Challenge

The Flemish Government wants to focus on further developing the existing waterway network with the ambition of realizing a reliable, efficient and smart waterway network. Locks are an essential part in waterways. Flanders Hydraulics Research, being part of the Department of Mobility and Public Works, conducts studies to optimize the filling and emptying process of inland navigation locks in Flanders.

A ship being levelled in a lock will experience forces from the incoming or outgoing water. These forces are transferred to the mooring lines. The forces on the mooring lines, but also the movements of the ship in the lock, should not exceed certain criteria. Leveling of a lock is generally studied by simplified theoretical models. However, these models are limited valid, e.g. the behavior of recreational vessels is described only to a limited extent. As a validation of the design of a levelling system of a new lock or an optimization of the leveling of an existing lock, in situ measurements are applied. At the moment measurements are limited to placing sensors in the lock or on the vessels themselves, being cumbersome and providing less accurate data

Flanders Hydraulics Research wants to develop a contact-free and mobile measuring technology aiming to measure efficiently and safely the movements and gradients of a ship in a lock during levelling. This new measurement technology should allow to optimize the safety and efficiency of the locks and to improve the flow of cargo vessels on the Flemish waterways.