DHI and Vejr2 in association with NowCasting International (NCI) is providing real time met-ocean forecast in support of construction (immersion) of the Busan-Geoje submerged tunnel.
The Busan-Geoje submerged tunnel is a 3.24 km long immersed vehicular tunnel that will be constructed in a dredged trench at a maximum of 47m depth as a part of a new 8.2km motorway in South Korea. The owner of the project G.K. Fixed Link Corporation is a consortium of South Korea firms lead by Daewoo Engineering and Construction Company Ltd., which has been awarded the projects build/operate/transfer concession for a period of 40 years after the expected completion in 2010.
DHI and NCI are providing five day high resolution meteorological and wave forecasts to the dutch contractor STRUKTON responsible for transporting and immersing the 18 pre-cast tunnel elements (each approximately 180 meter long). Both transport of (some 36 km from the tunnel site) and immersion of the tunnel element are very sensitive to wave action and especially to swell wave action. Threshold criteria for allowable swell wave and wave period during immersion operations have been determined by mathematical and physical modeling. The rough wave climate during the summer months allows only for tunnel immersion during the winter season (October through March).
Based on real time Met-Ocean forecasts issued during the week of February 11, 2008 the decision was made to transport and initiate immersion of the very first tunnel element. The tunnel element left the mooring site on February 15 and was successfully immersed on February 17.
Courtesy by Peter de Haas
DHI’s unique and dedicated wave forecast service uses global and local wind fields provided by NCEP and Vejr2 respectively. DHI’s operational global wave model provides boundary conditions for a regional og local high resolution wave model (MIKE 21 SW)
Five day wind and wave forecast are provided twice daily. Real time forecasts comprising wave (separated into total, wind and swell) height, period and direction as well as forecast statistics (Quality Assurance) are accessible on-line and also emailed to operators as pdf files.
Read more about DHI’s state of the art Operational Met Ocean Forecast Service at
http://www.dhigroup.com/Solutions/CoastalAndMarineEngineering/CoastalAndMarineWaterForecasting.aspx