The New Haringvliet barrier: Conceptual design for the storm surge barrier of the Delta21 project

The combination of continuous sea level rise, and more frequent extreme river discharges will become a rapidly developing problem for the Rhine-Meuse delta over the course of the next century. The current Dutch delta management policy mostly revolves around the consistent improvement of the existing dikes to account for the increasing water...

Assessing the remaining lifetime of the Haringvliet sluices: A method for a full system analysis of existing hydraulic structures to quantitatively and qualitatively determine plausible adaptive courses for their remaining lifetime

Many Dutch infrastructure assets were constructed in the first half of the 20th century and by considering an average design life time of roughly 100 years, a lot of these structures will reach the end of their designed life in the upcoming decades. This results in a large replacement and renovation challenge in the nearby future. Assessing the...

Sediment transport through the Eastern Scheldt storm surge barrier

The aim of this research is to determine to what extend the scour holes limit the sediment transport through the Eastern Scheldt storm surge barrier and whether or not human adaptations, like sand-nourishments in the scour holes, can have a positive effect on the sediment import. To investigate these scenarios a numerical model (Delft3D) is used...

Sea level rise in the Oosterschelde estuary: A study of the long-term morphological development of a model of the Oosterschelde with accelerated sea level rise if the storm surge barrier is removed

The Oosterschelde has been an area of morphological change for centuries. Both floodings and human influences have caused the Oosterschelde to have its current shape. During the last century before implementation of the Delta plan (1953) the estuary was still expanding as the channels deepened and the tidal flats increased. With the construction...

Developing a framework for the assessment of current and future flood risk in Venice, Italy

Flooding has been a serious risk to the old-town of Venice, its residents and cultural heritage and continues to be a challenge in future. Despite this existence-defining condition, limited scientific knowledge on flood hazard and flood damage modelling of the old-town of Venice is available to support decisions to mitigate existing and future...

The Delta Barrier: A climate robust preliminary design of the Delta21 storm surge barrier

The world is heating up quickly. Since 1901, the temperature in the Netherlands has risen about twice as fast as the global average and the effects of climate change seem clearly noticeable. With sea levels rising and peak river discharges increasing an enormous pressure is mounting on the current Flood Protection Programme in the Netherlands...

Improving the reliability of the Maeslant barrier in the Delta21 configuration

The coastal zone is becoming more vulnerable due to growing concentrations of human population, settlements, and socio-economic activities. The Rhine-Meuse Delta is low-lying land, which makes it vulnerable to flooding. The Maeslant barrier is a storm surge barrier which should prevent flooding in the low-lying land behind the barrier. Various...

Tangential load and trim behaviour: Analysis of the Maeslant Barrier under seaward flow

This investigation considers the two floating gates of the Maeslant barrier, which is a storm surge barrier in the Rotterdam area. During the end of each closure operation of the Maeslant barrier, the flow at the barrier may be in seaward direction. Three different effects have been observed in the situation with a flow in seaward direction. The...

Assessing the remaining life of the Hollandsche IJssel storm surge barrier

The Hollandsche IJssel storm surge barrier is expected to last another 40 years, but replacement or renovation may be needed sooner than anticipated due to factors such as climate change and societal developments. Yet, there is relatively little known about what factors and how these factors influence the remaining life, and methods that can be...

A design-based study of data-driven asset management for Storm Surge Barriers: Implementing predictive maintenance, digital twins and realizing data governance for the current asset management at Rijkswaterstaat

Rijkswaterstaat’s Storm Surge Barriers are expensive assets providing economic value with the expectation of future returns. The maintenance is executed by the asset management department, which aims at maximizing operability without sacrificing safety and reliability. However, regular maintenance becomes more stringent as circumstances change,...

The Segment barrier: A case study on the applicability of new conceptual designs for a storm surge barrier at Long Island Sound, USA

The Segment barrier is a conceptual design for a storm surge barrier consisting of individual concrete segments which can be combined to form a barrier. The structure is designed with the ability to expand in size to deal with the uncertainties of global mean sea level rise by stacking the individual segments into various configurations. At its...

Conceptual design of the Valmeer's pump storage station of the DELTA21 plan

It is widely known that climate change will cause sea level rise and larger river discharges in the close future (because more precipitation during a shorter amount of time will happen). In the Netherlands, the delta works were developed to protect the hinterland from sea-water during storm surge situations. The storm surge...

Investigating the Risk of Galveston's Proposed Floating Sector Gates Failing Under Reverse Loading Conditions

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The Shade Curtain Barrier: A conceptual design for a storm surge barrier at the San Luis Pass in Galveston Bay, Texas, United States of America

Low-lying, densely-populated coastal areas across the world are under threat of hurricane-induced floods. This is the case in, among others, the Galveston Bay Area. In response to this threat the USACE (United States Corps of Engineers) recommended a plan to reduce the risk of flooding, through a range of measures to form a resilient coast of...