The design of a harbour will generally involve the testing of a number of possible layouts for a variety of possible wave conditions in order to produce a design that minimizes wave disturbance within the harbour. Such problems can be analyzed experimentally with scale models in wave tanks, or numerically by the application of a suitable mathematical model and numerical method. The advantage of numerical models is the ease with which different layouts can be constructed and tested compared to rebuilding of the physical model.

The wave processes within and surrounding a harbour can generally be termed to be within the “nearshore” zone, i.e. the coastal region where the form of the free surface is affected by the shape of the sea bed. Important wave processes in this region include diffraction, refraction, shoaling and harmonic interaction. Taking the above into account and in combination with wave reflection and transmission at solid boundaries a numerical model can effectively estimate the resulting wave agitation within the harbour basin for any proposed layout.

Our set of solvers includes the widely acknowledged suites Telemac-Mascaret System and SeaWorks.