Researcher: Hydro-sedimentary modeling applied to the impact of Navigation Channel Deepening between Montreal and Quebec

École de technologie supérieure

Montreal, QC, Canada 🇨🇦

Offer Description

SUBJECT: Hydro-sedimentary modeling applied to the impact of Navigation Channel Deepening between Montreal and Quebec

A full-time Ph.D. position is open at Ecole de Technologie Supérieure (ETS) in Montréal (QC, Canada).

CONTEXT:

The project titled « Hydro-sedimentary Modeling Applied to the Impact Study of Navigation Channel Deepening between Montreal and Quebec » aims to foster collaboration between the academic world (ETS, Université du Quebec) and the industrial sector (APM, Montreal Port Authority) for developing a decision support tool in managing the Saint Lawrence River waterway.

The modeling tool will enable optimal management of the waterway to secure the use of commercial maritime navigation against climate change perspectives (river floods/low water levels, sea level rise, weather-oceanic storms) and blue growth (increase in maritime transport, reduction of carbon footprint) in the maritime sector

The modeling will simulate hydrodynamic flow and sediment transport (erosion, deposition, suspension, transport) to test climate adaptation or economic growth scenarios. It will specifically consider interactions and retroactions between hydrodynamics (river flow, tide, wind effect on the lake) and sediment transport (sand and mud transport and suspension) in the presence of vegetation. It will also support the development of a 4D-digital twin of the Saint Lawrence River to study hydro-sedimentary impacts of navigation channel deepening to ensure navigation safety. The digital twin will enable visualisation of results and extraction of model outcomes o, tome and space. Following the project, the model may evolve to extend its initial application domain to new structures or optimize new measurement campaigns.

OBJECTIVE :

The general objective of the thesis is to improve knowledge on the hydro-sedimentary dynamics of the Saint Lawrence system in its fluvio-maritime section between Montreal and Quebec, based on research aimed at developing a hydrodynamic simulation tool coupled with sediment transport (erosion, sedimentation, suspension, bedload transport). These developments will allow for the integration of various physical processes (flood flow, strong tides, storm surge, wind effects with or without ice cover, siltation of navigation channels, waterway deepening) into a single tool, typically studied separately, thus providing a more detailed description of the complex interactions and retroaction in fluvio-maritime systems.

This knowledge will help anticipate the effects of climate change (rising sea levels, changes in tidal regimes, loss of ice cover in the Great Lakes, and shifts in river discharge) on the ‘commercial navigation’ use of the waterway. The model, validated using existing databases from federal and provincial ministries, will serve as a reliable tool for extrapolation (or prediction) based on climate scenarios projected by the ministries and their specialized agencies. This knowledge will help anticipate the effects of climate change and explore adaptation solutions, particularly local channel deepening with morphodynamic predictions of the impacts of such operations. The results will be made available interactively through a digital twin platform, allowing visualization and extraction of results at any location and time.

METHOD:

The general methodology is based on hydro-sedimentary modeling using two open-access or open-source tools. The two codes (H2D2 and Telemac2D-T2D) planned for this project are computational codes that use the finite element method (FEM) to solve 2D free-surface fluid flow equations: these equations are known as the shallow water equations (SWE), 2D-RANS (depth-averaged Navier-Stokes equations), or Saint-Venant equations (named after the French scientist who first formulated them). H2D2 is used by Environment Canada, and T2D (www.opentelemac.org) by the NRC.

REFERENCES (selection):

[1] J. Noman, W. Ney-Cassol, S. Daniel, D. Pham Van Bang, 2023. Bathymetric data integration approach to study underwater landforms in the estuary of the Saint-Lawrence River, Frontiers in Remote Sensing, 4:1125898, https://doi.org/doi:10.3389/frsen.2023.1125898

[2] Orseau, N. Huybrechts, P. Tassi, D. Pham Van Bang, F. Klein, 2020: Two-dimensional modeling of fine sediment transport with mixed sediment and consolidation: Application to the Gironde Estuary, France, Int. J. of Sediment Research, doi.org/10.1016/j.ijsrc.2019.12.005

[3] P. Santoro, M. Fossati, P. Tassi, N. Huybrechts, I. Piedra-Cuevo, D. Pham Van Bang, 2019: Effect of self-weight consolidation on a hydro-sedimentological model for the Río de la Plata estuary, Int. J. of Sediment Research, Vol 34(5), 444-454. DOI : 10.1016/j.ijsrc.2018.12.004

[4] P. Santoro, M. Fossati, P. Tassi, N. Huybrechts, I. Piedra-Cuevo, D. Pham Van Bang, 2017: A coupled wave-current-sediment transport model for an estuarine system: Application to the Río de la Plata and Montevideo Bay, Applied Mathematical Modelling, Vol. 52, 107-130. DOI : 10.1016/j.apm.2017.07.004

[5] L.A. Van, D. Pham Van Bang, 2013: Numerical modeling of sand/mud mixtures hindered settling, Advances in Water Resources, Vol. 53, 1-11. DOI : 10.1016/j.advwatres.2012.09.009

[6] B. Camenen, D. Pham Van Bang, 2011: Modelling the settling of suspended sediments for concentrations close to the gelling concentration, Cont. Shelf Res. Vol. 31, 106-116. doi.org/10.1016/j.csr.2010.07.003

[7] C. Villaret, L.A. Van, N. Huybrechts, D. Pham Van Bang, O. Boucher, 2010: Consolidation effects on the morphodynamics modelling: application to the Gironde estuary, La Houille Blanche, n°6-2010, 15-24. DOI : 10.1051/lhb/2010062



Funding category: Contrat doctoral

bourse de thèse (obtenue)

PHD title: Doctorat en sciences de l’Ingénieur

PHD Country: Canada

Where to apply

Website: https://www.abg.asso.fr/fr/candidatOffres/show/id_offre/126187

Requirements

Specific Requirements

Les compétences recherchées sont : mécanique, simulation numérique, CFD (computational fluid dynamic), hydrodynamique, transport sédimentaire

Les compétences linguistiques: francais et anglais

Les qualités: motivation, esprit d'équipe


POSITION TYPE

ORGANIZATION TYPE

EXPERIENCE-LEVEL

DEGREE REQUIRED

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