezing temperatures) were only important predictors in a section of waterway which does not receive wastewater effluent, although consistent increases in rainfall were noted for Chicago and in chloride concentrations within the waterways. Increased rainfall events and harsher winter conditions (induces greater chloride runoff) threaten the progress made to lessen the effects of wastewater on the region. Improvements to how wastewater is treated, and subsequent reductions to harmful constituents of effluents, have improved the aquatic ecosystem and are likely responsible for the increased species richness over the 35-year timeframe studied.

Multi-skalarni pristup u proceni produkcije prostora Kitazawa zelenog pojasa u Tokiju

Contemporary Tokyo is a city that has lost its connection to its abundant moat and waterway system due to its uncontrolled urban growth and environmental negligence. Now, the myriad of culverts-turned greenways stands as reminiscent of that time. This paper examines the quality of space produced in the waterway's afterlife by adopting the Lefebvrian space production. To do so, it is first recognised that scales are an integral part of assessing space production due to the linear nature of the public element being examined. A framework is constructed to serve as a tool to 'read' the lived, conceived and perceived space in different dimensions of the greenway. Its structure comprises different attributes and sub-attributes that provide a descriptive meaning to each scale. The framework is then applied to the case study, Kitazawa Greenway, a locally beloved waterway-turned-greenway in Setagaya ward in Tokyo. It is concluded that the middle scale of the linear public element is where the predominantly lived space, thus lived quality, is generated. The perceived space is predominant on the microscale and the conceived space on the macro scale.

Increasing fish diversity of Chicago's waterways

Descriptions of shifts in biodiversity across time are desired for urban freshwater systems to better study ecosystem change and causal mechanisms. I document changes in fish diversity within the Chicago Area Waterways across 35 years using a battery of diversity metrics calculated on both abundance and biomass data. Has diversity of Chicago's waterways changed over 35 years and if so, do different diversity metrics exhibit different trends or breakpoints in trends? Diversity of the fish assemblage increased across the three decades of study. Breakpoint analysis suggested that trends across the timeseries were nonlinear. Changes in dominant species influenced behavior of less traditional metrics, whereas Margalef's Richness, Shannon-Weiner, and Gini-Simpson appeared more robust. Increases in richness and taxonomic diversity combined with decreases in species dominance suggest an ecosystem of increasing quality. The fish community of the Chicago Area Waterway System is more diverse both in abundance as well as biomass (i.e., energy flows) in the late 2010's than it was in the late 1980's. Although external factors related to wastewater treatment increased water quality and likely led to these assemblage-level changes breakpoint analysis did not allow verification of causal mechanisms.

Scenario‐based hydrodynamic simulation of adaptive strategies for urban design to improve flood resilience: A case study of the Mingzhu Bay Region, Guangzhou, Greater Bay Area

AbstractThe Pearl River Delta is a complex ecological‐artificial system. The low‐elevation landform and land subsidence make the Guangdong‐Hong Kong‐Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) more vulnerable to heavy rainstorms with sea‐level rise in the future. Therefore, this study discussed how to optimize the delta‐related built environment based on locality via cooperation between urban designers and hydrology researchers so that urban development in the GBA can adapt to water disasters. First, this study proposed three adaptive spatial strategies for urban design to improve flood resilience: (a) adding more sunken space and rearranging the locations of manholes; (b) adding more retention space to the waterway system; and (c) improving foundation elevation for suitable development intensity. With the prediction of sea‐level rise and land subsidence, four different scenarios were defined. Second, a coupled 1D/2D hydrodynamic model was built for scenario‐based urban inundation simulations. Third, a Python workflow was developed to reveal the water volume exchange, and an ArcMap workflow to realize the impact of inundation. The simulation results show that (a) more sunken space can lower the peak runoff discharges and decrease the runoff coefficient; (b) more retention space can extend the capacity of the urban drainage system and adapt to the rise of sea level; and (c) improving foundation elevation and more sunken green space can direct the surface water to submerge urban land in reasonable order, which can protect the significant infrastructures and development lands. This paper suggests that these adaptive spatial strategies can serve as solutions for resilience development.

Impact of Lake Michigan water level rise on complex bidirectional flow in the Chicago Area Waterway System (CAWS)

In the past decade, continuously rising water levels in Lake Michigan have been threatening lakefront areas, especially in metropolitan regions like the Greater Chicago area. This provides the motivation to analyze the impact that high lake levels have on the Chicago Area Waterway System (CAWS). As the only primary free connection between the CAWS and Lake Michigan, the Calumet Area waterway subsystem plays a key and unique role. In this work, a numerical model covering the Calumet subsystem and having Lake Michigan as a boundary condition, is set up, calibrated, and validated using limited field observations. It is found that the Calumet subsystem has become bidirectional, where both discharge and flow directions are controlled by lake levels. When lake levels are below −0.15 m (-0.5 ft, Chicago City Datum, CCD), the discharge in the Grand Calumet River is around zero, with water flowing along its east branch towards Indiana. When lake levels are above +0.46 m (+1.5 ft, CCD), the flow reverses direction and drains west into Illinois. In 2020, the mean lake-level was at +1.07 m (+3.5 ft, CCD), and the base discharge in the Grand Calumet River was approximately 8.5 m3/s (300 ft3/s). The higher Lake Michigan’s level is, the larger the discharge would be into Illinois. Potential impact of this extra discharge on Lake Michigan Diversion Accounting (LMDA) of the State of Illinois and flood management in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal (CSSC), is analyzed; while the nature of the bidirectional flows is characterized with the intent of shedding light on this complex phenomenon.

Design of Diamond Bits Water Passage System and Simulation of Bottom Hole Fluid Are Applied to Seafloor Drill

The performance of the diamond bit directly affects the drilling efficiency of the seafloor drill. The drill bits used in land drilling are prone to abnormal wear, low coring efficiency, and large sample disturbance in marine exploration. At first, in this paper, the operation and formation characteristics of a seafloor drill are utilized to design a water passage system for bottom-jetting diamond bits based on the multi-objective optimization theory. Additionally, then, fluid dynamics theory and the effects of bit rotation on the flow field at the hole bottom were used to analyze the impact of structural and drilling parameters of the HQ-size bit on the flow field of the waterway system. The linear regression equation of the influence of drilling parameters on the bottom hole velocity field and pressure field is obtained. Finally, a field drilling test of the drill bit was carried out. Considering the effect of the grinding length ratio of the bit on the lopsided wear of the inner and outer diameters, the water passage system parameter design and maximum projection area of the cutting tooth are effective optimization goals to improve the normal service life of the bit. The flow field of the drilling fluid at the hole bottom becomes more turbulent and the efficiency of the carrying cuttings return decreases as the waterway height of the bit increases. The optimal bit rotation speed is 250–400 rpm. When drilling into conventional formations, the pump displacement should be controlled within the range of 50–80 L/min. When drilling into sediment formations, the pump displacement should be controlled within the range of 50–65 L/min. An on-site drilling test verified the rationality of the bit water passage system. This work may enrich the existing theories and designs of the water passage system.

Optimizing Lock Operations and Ship Arrivals through Multiple Locks on Inland Waterways

Locks are important components of a waterway system. To improve the efficiency of inland waterway transport, it is important to ensure ships passing locks without having to spend unnecessary waiting times at lock entrances. Meanwhile, with the trends towards digitalized and smart waterways, it is also worth investigating how the information availability could contribute to optimizing lock operations and ship arrivals on inland waterways. Therefore, this paper proposes an optimization method to schedule ships’ arrivals and their placements in locks on inland waterways, based on a mixed-integer programming model, and solves the optimization problem with large neighborhood search based heuristics. The optimization objective is threefold: first, optimizing the arrival sequence of ships at the locks; second, maximize the utilization of each lockage operation; and third, reducing the overall time that each ship spends from entering the waterway area till leaving the last lock on the waterway. Simulations are carried out to evaluate the performance of the proposed method.

Implementation of an Award-Winning Invasive Fish Recognition and Separation System

The state of Michigan, U.S.A., was awarded USD 1 million in March 2018 for the Great Lakes Invasive Carp Challenge. The challenge sought new and novel technologies to function independently of or in conjunction with those fish deterrents already in place to prevent the movement of invasive carp species into the Great Lakes from the Illinois River through the Chicago Area Waterway System (CAWS). Our team proposed an environmentally friendly, low-cost, vision-based fish recognition and separation system. The proposed solution won fourth place in the challenge out of 353 participants from 27 countries. The proposed solution includes an underwater imaging system that captures the fish images for processing, fish species recognition algorithm that identify invasive carp species, and a mechanical system that guides the fish movement and restrains invasive fish species for removal. We used our evolutionary learning-based algorithm to recognize fish species, which is considered the most challenging task of this solution. The algorithm was tested with a fish dataset consisted of four invasive and four non-invasive fish species. It achieved a remarkable 1.58% error rate, which is more than adequate for the proposed system, and required only a small number of images for training. This paper details the design of this unique solution and the implementation and testing that were accomplished since the challenge.

Congestion and consolidation: An empirical study of a barge shipping merger

This paper uses consolidation in the barge shipping industry to investigate the efficiencies generated by mergers in congested transportation markets. We study a merger between two barge shipping companies operating on congested transportation routes in the US inland waterway system. Using geographic variation in how the merger impacts traffic volume concentration, we estimate the effects of increased concentration on delays at congested bottlenecks using a novel data set of over one million linked vessel-firm delay observations. The results indicate that the merger decreased delays by 7% on average, suggesting substantial efficiency gains due to increased concentration. These findings have implications for optimal congestion pricing, transportation infrastructure investment, and merger review.

Navigational Risk of Ships Proceeding Through a Fairway

Purpose: Navigational risk is a criterion for navigational safety assessment on fairways. To estimate navigational risk, we must determine the probability of an accident and its consequences. Design/Methodology/Approach: The authors have developed methods of determining navigational risks caused by deterioration in navigational conditions during the passage of ships through the waterway system and for the estimation of risk caused by shipboard equipment failures. In a simulation experiment, full ships with 5.000 DWT to 100.000 DWT capacity performed emergency stopping after rudder jamming. Findings: The results of simulation tests developed in the form of mathematical models constitute data for the determination of ship's navigational risk due to rudder failure. Practical implications: The models can be used for defining simplified relationships allowing authors to determine the width of safe emergency manoeuvring areas. Originality value: The procedure has been developed and navigation algorithms for determining the risk associated with the failure of the steering of the vessel passing through the different types of the fairway.

Spatiotemporal Variation in the Magnitude of Reproduction by Invasive, Pelagically Spawning Carps in the Illinois Waterway

AbstractThe relationship between the magnitude of reproduction and adult density of pelagically spawning carp (PSC) species (bigheaded carp Hypophthalmichthys spp., Grass Carp Ctenopharyngodon idella, and Black Carp Mylopharyngodon piceus) and the influence of environmental factors on this relationship are valuable information for management and control of these highly invasive cyprinids. Six years of standardized monitoring for PSC reproduction and adult density in navigation pools of the Illinois Waterway (IWW; the Illinois River and its connection to Lake Michigan through the Des Plaines River and Chicago Area Waterway System), in conjunction with removal efforts in the upper IWW, where there is limited fish movement between pools, provided an opportunity to deepen our understanding of factors affecting the reproductive productivity of this invasive assemblage. Reproductive activity most commonly occurred in May and June, with the magnitude of reproduction in June far exceeding that occurring in other months. The highest egg counts were found within a 72‐km zone containing the hydromorphological transition between the upper and lower Illinois River, with the majority of PSC larval drift occurring below this zone in the lower Illinois River. Magnitude of reproduction increased nonlinearly with adult PSC density, declining at high adult densities. Annual egg counts were also higher in years that combined more variable spring discharge with higher accumulated degree‐days through June. The density‐dependent reproduction exhibited by PSC implies that any stock–recruitment variation observed for these species needs to be interpreted cautiously before being ascribed to environmental factors affecting survival from hatching to juvenile stages. An increased understanding of which life stages of PSC are subject to density dependence can refine projections of how these species respond to harvest and other control measures.

An experimental platform of variable speed pumped storage unit under wave disturbance: introduction and preliminary progress

The importance of pumped storage plants (PSPs) is continuously increasing in power systems with more and more variable renewable energies. For the research and development of PSPs, variable speed technology and sea-water PSP are two important new orientations. In this paper, an experimental platform of variable speed pumped storage unit under wave disturbance is introduced. The purpose of the platform is to study the design and operation mechanism of variable speed PSP based on various common technical problems, especially for the four aspects: transient processes, variable speed unit, coordination control, wave disturbance. The platform adopts a Chinese sea-water PSP in feasibility stage as the prototype, and a model scale of 1:4 is applied. It consists of nine sub-systems, including waterway system, variable speed reversible model unit, circulating water system, speed governor system, AC excitation and electric protection, coordination control, monitoring system, intelligent AC load and measurement system. The model unit contains a reversible pump turbine, a doubly fed induction machine, etc. The speed variation range is ±8%, and the rated power is 78.13 kW. The model runner meets the IEC standard with a reference diameter of 284.3 mm. The upstream water tank is a closed pressure tank that can adjust the pressure and discharge. The downstream water tank is an open water tank that can simulate wave level fluctuation. Regarding the control system, it has four core parts: local control unit, speed governor, converter and coordination controller. The experimental study content contains three key aspects: (1) performance validation for variable speed unit; (2) operating stability under complex disturbances; (3) capability of variable speed PSP during transient processes. The experimental study based on the platform aims for laying a theoretical and technical foundation for the follow-up construction and operation of real sea-water PSPs with variable speed units.

Sustaining Esturial Creeks: Water Corridors in Mitigating Flooding in Manila, Philippines

This paper articulates that estuarial creeks as water corridors are essential part of urban flooding mitigation. These water corridors drain excess water from the city to the bay area reducing inland flooding while at the same time flushing pollutants during tidal changes. Using an institutional analysis, it is argued that estuarial creek rehabilitation in the City of Manila, Philippines is based on mandate, policies, legal frame, and programs. Results show that the estuarial creeks have been silent witnesses to the changing human landscape of Manila. These water corridors in congested Manila have been cleared, cleaned and widened by government agencies but were not maintained as natural space breaks in mitigating flood due to short term targets. Their deteriorating conditions have added to Manila’s waterway misery. In conclusion, the rehabilitation of the esteros is a reflection of the institutional arrangements in managing the waterway system in Metro Manila.

Numerical simulation of hydraulic transients in hydropower station with complicated water conveyance system

With the construction of Jinping II hydropower station with extra-large diversion tunnel, Baihetan hydropower station with complicated tailwater system, Yangfanggou hydropower station with complicated surge chamber, High requirements are put forward for the calculation and analysis of hydraulic transient process. In the water transmission and power generation system design of these projects, the following technical problems was solved by Power China Huadong Engineering Corporation Limited: simulation of variable impedance coefficient of differential surge chamber, interface tracking analysis of free-surface-pressure flow system, narrow upper chamber open channel effect and simulation of trigeminy surge chamber. The solutions to those technical problems and were summarized, and the hydraulic transients simulation and calculation software of complex waterway system - Hysim was developed. Based on the field test of Jinping II Hydropower Station, Baihetan hydropower station and Yangfanggou hydropower station, the simulation calculations were carried out. The accuracy of the hydraulic transients simulation software is verified by comparing the inversion results with the test values.

Development and First Tests of a Lab-Scale Electric Field for Investigating Potential Effects of Electric Barriers on Aquatic Invasive Invertebrates

Canals and other connected waterway systems, including the Chicago Area Waterway System (CAWS), have often facilitated the spread of non-native species. Electric barriers have recently emerged as a method for preventing this spread and protecting uninvaded ecosystems from new invaders. The largest system of electric barriers in the world is in the CAWS and is operated primarily to prevent the spread of invasive Asian carp. It is not known whether these barriers are effective for other species, particularly invasive invertebrates. Here, we provide data regarding the efficacy of an electric field that operates at the same parameters as the electric barrier in the CAWS in affecting behaviors of two invertebrate species, the red swamp crayfish Procambarus clarkii and the amphipod Hyalella azteca. We constructed an electric field within a tank that operates at the same parameters as the existing CAWS barriers and determined the effects of the electric field on our test species. At the electric field parameters of the CAWS barriers, the vast majority of P. clarkii individuals showed altered movement with maintained equilibrium. For H. azteca, behavioral responses were less extreme than for P. clarkii, with a majority of individuals experiencing altered movement. By measuring the orientation of organisms to the electric field, we determined that the test organisms are affected by the electric field, especially at lower field strengths where they exhibited no or little other behavioral response. At lower field strengths, P. clarkii exhibited changes in orientation, but at higher field strengths, individuals were less able to orient themselves. H. azteca exhibited changes in orientation to the electric field at all field strengths. The results of this study suggest that the existing electric barriers may not slow or prevent spread of invasive invertebrates—including amphipods and crayfish—through passive movement attached boats/barges or through downstream drift, but that the barriers may prevent spread by active upstream movement. Overall, our work gives new data regarding the efficacy of electric fields in preventing the spread of invasive invertebrates and can inform management decisions regarding current and future electric barriers in the CAWS.