A Study on Harbour Siltation and Dredging in Vizhinjam Port Using a Numerical Modeling Tool

Abstract

This paper tries to study the harbour siltation in the proposed Vizhinjam port using a numerical modeling tool (Delft3D). Secondary data collection has been carried out from various sources for obtaining Oceanographic and bathymetric data and used in this study. The simulation results were calibrated using the measured current and tide. From the wave coupled simulation results it is found that waves have very less influence in the siltation of the proposed port. The model has been run for different number of years with the port layout and found the siltation amount in the harbour basin and channel is insignificant. Study also extended with the introduction of different sized non-cohesive sediments into the model and it is found that only those sediments with smaller size in the order of 64μm in diameter will cause siltation in the port’s channel. From the simulation of siltation using two different channel depths shows that Vizhinjam Port can be operated with the Channel depth of 19.2 m without any siltation which is 1.2 lesser than the proposed design. It is observed that during the initial years after port construction, port can be operated without any significant amount of maintenance dredging.

 Keywords—harbor siltation, numerical modeling tool, bathymetric data, maintenance dredging.