Arrangement and method for diverting tidal flows in brackish fairways

• US 6,394,698 B1
• Filed: 06/02/2000
• Issued: 05/28/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hermann Christiansen
• Original Assignee: Hermann Christiansen
• Inventors: Christiansen, Hermann
• Primary Examiner(s): Bagnell, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): LAGMAN, FREDERICK LYNDON
• Application Number:
  US09/586,141
• Time in Patent Office: 725 Days
• Field of Search: 405/15,21,22,28,31,34,80,84,74
• US Class Current: 405/80
• CPC Class Codes: E02B 3/02 Stream regulation, e.g. breaking up subaqueous rock, cleaning the beds of waterways, directing the water flow harvesting water plants A01D44/00; underwater loosening of soil or rocks for foundation construction E02D17/16; dredging or scraping devices E02F5/28

Abstract

Arrangement for fairways in brackish water tidal zones to prevent or minimize deposits of silt and/or sand in a branch or enlargement of such fairways. The invention is realized by the installation of a flow wall system. At the entrance to the branch or expansion, a current deflection wall is submerged in the fairway at an upper level some distance from the bank so that a channel is formed near the entrance to the branch or enlargement to direct an flood tide into the branch or enlargement and a deflection sill is juxtaposed with the partition at a lower level to divert an incoming near-bed current of the fairway away from the entrance to the branch or enlargement. The cross sectional area of the channel is small when compared with the cross sectional area of the entrance to the branch or enlargement.

Claims

1. An arrangement to minimize the deposit of silt or sand in a lateral branch or enlargement of a brackish fairway which is characterized by changing salt concentrations or suspended sediment concentrations as a result of tidal flows, said arrangement comprising:

an S-shaped deflection sill having at least a portion conformed to divert a near-bed current of said fairway toward the center and away from an entrance to said branch or enlargement without causing substantial turbulence upon the occurrence of a flood tide, said deflection sill being configured to be submerged along a bank of said fairway with at least a portion thereof at a predetermined depth at the level of said current, said deflection sill located downstream of and adjacent to the entrance of said branch or enlargement and projecting obliquely from said bank into said fairway in the direction of said flood; and

a current deflection wall conformed to channel a tidal current of said fairway into said branch or enlargement upon the occurrence of a flood tide to aid in filling said branch or enlargement to create a current counter to an in flowing near-bed current near the bottom at said entrance to said branch or enlargement generated by said flood tide, said current deflection wall being configured to be juxtaposed to overlap with said deflection sill in said fairway and be at least partially downstream of the entrance to said bank or enlargement and situated a predetermined distance from said bank thereby forming an inlet opening lying downstream of said entrance and an outlet opening lying essentially in said branch or enlargement with at least a portion of said current deflection wall being configured to be disposed at a higher elevation than said portion of said deflection sill configured to divert said near-bed current of said fairway toward the center of said fairway.

2. The arrangement as claimed in claim 1 further comprising:

a second S-shaped deflection sill having at least a portion conformed to divert a near-bed current of said fairway toward the center and away from the entrance to said branch or enlargement without causing substantial turbulence upon the occurrence of an ebb tide, said second deflection sill being configured to be submerged along a bank of said fairway with at least a portion thereof at a predetermined depth at the level of said current, said second deflection sill located upstream of and adjacent to the entrance to said branch or enlargement and projecting obliquely from said bank into said fairway in the direction of said ebb tide.

3. The arrangement as claimed in claim 2 wherein at least one of the areas in said fairway between said bank and said submerged obliquely projecting deflection sills is backfilled with material and one edge of at least one backfilled area is rounded on top.

4. The arrangement as claimed in claim 3 wherein any portion of said current deflection wall not in physical contact with said deflection sill is supported by one or more columns extending from the bottom of said fairway.

5. The arrangement as claimed in claim 2 wherein the point of the upstream bank of said fairway located at said entrance to said branch or enlargement is cut off in the downstream direction.

6. An arrangement to minimize the deposit of silt or sand in a brackish fairway characterized by changing salt concentrations or suspended sediment concentrations as a result of tidal flows and having a lateral branch or enlargement, said arrangement comprising:

a deflection sill conformed to divert a near-bed current in said fairway toward the center of said fairway and away from an entrance to said branch or enlargement during a flood tide, said deflection sill being configured to be;

(a) submerged along the bank of said fairway with at least a portion thereof at a predetermined depth at the level of said current,

(b) located downstream of and adjacent to said entrance, and

(c) projected obliquely from said bank into said fairway in the direction of said flood in order to effect the diversion of said near-bed current during said flood tide; and

a current deflection wall conformed to channel a tidal current of said fairway into said branch or enlargement during a flood tide to aid in filling said branch or enlargement to create a counter current to a near-bed current in said entrance to said branch or enlargement generated by said flood tide, said current deflection wall being configured to be;

(d) juxtaposed with said deflection sill in said fairway but with at least a portion of said current deflection wall being disposed at a higher elevation than the portion of said deflection sill configured to divert the near-bed current toward the center of said fairway, and

(e) situated at a predetermined location with respect to and a predetermined distance from said bank in order to channel said tidal current into said branch or enlargement to create a counter current to said near-bed current said entrance to said branch or enlargement.

7. The arrangement as claimed in claim 6 further comprising:

a second deflection sill conformed to divert a current in said fairway near the bottom toward the center of said fairway and away from the entrance to said branch or enlargement during an ebb tide, said second deflection sill configured to be;

(f) submerged along a bank of said fairway with at least a portion thereof at a predetermined depth at a level of said outgoing current,

(g) located upstream of and adjacent to said entrance, and

(h) projected obliquely from said bank into said fairway in the direction of said outgoing flowing order to effect the diversion of said near-bed current during said ebb tide.

8. The arrangement as claimed in claim 7 wherein said second deflection sill is S-shaped in order to effect the diversion of said near-bed current during said ebb tide without forming substantial turbulence.

9. The arrangement as claimed in claim 6 wherein said deflection sill is S-shaped in order to effect the diversion of said near-bed current during said flood tide without forming substantial turbulence.

10. An arrangement for minimizing the deposit of silt or sand in a brackish fairway characterized by changing salt concentrations or suspended sediment concentrations as a result of tidal flows and having a lateral branch or enlargement, said arrangement comprising:

a deflection sill having at least a portion submerged along a bank of said fairway at a predetermined depth downstream of and at least substantially adjacent to an entrance to said branch or. enlargement and projecting from said bank into said fairway, said deflection sill being configured to divert a portion of an incoming current of said fairway toward the center of said fairway and away from said entrance to said branch or enlargement; and

a current deflection wall juxtaposed with said sill in said fairway and situated at a predetermined location with respect to said bank and a predetermined distance from said bank, said current deflection wall being configured to channel a portion of a flood tide into said branch or enlargement to create a counter current to a near-bed current in said entrance to said branch or enlargement generated by said flood tide.

11. The arrangement as claimed in claim 10, wherein said submerged at least a portion of said deflection sill being configured to divert a portion of a flood current of said fairway toward the center of said fairway and away from said entrance to said branch or enlargement being disposed at a greater depth than said at least a portion of said current deflection wall being configured to channel a portion of said flood tide.

12. The arrangement as claimed in claim 11, wherein said cross-sectional area of said channel is substantially smaller than said cross-sectional area of said branch or enlargement.

13. The arrangement as claimed in claim 12 wherein said submerged deflection sill projects obliquely from said bank into said fairway in the direction of said flood and an area in said fairway between said bank and said submerged deflection sill is backfilled with material.

14. The arrangement as claimed in claim 13 wherein one edge of said backfilled area is rounded on top.

15. The arrangement as claimed in claim 14 wherein said deflection sill is S-shaped.

16. The arrangement as claimed in claim 10 wherein said current deflection wall partially overlaps said deflection sill.

17. The arrangement as claimed in claim 16 wherein a portion of said current deflection wall not overlapping said deflection sill is supported by columns.

18. The arrangement as claimed in claim 10 further comprising:

a second deflection sill having at least a portion submerged along a bank of said fairway at a predetermined depth upstream of and adjacent to the entrance to said branch or enlargement and projecting from said bank into said fairway and configured to divert a portion of an ebb current in said fairway toward the center of said fairway and away from said entrance to said branch or enlargement.

19. The arrangement as claimed in claim 18 wherein said second submerged deflection sill projects obliquely from said bank into said fairway in the direction of said ebb flow and an area in said fairway between said bank and said second submerged deflection sill is backfilled with material.

20. The arrangement as claimed in claim 19 wherein one edge of said backfilled area is rounded on top.

21. The arrangement as claimed in claim 18 wherein said second deflection sill is S-shaped.

22. The arrangement as claimed in claim 18 wherein the point of the upstream bank of said fairway located at said entrance to said branch or enlargement is cut off in the downstream direction.

23. An arrangement for minimizing the deposit of at least one of silt and sand in a brackish fairway characterized by at least one of changing salt concentrations and suspended sediment concentrations as a result of tidal flows and having a lateral branch or enlargement, said arrangement comprising:

deflection sill having at least a portion submerged along a bank of said fairway at a predetermined depth downstream of and at least substantially adjacent to an to said branch or enlargement and projecting from said bank into said fairway, said deflection sill being configured to divert a portion of a flood current of said airway toward the center of said fairway; and

a current deflection wall juxtaposed with said wall in said fairway and situated at a predetermined location with respect to said bank and at a predetermined distance from said bank, said current deflection wall being configured to channel a portion of a flood tide to minimize deposit of at least one of silt and sand.

24. A method for minimizing the deposit of at least one of silt and sand in a brackish fairway characterized by at least one of changing salt concentrations and suspended sediment concentrations as a result of tidal flows and having a lateral branch or enlargement, said method comprising the steps of:

diverting a portion of a flood current of said fairway toward the center of said fairway and away from an entrance to said branch or enlargement to assist in keeping said entrance to said branch or enlargement substantially free of at least one of silt and sand; and

channeling a portion or a flood tide into said branch or enlargement to create a counter current to a near-bed current in said entrance to said branch or enlargement generated by said flood tide to assist in keeping said entrance to said branch or enlargement substantially free of at least one of silt and sand.

25. A method for minimizing the deposit of at least one of silt and sand in a brackish fairway characterized by at least one of changing salt concentrations and suspended sediment concentrations as a result of tidal flows and having a lateral branch or enlargement, said method comprising the steps of:

diverting a portion of a flood current of said fairway toward the center of said fairway and away from an entrance to said branch or enlargement; and

channeling a portion or a flood tide into said branch or enlargement to create a counter current to a near-bed current in said entrance to said branch or enlargement generated by said flood tide.