Navigation simulations as support to lock approaches design. Application to Ampsin-Neuville new lock, Meuse, Belgium

The existing 136 × 16 m lock at Ampsin-Neuville, on River Meuse, Belgium, is close from saturation. A new lock, sized 225 × 25 m, has been designed in order to increase the capacity and will soon be built. Site constraints are significant: existing lock on the outer side of a river bend, limited space between existing lock and weir, hydropower station on the left bank, etc. Two layouts were successively tested in details: (1) replacing the right hand pass of the weir by the new lock, and building a new spillway around the hydropower station; and (2) building the new lock on the location of the existing 136 × 16 m lock, with use of a secondary lock to maintain navigation during works. Civil engineering studies were supported by different nautical simulations. Fast-time simulations were used in a first stage, with the ClusterTool software (DST), to check the availability of waiting berths in each design, with no current. In a second stage, real-time simulations were performed on the SANDRA simulator at DST, to check manoeuvrability with current. Lastly, manoeuvring times were used in capacity simulations, using IMDC-Locks software (IMDC). In particular, the capacity of the secondary lock of the second layout had to be tested. All the results collected helped to choose the appropriate design for the new lock, and to optimize future operation rules