NUMERICAL MODELLING OF COUPLED DRAWDOWN AND WAKE

Pacific International Engineering has developed the Ship-Generated Hydrodynamics (SGH) computer model in order to predict the effects of deep-draft vessel traffic. The SGH model is comprised of two dynamically-coupled sub-models, one for the wake and one for the drawdown, which calculate vessel-generated water surface fluctuations, current velocities and wake transformation. The model is constructed to permit the use of complex channel geometry and bathymetry, realistic ship hull shapes and variable sailing lines, and employs an auto-calibration technique to ensure accurate wake generation. This advanced computer model has been used successfully and cost-effectively on a number of projects in Canada and the US. This paper describes the governing equations and structure of the SGH model, and its application to a problem on the St. Lawrence River near Sorel, Quebec.