Waterway System Research Articles

A well-balanced and positivity-preserving SPH method for shallow water flows in open channels

A well-balanced and positivity-preserving meshless method based on smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) is developed to simulate one-dimensional (1D) and two-dimensional (2D) shallow water (SW) flows in open channels with irregular geometries. A new form of the characteristic equations that govern the water-surface level and water velocity is introduced to specify the numerical inflow/outflow boundary conditions. An additional condition, derived from temporal discretization to determine the time-step size, forces the water depth to be positive. A 1D finite volume shallow water (FVSW) model based on the first-order Godunov upwind method is built to conduct a comparison of the 1D meshless-based and mesh-based SW models. Six benchmark cases – still water, single trapezoidal and rectangular and prismatic and non-prismatic channels, and a dendritic channel network – are employed to validate the proposed models and compared with the exact and mesh-based numerical solutions. A real-world case of the Chicago Area Waterways System (CAWS) is investigated to highlight the performance of the proposed 1D model for a practical hydraulic system.

Updated occurrence data and species distribution modeling of the invasive amphipod Apocorophium lacustre in North America

Freshwater ecosystems in North America have been greatly affected by invasive species, including invasive amphipods, which has motivated the development of predictive models to inform where invaders are likely to establish. Here, we provide the first predictive model using freshwater-specific habitat layers for the non-native amphipod Apocorophium lacustre (Vanhoffen, 1911) in the Mississippi, Laurentian Great Lakes, and Upper Saint Lawrence river basins, USA, and evaluate its current distribution in the Chicago Area Waterway System (CAWS), Illinois, USA. In the summers of 2017, 2018, and 2019, we sampled for A. lacustre at 45 sites in the CAWS. Next, we used boosted regression trees to develop an ensembled species distribution model combining A. lacustre occurrence data with the EarthEnv GIS layers to model habitats suitable for this species. We did not find A. lacustre at any of our sampling sites in the CAWS in 2017 nor 2018, but we did find the species at 7 sites in 2019. Our ensemble species distribution model evaluated habitat associations and predicted the potential distribution of A. lacustre with an average area-under-the-curve value of 0.996 and an average true skills statistic of 0.956. The model predicts that A. lacustre could establish throughout much of the Mississsippi River basin and in the Upper Saint Lawrence River basin. These predictions of habitat suitability for A. lacustre can guide management efforts by facilitating monitoring and early detection to prevent further spread and establishment of this species.

Waterway maintenance budget allocation in a multimodal network

The U.S. inland waterway system has more than 11,000 miles of maintained navigation channel, which carries a significant percentage of the national freight total. Maintenance operations, including dredging and lock and dam maintenance/repair, are important to ensuring the effective and efficient operation of the inland marine transportation system. This study specifically deals with maintenance fund allocation to these projects. It proposes a multimodal approach to formulate the waterway maintenance problem in a network that considers rivers, locks/dams, highways and railways. The random effects of channel infilling known as shoaling are also considered. Maintenance on locks and dams reduces the delay therein, the cost of which is also considered in the model. The solution identifies maintenance projects to fund with an objective to serve the OD demand and minimize the total shipping costs on the network. The model is tested using data from the Ohio River Basin network. The proposed model is effective, and the result indicates a trade-off between lock/dam maintenance versus channel dredging. A distinct feature of this study is its explicit modeling of the interdependency between projects in realizing the system benefits as well as the random shoaling effect.

Analysis of the Dynamic Height Distribution at the Estuary of the Odra River Based on Gravimetric Measurements Acquired with the Use of a Light Survey Boat-A Case Study.

This article presents possible applications of a dynamic gravity meter (MGS-6, Micro-g LaCoste) for determining the dynamic height along the Odra River, in northwest Poland. The gravity measurement campaign described in this article was conducted on a small, hybrid-powered survey vessel (overall length: 9.5 m). We discuss a method for processing the results of gravimetric measurements performed on a mobile platform affected by strong external disturbances. Because measurement noise in most cases consists of signals caused by non-ideal observation conditions, careful attempts were made to analyze and eliminate the noise. Two different data processing strategies were implemented, one for a 20 Hz gravity data stream and another for a 1 Hz data stream. A comparison of the achieved results is presented. A height reference level, consistent for the entire estuary, is critical for the construction of a safe waterway system, including 3D navigation with the dynamic estimation of under-keel clearance on the Odra and other Polish rivers. The campaign was conducted in an area where the accuracy of measurements (levelling and gravimetric) is of key importance for shipping safety. The shores in the presented area of interest are swampy, so watercraft-based measurements are preferred. The method described in the article can be successfully applied to measurements in all near-zero-depth areas.

PUBLIC AND PRIVATE AGENTS IN WATERWAY TRANSPORT DEVELOPMENT: THE EXPERIENCE OF WALLONIA (BELGIUM)

This article is part of the research efforts regarding policymaking processes in public policy and investments in infrastructure, especially in waterway transport. Previous papers have focused on analyzing the action of interest groups or coalitions in such policymaking processes, having established methodologies and field research programs. The field research reported here concerns the Belgian waterway system of the Walloon Region, and the policymaking processes regarding its management. After describing this waterway system and reporting its economic importance for the regional economy, we investigate the procedures adopted by policymakers in their management. By means of interviews with public and private agents, we found that the explanatory model of interest groups could not be validated in this case. On the other hand, a network of public and private agents was found working in close harmony to manage, expand and achieve the system’s economic success. At the same time, it was noted that the promotion of the waterway system is part of a broader strategy to ensure that the Walloon Region has a competitive logistics position at the heart of the European Union.

Utilizing Agent-Based Modeling to Evaluate Operational Impacts of an Incident and Possible Alternatives on U.S. Waterways

Operations along inland waterways are particularly vulnerable to severe weather events which can create adverse conditions for towboat operators to manage, resulting in increased risk of accidents. However, it is challenging to know or understand the extent to which new regulations or policies on tow operating procedures may reduce impacts from a given scenario. An agent-based model (ABM) representing actual river operating procedures was developed previously to evaluate emergent characteristics and system-wide impacts arising from the interactions between disruptions, towboat operator responses, and regulations. In this work, we validate the effectiveness of the ABM model for improved decision support by comparing it with observed waterway traffic as captured by Automatic Identification System (AIS) data, then apply the model to a case study based on a 2005 incident on the Ohio River. A series of counterfactual scenarios are simulated to better understand potential impacts of the incident on waterway system performance and potential alternative outcomes given different operational responses and regulations. The analysis indicates that imposing tow movement restrictions, such as waiting for a helper towboat, under adverse river conditions can result in a general slowing of the system but with potentially lesser impacts than what would be caused if the system operates as normal and results in an incident that lasts multiple days. The analysis also indicates that the waterway system can return to normal operations within a matter of weeks.

Inland waterway ports selection and evaluation using stochastic analytical hierarchy process

ABSTRACT Inland waterway ports are an integral part of a country’s transportation system and the overall economy it supports. Though these ports support and contribute to a country’s import-export business and transportation economy, little attention is paid, primarily on the characterisation of these inland waterway ports. In this paper, we develop a systematic, multi-criteria, multi-personnel decision making approach, referred to as stochastic Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), that can be used to characterise inland waterway ports and to identify the factors that contribute most towards a port’s performance and overall utilisation. This robust method can successfully handle judgment errors, biases, and inconsistencies, while reducing the uncertainty associated with decision-making. We use the state of Mississippi’s inland waterways system as a testbed to visualise and validate the modelling results. Results indicate that the Mississippi River ports demonstrate less capability over the ports located along the Tennessee-Tombigbee waterway, based on the criteria used as a part of this study. A number of sensitivity analyses were performed, including additional investments, augmenting dredging capabilities, and introducing new businesses, to reveal managerial insights about the selection of inland waterway ports in Mississippi.

Multicommodity port throughput from truck GPS and lock performance data fusion

Inland waterways ports are key elements of an efficient multimodal freight transportation system. Data on the capacity and throughput of inland waterway ports by commodity support effective long-term freight planning and travel demand modeling. More specifically, such data can be used to estimate multimodal commodity-based freight fluidity performance measures and to support location selection for freight transload facilities. State-of-the-practice means of obtaining commodity flows data, such as shipper/carrier surveys and vessel and vehicle movements, are limited in their ability to provide monthly or seasonal statistics on individual port operations; rather, they provide annualized statistics for river segments which may contain multiple ports. These limitations are addressed herein by developing a multicommodity assignment model to quantify commodity throughput at inland waterways ports. The model fuses waterborne lock performance monitoring system data, which provides the commodity dimension, and anonymous truck Global Positioning System (GPS) data, which allows for spatial disaggregation. A goal-programming approach minimizes the deviation between known and estimated truck flows at each port. The methodology was applied to the Arkansas River, a 308-mile navigable waterway served by 14 locks and 43 freight ports. Overall, 84% of ports showed less than 20% difference between observed and predicted truck flows. The model is applicable to any inland waterways system with aggregated commodity flow data and truck GPS coverage and fills a critical data gap by describing commodity throughput at inland waterway ports using publicly available data.

Evaluating flood resilience in rural communities: a case-based assessment of Dyer County, Tennessee

Communities everywhere are being subjected to a variety of natural hazard events that can result in significant disruption to critical functions. As a result, community resilience assessment in these locations is gaining popularity as a means to help better prepare for, respond to, and recover from potentially disruptive events. The objective of this study was to identify key vulnerabilities relevant to addressing rural community resilience through conducting an initial flood impact analysis, with a specific focus on emergency response and transportation network accessibility. It included a use case involving the flooding of a rural community along the US inland waterway system. Special consideration was given to impacts experienced by at-risk populations (e.g., low economic status, youth, and elderly), given their unique vulnerabilities. An important backdrop to this work is recognition that Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Hazus, a free, publicly available tool, is commonly recommended by the agency for counties, particularly those with limited resources (i.e., rural areas), to use in developing their hazard mitigation plans. The case study results, however, demonstrate that Hazus, as currently utilized, has some serious deficiencies in that it: (1) likely underestimates the flood extent boundaries for study regions in a Level 1 analysis (which solely relies upon filling digital elevation models with precipitation), (2) may be incorrectly predicting the number and location of damaged buildings due to its reliance on out-of-date census data and the assumption that buildings are evenly distributed within a census block, and (3) is incomplete in its reporting of the accessibility of socially vulnerable populations and response capabilities of essential facilities. Therefore, if counties base their flood emergency response plans solely on Hazus results, they are likely to be underprepared for future flood events of significant magnitude. An approach in which Hazus results can be augmented with additional data and analyses is proposed to provide a more risk-informed assessment of community-level flood resilience.

The genus Cuernavaca (Hemiptera: Dictyopharidae), associated with Pontederiaceae in South America, with redescription and new records of C. inexacta (Walker)

The aim of this paper is to shed light on the boundaries of two sympatric species of Cuernavaca, C. inexacta and C. longula, to enable further ecological studies. Species in this genus are associated with water hyacinths in wetlands of Northeastern Argentina (Paraná-Paraguay waterway system) and the Peruvian Amazon. This work lists new host records for Cuernavaca, which include Pontederia crassipes, P. cordata, P. subovata and P. rotundifolia (Pontederiaceae). A redescription for C. inexacta with new diagnostic genitalic features is also provided, as well as an updated identification key and a distribution map. The genus is distributed throughout Central and South America, reaching north and central Argentina in its southernmost distribution.

THE LONG-RUN IMPACT OF ENERGY USE, INCOME AND TRADE ON CARBON DIOXIDE EMISSIONS IN MERCOSUR MEMBER STATES

Using a heterogeneous panel cointegration analysis, this study examines the long-run impacts of income, trade, and energy use on carbon dioxide emissions (CO2), in Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay between 1970 − 2008. Results show that the long-run impact of those factors on CO2 emissions; particularly trade, changed following the establishment of the Mercosur regional free trade agreement in 1991. The results also suggest that increasing the level of openness, after removing barriers to trade and encouraging investments in transportation infrastructure, created positive effects in the reduction of CO2 emissions post-Mercosur. Our findings indicate that the enhancement and increase in utilization of the region’s inland waterway system could shift the Mercosur’s transport matrix towards more economical transportation modes that generates positive effects on the environment.

Union of land and water

The author emphasizes the exceptional significance of interaction between the development and the water areas of the Neva delta to form the general look of St. Petersburg. He also analyzes the gradual development of methods for the reclamation and transformation of coastal areas. It is noted that the sophistication of the existing landscapes was ensured by the creative contribution of outstanding architects, huge amount of construction works and innumerable investments. The enormous popularity of the Spit of Vasilyevsky Island is also explained by the fact that a convenient observation platform was created here, which reveals ideally the merits of the panorama of the “main area of the Neva”. It is stated that, despite the damage suffered by the Neva delta waterway system in the second half of the 19th century, it retains an exceptional value. The circumstances that impede the full use of unique architectural and artistic resources are shown, and examples of solutions are presented that allow improving the contact of citizens and tourists with the historical landscapes of the center.

Simulation research on the influence of special ships on waterway through capacity for a complex waterway system: a case study for the Port of Meizhou Bay

The study of waterway through capacity for ports is a challenging problem due to the randomness and complexity of the waterway system, which needs to be analyzed by simulation technology. This paper quantitatively studies the influence of special ships on waterway through capacity and provides corresponding measures to improve waterway through capacity. The complex waterway system in the Port of Meizhou Bay is employed as a case study. Considering the actual conditions in the Port of Meizhou Bay, including the ships, berths, waterways, and natural conditions, a Simio-based simulation model is established. The real operation data from the Port of Meizhou Bay in 2015 are used to verify the correctness and effectiveness of the model. The simulation results show that special ships reduce the waterway through capacity by 4.9% and suggest that circumnavigation strategies that can be adopted after the extension and new construction of waterway systems can improve the waterway through capacity by 5.9%.

Conditions of Safe Ship Operation in Seaports – Optimization of Port Waterway Parameters

Abstract A seaport is presented in this article as a system composed of various types of waterways. The author has defined relationships between port waterway system elements and conditions of safe operation of ships in port. Relationships were determined between the conditions of safe operation of ships and the parameters of the following port waterways: anchorage, fairways (approach and inner channels, port entrances), turning area and port basin. The identified relationships between port waterway system and conditions of safe ship operation provided a basis for formulating the objective function of waterway parameter optimization during port design. In practice, these relations were used to determine the parameters of the Outer Container Terminal being built in Świnoujście, where two optimization problems were to be solved: The optimization of approach channel parameters, The optimization of parameters of the port entrance, turning area and port basin. The Outer Container Terminal in Świnoujście is expected to handle ocean-going ships with a length overall Lo = 400 m, and its projected capacity is estimated at 1.5 million TEU per year, a figure that can be doubled in the future.

Optimization of fairway design parameters: Systematic approach to manoeuvring safety

The article presents a systematic approach to design of marine navigation channels parameters resulting from manoeuvring and operational safety. Relations between the parameters of waterway system elements and the conditions of safe ship operation have been determined and the objective function of waterway parameters' optimization problems has been minimized with respect to variables of construction and operation costs. These costs have been functionally associated to variables of channel width at the bottom and fairway depth. The method of fairway's width computation at specified safe depth at the preliminary and detailed stages of waterway design has been proposed. The results of this method application have been illustrated with two examples: 1. The modernization of Szczecin-Świnoujście fairway aimed at accepting vessels of 60,000 DWT capacity. 2. Construction of an approach channel leading to a newly built container terminal in Świnoujście harbour (Poland), handling ocean-going container ships of 20,000 TEU capacity.

When invaders collide: competition, aggression, and predators affect outcomes in overlapping populations of red swamp (Procambarus clarkii) and rusty (Faxonius rusticus) crayfishes

Non-native crayfishes can have large impacts on biodiversity and the provisioning of ecosystem services in freshwaters. In 2015 we discovered an established population of the globally widespread red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) in the North Shore Channel of the Chicago Area Waterway System. This population overlaps with a population of rusty crayfish (Faxonius rusticus), a previous invader that is widely distributed and usually the dominant crayfish species across the Great Lakes region. If P. clarkii continues to spread in the Great Lakes region it will frequently encounter F. rusticus. Factors such as water clarity, competition for food when limited, and susceptibility to predation may alter P. clarkii’s ability to become established and spread. We sampled the overlapping populations and found that P. clarkii are significantly larger than F. rusticus. Next, we conducted lab experiments to examine the outcomes of competition between these species for shelter and food. F. rusticus were significantly more likely to seek shelter when threatened, while P. clarkii were significantly more likely to respond aggressively. P. clarkii won more competitions for food. Finally, we conducted field experiments to investigate rates of predation on each species and found that P. clarkii are predated significantly more often. Our results suggest that P. clarkii is dominant in interactions with F. rusticus but that higher rates of predation, likely occurring because P. clarkii is less likely to flee from threats, mitigate these benefits. We suggest that P. clarkii will dominate crayfish communities in water with low clarity, but not in clear-water habitats where visual predators are more effective.

Analysis for Resistance Reduction of an Amazon School Boat Through Hull Shape Modification Utilizing a CFD Tool

AbstractThe waterway system of the Brazilian Amazonian region is one of the most complex in the world, being of vital importance for the daily circulation of passengers and cargo, and in this scenario, the FNDE (National Fund for Development of Education) provided the implementation of school boats for the transportation of riverine students to their classrooms. However, one of the school boat models presented operational inefficiency, as well as increased fuel consumption and travel duration. This work investigates the hydrodynamic causes of this inefficiency by analyzing dynamic pressure distributions on the hull, streamlines, and wave train generation and identifying hull shape regions that would hinder the flow. Through Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations and analysis, a hull shape modification is proposed in order to reduce the resistance to forward motion and a comparison is made with the results of another research report, using the same hull geometry and speed range in simulations performed in other CFD software. Due to the hydrodynamic analysis, it can be inferred that the prototype hull form is inappropriate for the proposed operation regime in this project, and an agreement on the resistance coefficient reduction rates can be observed between use of both software, where a maximum total resistance coefficient reduction of 25.06% is achieved.

Self-Powered Intelligent Water Meter for Electrostatic Scale Preventing, Rust Protection, and Flow Sensor in a Solar Heater System.

Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) have been investigated for mechanical energy harvesting because of their high-energy conversion efficiency, low cost, ease of manufacturing, and so on. This paper deals with designing a kind of water-fluid-driven rotating TENG (WR-TENG) inspired by the structure of a water meter. The designed WR-TENG is effectively integrated into a self-powered electrostatic scale-preventing and rust protection system. The WR-TENG can generate a constant DC voltage up to about 7.6 kV by using a voltage-doubling rectifier circuit (VDRC) to establish a high-voltage electrostatic field in the water tank. A WR-TENG, a VDRC, and an electric water heating tank are the components of the whole system. The system is convenient to be installed in any waterway system, effectively preventing the rusting of stainless steel and restraining the formation of scale when the water is heated to 65 ± 5 °C. Moreover, the approximately linear relationship between the short-circuit current and the rotation rate of the WR-TENG makes employing it as a self-powered water flow sensor possible. This work enables a facile, safe, and effective approach for electrostatic scale prevention, rust protection, and flow sensing in solar heaters, which will enrich the high-voltage applications of TENGs.

Blind prediction of FRP repairs for multiaxial fatigue cracks on Hydraulic Steel Structures

Currently, over 80% of the navigation steel structures (NSS) within the United States’ inland waterway system have reached or exceeded their useful design life. Age has caused deterioration of the design boundary conditions (e.g. diagonal relaxation and quoin block deterioration) leading to overloads and causing multi-axial fatigue cracking. Furthermore, corrosion and deterioration of the protective system accelerate the fatigue crack growth rate. This paper presents numerical experiments to evaluate the viability of fiber reinforce polymer (FRP) retrofit methods as an alternative to repair mix-mode fatigue cracking. The numerical experiments use a combination of tension, shear, and bending forces to develop different cracking patterns. Afterward, an analysis is conducted to demonstrate the effectiveness of the repair techniques on the defined problem. The need for a retrofit method is first motivated by the lack of effective and easily implemented retrofit techniques for underwater structures when mix-mode fatigue cracks are present. Extended finite element (XFEM), with Paris’ Law and non-linear bond-slip behaviour of the adhesive, calibrates the crack propagation and strains surrounding the crack tip. The research then focuses on the discussion of the parametric analyses of large steel plate subjected to a combination of tension, shear and bending loads with and without CFRP repairs.

Inland waterways in the development of inland shipping

Inland shipping is one of the most environmentally friendly transport modes. Currently it amounts to 6.3% of the whole cargo transport of the EU-28. The low share of transport with the use of inland waterways in the European Union is, among others, the result of many bottlenecks in the inland waterways system. Investments which would improve the condition of the water routes of international significance are necessary to increase the significance of inland shipping, thus eliminating the infrastructural barriers which diminish the development of inland shipping. The goal of the article is to present the relations between the economisation of the inland waterways and the volume of goods transported on inland waterways.