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Calcimator

Port Sedimentation Calculator

Calculate tidal current velocities and volumetric flow through channels and inlets. Determine peak and mean velocities, Froude number, and tidal power density.

Inputs

Results

Peak tidal velocity (m/s)

0.26

Peak flow rate (m³/s)

105.4

Peak power density (W/m²)

9.4

Tidal prism (m³)1,500,000
Mean velocity (m/s)0.17
Froude number0.03
Reynolds number6,083,364
Slope0
How to Use This Calculator
  1. Enter tidal basin area (m2), tidal range (m), and tidal period (hours) — M2 = 12.42 h.
  2. Enter channel width (m) and mean depth (m).
  3. Read tidal prism (m3) and peak tidal velocity (m/s) in the channel.
  4. Review sediment transport potential and annual dredging volume estimate (m3/year).
  5. Use results to schedule maintenance dredging cycles and size dredge plant requirements.

How the result changes with Tidal basin area (m²)

Tidal basin area (m²)Peak tidal velocity (m/s)Peak flow rate (m³/s)Peak power density (W/m²)
100,000,90052.721,07975,000,941.3
350,000,650184.4473,776.13,215,596,452.4
650,000,350342.53137,012.620,596,610,664.1
900,000,100474.27189,709.754,674,228,217.7

What each input means

Tidal basin area (m²)
Plan area of the tidal basin or estuary landward of the inlet.
Tidal range (m)
Spring (or design) tidal range — difference between HW and LW.
Tidal period (hours)
Period of the dominant tidal constituent. M2 = 12.42 h, S2 = 12.00 h.
Channel width (m)
Width of the tidal inlet or navigation channel.
Mean channel depth (m)
Average depth of the channel below mean water level.
Manning's n
Manning roughness coefficient for the channel bed.
Water density (kg/m³)
Water density. Seawater ~1025, brackish ~1010, fresh ~1000 kg/m³.

What each result means

Tidal prism (m³)
Volume of water exchanged between HW and LW.
Peak tidal velocity (m/s)
Maximum current velocity during the tidal cycle.
Mean velocity (m/s)
Time-averaged velocity over a flood or ebb phase.
Peak flow rate (m³/s)
Volumetric flow rate at peak velocity.
Froude number
Fr = V / sqrt(gd). Fr > 1 indicates supercritical flow.
Reynolds number
Indicates turbulent (>4000) vs laminar flow regime.
Peak power density (W/m²)
Kinetic energy flux per unit area at peak velocity — relevant for tidal energy.

How this is calculated

Worked example, using the default values

  1. Identify Input Parameters
    4 parameters
    Tidal basin area (m²) = 500000, Tidal range (m) = 3, Tidal period (hours) = 12.42, Channel width (m) = 50 = 7 input(s) provided
  2. Calculate Peak tidal velocity
    Peak tidal velocity = (π * tidalPrism) / (T * channelArea)
    0.263 = 0.263
  3. Calculate Peak flow rate
    Peak flow rate = vMax * channelArea
    105.4 = 105.4
  4. Calculate Peak power density
    Peak power density = 0.5 * rhoWater * pow(vMax, 3)
    9.4 = 9.4
  5. Calculate Tidal prism
    Tidal prism = basinArea * tidalRange
    1500000 = 1500000
  6. Calculate Mean velocity
    Mean velocity = (2 / π) * vMax
    0.168 = 0.168

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