Santiago, Chile 20 November 2009
Situated at the foothill of the snow-capped mountains 15 minutes from the center of Santiago, the ‘Los Almendros’, and the park surrounding the old barns that now form the convention centre, made us forget that we actually were in a mega city.
Some 60 participants including 15 students attended this 2nd MIKE by DHI user seminar brilliantly organised by Carmen Gloria Leon and her staff at Kolbach S.A., DHI software agent in Chile.
The interest in DHI's models in Chile continues at a great pace since the first MIKE by DHI user seminar back in 2007. Both existing and potential users within the three market areas, urban, marine and water resources were represented to exchange experience and to increase their knowledge of model applications and current developments.
The one-day seminar included the following user presentations:
- Ing. Pedro Dusaillant, Hidrogestion S.A., “Modelación matemática del impacto hidráulico producido por los nuevos puentes sobre el rio Mapocho”.
This presented the results of the collaboration between Hidrogestion and DHI for the study of two bridges planned to span the Mapocho River – a study carried out for DOH - Department of Hydraulic Works under the Ministry of Public Works (MOP). The bridges will be located in the area where the Mapocho River receives the runoff from the San Carlos tributary. In this reach of the Mapocho River the San Carlos Canal makes an important contribution to the river flow and at the same time generates a local hydraulic jump. A combination of the flexible mesh version of MIKE 21 flow model and the full 3D Navier-Stokes model, NS3, was used to simulate the river flow and extreme water levels across the river. In particular, it was important to simulate the standing wave downstream of the confluence and the effects of bridge piers in the models. Comparison of the results from MIKE 21 HD FM and NS3 was surprisingly good considering the super-critical flow conditions (flow velocities of 11 m/s).
- Ing. Andres Puelma, PRDW Aldunate Vasquez, “Proyecto de muelle GNL Quintero terminal para descarga GNL”.
The design of coastal structures, including ports and terminals, sometimes needs to take into account consideration whether meteorological forcing or earthquakes generate the highest waves. For the design of this LNG terminal PRDW studied the effect of historical tsunami events generated at the fault along the border of the South American and the Nazca Plates along the Chilean coast. To simulate this they applied the nested version of the MIKE 21 Hydrodynamic module, NHD. The simulation of the tsunami was carried out by assuming an initial displacement of the water surface elevation at the epicentre (based on different fault parameters it is possible to estimate the surface level displacement due to the earthquake) and then by modelling the generation, propagation and transformation of the tsunami waves when releasing the displaced surface. The closer to the coast - the finer the resolution of the model grids, with the finest grid covering the LNG terminal, being the area of interest. The dynamic coupling between grid resolutions ensured that each event could be made in the same simulation.
- Oceanographer Sergio Rosales, Circulación Costera EIRL for Costasur Consultores Asociados” Modelación de descargas térmicas y salinas”.
The objectives of this study were to model the behaviour of thermal and saline plumes from planned coastal outlets in order to determine the influence on the receiving waters and to use the simulation results to optimize a field measurement and monitoring campaign. The flexible mesh version of MIKE 3 flow model was selected for this purpose to study the entrainment and spreading of the buoyant thermal plume and the denser saline plume within the coastal circulation pattern including intakes to evaluate potential recirculation.
Área Eco Sistemas y Marina / Costera
Ing. Melody Avalos / Esteban Cifuentes, “Evaluación del comportamiento de un sistema teórico de cultivo integrado ‘algas-salmónidos’ para la captura de nutrientes provenientes de la industria salmoacuícola del estuario de Reloncaví, x región, mediante simulación ecológica”.
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Photo collage with figure from their thesis report showing an example of integrated aquaculture, Buschmann, 2007. |
Melody and Esteban presented their PhD thesis work in which they applied the MIKE 3 flow model to establish the flow conditions in a fiord hosting a number of aquacultures for salmons. ECO Lab was applied to describe and evaluate the possibility of integrating an algae culture to absorb the excess nutrients from the fish farms as a method of minimising the environmental impacts in the fiords while at the same time obtaining a bi-product.
The feedback from the participants certainly welcomed the initiative of having introduced the user seminars in Chile. Very constructive ideas for improving these for future arrangements were received, and the need for training courses in specific MIKE by DHI models and application areas was expressed. We will definitely be back!
Buenos Aires, Argentina 17 November 2009
Arranging a user seminar is a major task both for local offices and agents as well as for the head office in Denmark - a task which must also fit into the daily operations. Several hundred sub-tasks are involved and must be commenced in good time. Despite all good efforts and experience unforeseen situations can arise, as was the case this year. Torrential rain (57 mm in one hour) on Friday flooded four neighborhoods in Buenos Aires which of course was an obvious topic for the seminar, but it caused severe delays in our attempt to get to the customs office at the int. airport where we were to pick up our seminar material. We did not make it in time before the office closed for the weekend. The day before the seminar was due to start we learned that the material was stuck in customs owing to a new rule regarding the importation of printed brochures. As we were unaware of the new rule and our description of the contents did not conform to new directives, we were unable to get the packages through customs in time for the seminar.
In this situation the trick is to focus on what is important: Creating a good environment and a good atmosphere for the participants. This was exactly what our agent Martin and his staff did.
Approximately 70 participants braved the busy morning traffic in Buenos Aires (daily fare for the locals but chaos for visitors from the provinces) and arrived at the elegant salons in the French-styled building from early last century housing the Argentinean Society of Engineers, CAI, which for the second time formed the venue for the user seminar.
We had a fantastic day, with excellent user presentations and active participation by all in the subsequent discussions.
User presentations were given by:
Ing. Leandro Mugetti, DIPSOH, MIKE Urban application: La evaluación de la capacidad y los cuellos de botella del sistema drenaje en algunas zonas de la ciudad de La Plata
Ing. Martin Marazzi, Estudios y Proyectos, MIKE 11 & GIS: Cuenca del Arroyo Maldonado
Ing. Nicolás Badano, UTN Avellaneda, MIKE SHE: Para la cuenca del Mantanza-Riachuelo, contar con un modelo integrado del recurso hídrico que permita 1) realizar un diagnóstico de la situación actual 2) evaluar el efecto de distintos escenarios
Ing. Miguel Valiente, UPCA Formosa: Primeras experiencias con MIKE BASIN en la planificación hídrica en la Provincia de Formosa
Ing. Alejandro Zabalett, UTN Concepción del Uruguay, MIKE 21 HD and SA: Modelación de contaminantes vertidos accidentalmente
Oce. Gabriel Danieli, Ezcurra & Schmidt, MIKE 3: Experiencias en el uso de los modelos del DHI – Generación de series de tiempo de corrientes para la aplicación a vertidos asociados a la industria offshore.
The presentations and photos from the three user seminars held in Argentina 2007, 2008 and 2009 will soon be launched on our agent's, Martin Marazzi’s web site.
Lima, Peru 12 November 2009. Please refer to previous web news.
