Responses of Tidal Current and Sediment Transport to Huanghua Port

Abstract:

The sediment deposition problem of Huanghua Port is a key factor to influence the navigation capacity and investment in construction. After the regulation project in 2011, the navigation capacity of Huanghua Port was greatly improved, the sediment siltation was mitigated, and a steady water area was, therefore, provided for harbour basin. On the basis of the verified tidal current and sediment transport mathematical model from MIKE 21 software, the responses of the tidal current field and sediment concentration field to the engineering area of Huanghua Port in 2011 were analyzed. Besides, the changes of sediment concentration in the whole field whether the normal wave being considered or not were compared. The results indicate that the extension of breakwater divides Huanghua Port into two relatively separate regions, and the resistance induced by breakwaters forces the sediment carried by tidal current to transport along the dike seaward; the average sediment concentration in Huanghua Port is about 0.02 kg·m-3 without the effect of wave, however, the sediment concentration increases drastically and forms high sediment concentration zone in offshore water when considering the effect of normal wave; Breakwaters, which can block high concentration of sediment across the channel, improve the service life of the navigation channel.

Key words:Huanghua Port; tidal current; sediment transport; navigation channel; MIKE 21