AU2014200674B2

AU2014200674B2 - Submarine construction for tsunami and flooding protection, for tidal energy and energy storage, and for fish farming

Info

Publication number: AU2014200674B2
Application number: AU2014200674A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Hans J. Scheel
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2013-02-08
Filing date: 2014-02-07
Publication date: 2018-05-10
Anticipated expiration: 2034-02-07
Also published as: SG2014009559A; JP6312362B2; EP2781659A1; JP2014152526A; PH12014000057A1; AU2014200674A1; CL2014000324A1; CN103981835A; NZ620978A; CN103981835B; US20140227033A1

Abstract

Abstract A new technology using steel fences and anchors, and fixed by inserted rocks, is 5 disclosed. The technology provides efficient vertical Tsunami barriers extending from 20m up to 4km below sea level. The double-pontoon technology facilitates construction of barriers, roads, channels and other structures in the sea. New gained land surface, renewable tidal energy and energy storage by pumping, may compensate for most of the costs of construction. Fishing farms between the 10 Tsunami barrier and the shore may also contribute to costs. Vertical walls extending above sea level, preferably protected with hanging triangular structures as surge stoppers, with massive stabilization landward, will replace conventional dikes and levees and will save land areas. Vertical walls of fences extending above sea level, which are circular and filled with rocks, surround pillars to protect 15 off-shore platforms, wind power plants, bridge pillars and other submarine structures. Fig 1 for publication 4,4 .. .. ....'..

Description

The present invention provides vertical stable walls at modest costs and at relatively high production rates by a novel submarine architecture technology. To this effect, it relates to a protection barrier as defined in the claims. At the same time, by filling the gap (5) between the Tsunami barrier and the shore (3) with rocks, gravel, debris, sand and a cover by a soil layer, new land can be gained the value of which could compensate all or at least a large fraction of the construction costs. An alternative for new land could be based on permanently floating structures between barrier and coast.

The gap between barrier and coast encloses huge seawater reservoirs which can be used for large-scale farming for tuna and other fish or seafood. Also they can be used for energy storage by means of pumping water to a high level with excess low-cost electricity and gaining electricity by lowering the water to a lower reservoir with turbines when needed.

Fig. 1 represents a schematic cross section of a vertical barrier (e.g. a Tsunami barrier) reflecting the impulse waves from earthquakes or landslides. In this

2014200674 07 Feb 2014 idealized case the vertical barrier extends to the bottom of the ocean (2), typically 4 km, and thus totally reflects the Tsunami pressure wave. However, if one considers the variation of the wave velocity and the related amplitude development during the movement towards the coast, that is during experiencing reduced water depth, one realizes that the high Tsunami sea waves are developing only at water depth less than about 200 m or even only 30 m. Their velocity c is given in a first approximation (Levin and Nosov 2009 Ch.1.1 and Ch.5.1) by c= (gxfi) with g gravitation and h the water depth, and the product of the amplitude or wave height A squared times velocity c is constant:

A² x c = constant.

These relations are shown in the combined Fig. 2 with the parameters c = 713 km/h at a water depth of 4000 m for two typical examples of wave heights of l= 0.3 m and ll= 1.0 m at h = - 4000 m. The lower part of the figure shows the velocity c as function of water height h with an idealized picture of the slope of the continental shelf the slope of which is increasing near the “break”. The upper part of the figure shows the wave height A as a function of water depth h. The Tsunami wave heights are increasing slightly until water depth is less than about 200 m, and only at water depth around 50 m the wave heights increase above 2 m for initial wave heights of 0.3 m and 1.0 m at 4 km depth. The consequence is that the Tsunami barrier can economically be erected at water depth between 20 m to 200 m which normally is still on the continental shelf. With a Tsunami barrier up to 3 m above sea level at high tide and a top concrete wall extending 6 to 8 m above the top of the Tsunami barrier, depending on highest expected waves from Tsunami and storms, the combined submerged Tsunami barrier and the top concrete wall with the surge stopper should be effective to protect the coast. In contrast to priorart breakwaters the present invention prevents formation of high Tsunami waves, whereas prior art breakwaters try to reduce the catastrophic effect of high Tsunami waves near the coast after these waves have been formed. The prominent example is the Kamaishi breakwater discussed above.

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Also it should be considered that deviations from the straight coastline like bays or fjords may lead to a funnel effect which can multiply the heights of Tsunami waves reaching the coast. This was described in case of the March 11, 2011 Tohoku Tsunami for the Bay of Kamaishi. Thus the new Tsunami barrier is remote from the shore so that the funnel effect of bays and fjords is prevented.

In exceptional localities the initial offshore Tsunami wave may reach more than one meter so that geophysicists and seismologists should estimate the maximum expected vertical displacement of the ocean floor. This then indicates the preferred position and depth of the Tsunami barrier and the height of the top Tsunami barrier plus concrete wall. If this scientific estimation is not yet possible, the historical data should give an idea about the maximum expected Tsunami waves at the ocean depth of 4 km. Furthermore, the Tsunami wave velocity c given above is affected by the relief of the ocean bottom, especially at shallow water, and its direction is influenced by mid-oceanic ridges acting as wave guides. Also friction at the seafloor becomes relevant when the Tsunami pressure waves reach shallow waters which with the present invention is prevented.

Construction of Tsunami barriers

In a preferred embodiment, net structures, preferably in steel, like fences (12) are lowered into the sea by assistance of weights (for instance of hanging anchors (14)) together with a sequence of steel anchors which in horizontal position fix the fence in vertical position after rocks have been deposited. Fig. 5 shows a schematic cross section of a pontoon for inserting the fence from a roll (13). Steel fences are produced in many countries. Wire thickness of about 4mm will often give sufficient strength, especially since the required saltwater-corrosion-resistant steel has excellent high tensile strength. For exceptional requirements, for example above sea level, the high-strength steel nets of Geobrugg AG Switzerland may be applied with the additional advantage of their high elasticity, important for surviving earthquakes and the highest waves.

All steel components for the present invention are produced from saltwater30 corrosion-resistant steel, for example chromium- and molybdenum-containing low15

2014200674 07 Feb 2014 carbon-steels with European numbers 1.4429 (ASTM 316LN), 1.4462, 1.4404 or 1.4571 (V4A) or ASTM type 316, 316L or 316LN. All metal alloys should have the same or similar composition in order to prevent electrolytic reactions and corrosion at the connecting points. Furthermore, long-time corrosion may be prevented by coating all metal parts with special corrosion-resistant paint or by an elastic polymer, or by covering the steel fence structure seaward by concrete, or by embedding the steel fence. The specific fence structure and the thickness of the wires and of the steel ropes have to match the strength and elasticity requirements depending on the total height of the fence-rock structure, the size and shape of rocks, the number and structure of horizontal anchors, and the risk of earthquakes. Also a variation of the type of fence along the height or along the length of the barrier may fulfil local requirements. A stabilization of fence-rock barriers can be achieved by crossing steel ropes in front of the steel fence, the ropes being fixed to the fence.

The overall surface topology and the local roughness of the fence-rock structure determine the reflectivity of the impulse waves. Reflectivity can be decreased by zigzag or undulating structures of the Tsunami barriers. These reflected impulse waves may harm opposite coasts on the other side of the ocean or islands. A slight downward inclination from vertical could be applied to reflect the pressure wave for example at the north-east coast of Honshu/Japan down into the deep Japan trench, or the inclination could be slightly upward to transform the kinetic energy of the pressure wave into potential energy by formation of dispersed sea waves moving away from the coast.

Single-Fence Technology

When the lowest fence and the lowest anchors have reached the desired position on the sea-ground they are fixed there to the ground by anchors, by steel bars (7 in figures 1, 3, 4, 10, 12, 15, 16) and/or by concrete foundations. Before this procedure the sea-ground is cleaned from sand and soft material by dredging and/or by high-pressure water jets arriving through pipes or produced locally by submerged compressors or fans, and steep slopes may be removed by excavation. A small “foot” (1055 in Fig.10) of the barrier in direction sea may be

2014200674 07 Feb 2014 provided in order to prevent or reduce scouring, the removal of sand from below the barrier by currents. Now rocks of specified size and sharp edges are inserted from sea level on the landward side so that they cover and fix the horizontal anchors and thus also the steel fence which is thus held in more or less vertical position, as shown in Figs. 3, 4, 10. The first-deposited rocks are washed before so that the clear view allows to control the process by strong illumination and video cameras, by divers, by diving bells, or by Remotely Operated Vehicles ROV (Elwood et al.2004, Tarmey and Hallyburton 2004), or by Autonomous Underwater Vehicles AUV (Bingham et al. 2002, WHOI 2012).

For Tsunami protection the steel fence extends preferably between 20m to 50m below sea level down to the sea floor. The length of fence in rolls can be adjusted accordingly taking into account the length below sea floor and the extension above sea level. The delivery ships or pontoons are arranged in a horizontal line following the depth level of the sea or following the coast-line, and this work requires relatively quiet sea. An alternative approach could be used to produce the steel fences directly on the pontoon with steel wires to be supplied, or to deliver the fence rolls over supply roads or over long (temporary) bridges from the coast, or over permanent bridges which later are used to establish “Swimming Land Surface”, or would be used as “supply roads”, see below.

The horizontal connection of the steel fences can be achieved above sea level by means of steel ropes or clamps or alternatively their side holders can glide down along steel beams or steel pipes. This is arranged on the ships or pontoons, but it is a critical procedure. It would be easier when, together with the fences, a chain of steel beams (16) shown in Fig. 6 is inserted seaward just in front of two neighbouring fences, and these steel beams have side-arms (17) corresponding to the openings of the fences respectively on the size of the inserted rocks.

These side-arms not only prevent the rocks to fall seaside, but they also contain spines in landward direction which enter openings of the steel fences on both sides and thus connect two parallel horizontal fences: this allows large distance tolerances between parallel horizontal fences. The vertical steel beams are also

2014200674 07 Feb 2014 equipped with horizontal anchors (18) of 2 m to 20 m length to fix the steel fences in vertical position by subsequent rock deposition, so that the anchors need not to be fixed directly to the steel fences. These steel beams with side-arms, spines and anchors are shown in Fig. 6.a, 6.b and 6.c. The spines can be replaced by automatic clamps which lock to the fence upon contact, when mechanically pulled in landward direction.

The space between the Tsunami barrier and the coast can be filled (5) with rocks, rubble, etc. and soil on top (6), in order to gain new land as shown in Fig. 1. However, this requires huge quantities of material to be transported.

A simple terrace structure with terraces (29) requires less rock fill material, still allows to gain new land (6), and therefore may be preferred on certain coasts, see Fig. 3. This would also become important in case the epicentre of the earthquake would be near to the coast and thus between two steps of the terrace.

At certain coasts the total height of the Tsunami barrier will be reduced when the

Tsunami barrier has to end for example 5 m to 10 m below sea level at low tide for navigation or for preserving beaches and harbours, as shown with the gap (28) in Fig. 4. In this case a fraction of the Tsunami wave and also high sea waves from storms may reach the coast which therefore requires a protection line with high stable walls or buildings behind the beach or the harbour. For the terrace barriers and for the Tsunami barrier with a gap, the amplitude of the Tsunami waves derived from the reflection and transmission coefficients depend on the depth ratio of barrier and ocean depth, as discussed by Levin and Nosov 2009 in Ch. 5.1.

The rocks will settle with time, especially assisted by man-made vibrations (explosions) or by vibrations caused by earthquakes, typically 2000 per year in

Japan. A novel technology to enhance the density of the fence-rock barrier consists of a heavy metal weight (58) hanging from a ship/pontoon (34): the weight is pulled upwards and then loosened (60) so that it bangs against the fence-rock barrier causing strong vibrations. The schematic figure 7 shows this procedure and also the possibility to adjust the height of the weight (59).

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Furthermore the rocks are fixed by gravel and/or sand which are inserted periodically when the rock layer has grown to a layer of say 2m to 5m. In order to prevent major movements of the rocks, more or less horizontal steel fences can be deposited about every 20 m to 50 m rock thickness.

An alternative vertical protection can be established directly at the coast by excavation to achieve a deep vertical wall (42) (Fig. 8) to reflect the Tsunami shock waves, and the excavated rock material (43) used to stabilize the nearby fence barrier or basket barrier.

Double-Fence Technology

An alternative to minimize the amount of rock fill material uses two parallel fences (31,32), closed at the bottom, with horizontal separation distances between the fences between 1 m and more than 20 m established by distance holders (33). This double-fence basket is lowered from two pontoons (34, 35) into the sea to the desired depth and filled with washed rocks (36) and gravel, see Fig. 9. The thickness of these double-fence walls is determined by the required stability, with Tsunami shock waves requiring a thickness of at least 3 m up to 20m. The height should extend 2 m to 4 m beyond sea level at high tide, see Fig. 10. These double-fence rock structures of many km length are flexible at the bottom and therefore can match the local topology of the sea-ground after this has been cleaned by high-pressure water jets as described before. This flexibility can also be used to arrange a certain extension at the foot (1055) of the barrier in order to reduce scouring. Alternatively, first a single fence with anchors is introduced in order to match to the seafloor topology followed by connected double-fence basket. These baskets are closed at their horizontal ends. For stabilization against strongest impulse waves, rocks are deposited on the coastal side of the doublefence barrier as shown in Fig. 10, and the barrier, in this case of 5.6 m to maximum 20m thickness, is further stabilized by horizontal anchors (27) as discussed above. Also shown is the concrete wall (30) above sea level with hanging triangular structure (41) (surge stopper) which will prevent overtopping of sea waves and reduce the splashing over of the lifted sea water from reflected

Tsunami pressure waves. The steel bar (22) extending from the concrete wall is

2014200674 07 Feb 2014 used both for later heightening of the concrete wall and for hanging the surge stopper (41). The service road (8) along the concrete wall allows to transport the surge-stopper (wave deflector) and to control the Tsunami barrier.

The submarine constructions offer the possibility to produce electric energy by using the inward and outward currents due to the tide and due to water transport from the wind. The turbines with generators are installed at the weak points of the tsunami barrier, below the bridges, where also significant water flow is expected as discussed below, or they are installed within the barriers.

In the case of 20 m wide double-fence Tsunami barriers the top concrete wall is stabilized by rocks on the coast side, between concrete wall and service road as shown in Fig. 11.

Very long double-fence barriers have a certain elasticity to withstand medium-level earthquakes. However, for very strong earthquakes they are too rigid and thus may break. In order to prevent such severe damages, which are difficult to repair, it is foreseen to establish weak points where the barrier is interrupted by 2m to 5m and where a concrete bridge (47) passes over the gap as shown in Fig. 12. This bridge is then easily repaired after a severe earthquake. The gap below the bridge is filled with a high-strength steel fence (46) and with a fine-grid fence to prevent escape of fish. At the same time the fence allows exchange of seawater and equilibration of tidal height differences which gives the possibility of energy “production” by turbines or waterwheels which regularly turn with inward and outward flow (not shown in a figure). Instead of fixed fences the gap can be provided with gates (not shown in the figures), one with a fence and one with plate doors or sliding gates for complete locking.

The double-fence baskets filled with rocks can also be pre-fabricated on the coast and then inserted and connected in the sea.

Protection of submarine buildings

Double-fence barriers may also be used in annular tube structures for offshore platforms, for pillars of bridges, and for wind-power plants (not shown with figures).

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Double-wall tube structures with rocks inserted between the inner and the outer tube extending above sea level protect the central pillars of offshore platforms or of wind-power plants from Tsunami pressure waves, Tsunami sea waves, and from high sea-waves caused by storms. The shape of the structure/pillar to be protected can be circular, but it can have any other cross section like square, oval, rectangular, triangular etc.

In such a double-tube structure the outer and the inner fences are connected and thus closed at the bottom. The construction is done in analogy to the Tsunami barrier construction. The first double-fence unit to be inserted into the sea has the largest circumference (normally at the bottom of the pillar). The inner fence is kept apart from the outer fence by distance holders or by small vertical walls. This fence unit is then connected on the supply pontoon /ship (by using clamps, steel ropes or other means) to the next double-fence section to be inserted, and so on. This annular structure is arranged when the platform pillar or the stand of the wind15 power plant have only partially been raised. However, also existing pillars for instance of bridges can be protected by producing the double-fence-rock structure on site. This alternative method to produce the double-fence protection tube is to wind long fences from rolls around the pillar in a screw fashion, with distance holders to keep the two fences apart, and continuously connect the lower section with the upper section by clamps, steel ropes, or other means.

Cleaned rocks are inserted from top after the lowest double-fence section has reached the sea floor.

The height of the protection tube and the distance between inner and outer fence, and thus the outer diameter and the mass including the filled-in rocks, depends on the expected highest sea waves. In most cases the horizontal distance between the fences will be in the range 1 m to 5 m, and a height of 2 m to 10 m above sea level at high tide is recommended.

The inner fence will be fixed to the pillar, or a buffer is installed around the pillar to prevent mechanical damage from the steel net and the rocks of which many

2014200674 07 Feb 2014 corners may be outside the inner fence surface. Alternatively, the inner fence can be omitted and the outer fence directly connected by distance holders to the pillar.

The upper rim of the outer fence should have warning signals or signal lights for navigation (the same as for the Tsunami barriers ending below sea level).

Top Concrete Wall with Surge Stopper

a) Application to Tsunami Barriers

A vertical wall of concrete (30) of at least 5m height should be built on top of the Tsunami fence barriers to protect the coast and the harbour from partial Tsunami waves and from high sea waves caused by storms, see Figs. 10, 11, 14, and to protect the new land (see Fig.1 and Fig.3). For highest resistance to seawater attack, the concrete of Portland cement should have a low water content and be impermeable; a content of 5% to 10% of tricalcium aluminate has been proposed (Zacarias). The thickness of this concrete wall should be at least 1 m at the sea and at least 50 cm along rivers. The top of this concrete wall may have steel beams (22) so that later heightening may be facilitated and that inclined structures with inclination towards sea (surge stoppers (41) may be hung onto these concrete walls to reduce overthrothing, reduce erosion of the concrete wall, and to allow replacement. Two such inclined concrete structures are shown in Fig. 13. Fig. 13a shows a structure with a straight inclination (19) only corresponding to a tilting angle, and Fig. 13b shows a second triangular structure with a straight inclination (19) and an upper curvature (20). Fig. 14 shows the triangular structure from Fig. 13b mounted onto a basic concrete wall (30). The optimum tilting angle can be determined theoretically, experimentally, and by computer simulation. However, for practical reasons and weight limitation, the chosen angle is preferably between

10 degrees and 15 degrees with respect to the vertical direction. For instance, with an angle of 11.3 degrees and a length of 5 m downward, a concrete structure of 2 m length would have a weight of about 12.5 tons. These surge stoppers have to be moved on the service road (8) and lowered onto the vertical concrete wall by means of hooks (24). These triangular structures have the advantages that

a) they protect the basic vertical wall from erosion;

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b) they can be replaced to change the tilting angle or for repair;

c) they can be curved outward on the upper part so that overtopping of highest waves can be minimized;

d) they can be replaced to test different construction designs and materials;

and

e) they can be used again when the vertical concrete wall is heightened in future.

Concrete is used for the high compressive strength of concrete and steel for the high tensile strength of steel. The replacement possibility allows to test alternative construction materials and material combinations, for example partially fused recycled glass or composite plastic with protection steel plate, for instance the double-fence-rock structure, or to use hollow structures or wood to reduce the weight: the decision depends on timeliness, lifetime experience, and on local resources and knowhow.

A heightening of the concrete walls may also be required in case the whole fencerock structure should sink (as in the case of Kansai airport), or that the sea level is increasing from climate change, or that higher sea waves from heavy storms are expected. A service road (8) along these vertical concrete walls allows transport of the surge stoppers, repair, and access for the public, see Figs. 10, 15, 16, 23, 24.

b) Application to Dikes and Levees

In another embodiment the invention includes seawards oriented surge stoppers hanging on stable vertical double-fence-rock walls which significantly reduce the total shear and impact from the sea-waves and thus provide increased stability and lifetime. The walls, extending typically 5 to 10 m above sea level, reflect the sea waves, and the reflected waves reduce the power of the oncoming waves. The height of the walls has to be higher than the highest expected sea-wave level during high tide. The seawards inclination angle of hanging triangular structures prevents or at least reduces overtopping and splashing of seawater towards the land, especially when an upper curvature is provided. The walls according to the invention offer an efficient alternative to existing dikes which are usually defined

2014200674 07 Feb 2014 with slopes on both sides, i.e. sea side and land side, which cover large land areas and which provide in many cases insufficient stability leading to catastrophic flooding.

Basic walls according to one embodiment of the invention are schematically shown in Fig. 15. These double-fence-rock dikes with hanging surge stoppers (41) will also be effective to reduce erosion of the steep coasts in North-East England and at other steep coasts. In this embodiment, the walls (62) are perpendicular with respect to the surface of the sea (1), i.e. their inclination is 0°, and extend above sea level.

The walls are preferably built from double-fence-rock structures as described above, in this case with steel fences between vertical steel beams or between vertical steel tubes filled with concrete (7), fixed in the ground, and with anchors and rocks for fixation of the anchors and the steel-fence dike. For highest stability against storm surges, the seaward steel fence is made from ultra-high strength steel nets of Geobrugg, Switzerland. The landward side of these steel fence dikes are stabilized by heavy masses (45) and by material of former conventional dikes as shown in Fig. 15.

Alternatively the dikes (30) are built from steel-enforced concrete (23) of at least 1 m thickness against the sea (1) and at least 50 cm thickness along the rivers inside the land as shown in Fig. 16. The highest density of steel beams is towards the sea and below the surface of the walls for maximized stability and for repair of eroded wall surfaces. These walls are deeply anchored in the sea floor or in the ground by a foundation of concrete and by means of a steel beam fixation (7), and stabilized in direction land (continental) by anchors and heavy dense masses (45) consisting of rocks, gravel, sand, rubble and soil of present dike material. The actual height along the coasts in general should be higher than the highest expected sea waves at highest tide, along the North Sea coasts it should be 8 m to 10 m, but steel rods (22, 52) and the surface morphology of the concrete wall (30) should allow to increase its height in future with increasing sea level from climate change and higher expected sea waves caused by storms.

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The basic walls may be perpendicular with respect to the surface of the sea, but additional elements showing an inclined face, surge stoppers, may be hung to the basic walls, the general structure being then inclined with respect to the surface of the sea, as discussed above. The surge stoppers are fabricated from saltwater5 resistant concrete or are angle-shaped gabions made from stainless-steel fence and filled with rocks.

During time, sand and gravel may be washed towards the coast and deposited in front of the novel dikes, thereby reducing the protection-effective vertical height. This material should be dredged and deposited on the landward side of the barrier, or the wall height has to be increased in order to remain fully protective. On the other side, sand may be removed from below the barrier, and this will be reduced by “feet” (1055) extending sea-side and built at the low end of the barrier as shown in Fig. 10.

Like the state-of-the-art dikes, the walls with surge stoppers according to the invention may extend over many kilometres along the coast.

A road (8) along the top of the wall allows control, service, repair of the walls, transport and exchange of the surge stoppers, and also public traffic, for instance by bikes.

The construction and maintenance of the dikes with double-fence-rock structure (or with concrete walls) and surge stoppers according to the invention offer an improved stability and lifetime and further that much less land area is occupied (perhaps less than 50 %) compared to conventional dikes with seaward slopes and small landward slopes. New land can be gained if these new dikes are built on the seaward side of present dikes, and when these old dikes are removed or flattened.

Double-Pontoon Technology for Efficient Barrier Construction

The construction of the tsunami barrier in open sea including the transport of rocks, fences, concrete is quite difficult. In the following a simple approach starting from the coast is described.

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According to a preferred embodiment of the invention two parallel pontoons (Fig.

17.a,b) with a gap between the two allow trucks arriving from the coast to deliver steel tubes, steel-fence rolls, and rocks, the rocks directly from the quarry. For carrying the weight of trucks with rocks, the two pontoons are connected by a stable frame (38) with assisting pontoons outside (Fig.17.a,b). Furthermore these assisting pontoons have a damping effect for the ocean waves. High walls at the outside of the assisting pontoons will reduce overtopping of the waves to the central double-pontoon bridge.

Vertical steel tubes are fixed in the ground at a horizontal regular distance corresponding to the width of the steel fences (Fig. 18.a). The steel fences are lowered between the steel tubes (Fig. 17.c), connected by hooks on steel rings (Fig. 18.b), on both sides of the double-pontoon bridge. Rocks (36) are inserted from the trucks through the gap between the pontoons into the sea in order to fill the space between the parallel steel fences for building a stable wall. The first rocks are inserted in a way to establish the foot (1055) of the barrier in order to reduce scrouting, the removal of sand from below the barrier by water currents, see Fig. 10.

For the top of the barrier extending above sea level the double-pontoons have to move on so that the gap between the fences can be filled with rocks from ships. In the next step trucks deliver the concrete and steel beams for building the concrete wall and the supply road on top of the steel-fence rock wall. The empty trucks move on a single-pontoon bridge and return by U-turn to the coast (Fig. 21) or temporarily remain on a pontoon-parking site (Fig. 19). Fig. 20 shows the bending and the splitting elements for the pontoon-bridge traffic.

The concrete applied for building the top walls and the supply roads should have improved resistance to sea water by a low water/cement ratio and very low permeability (Zacarias 2006/2007).

The size of the rocks (or rubble) should fit into the gap between the pontoons, but should not pass through the gaps of the fence and best be in the range of 40 to 90 cm. Rounded rocks tend to move later so that rocks with edges are preferred. In

2014200674 07 Feb 2014 order to settle the rocks, the vibration shock with heavy weights can be used, see Fig. 7.

Vertical Gabion barrier

A vertical Tsunami barrier can be erected from gabions, steel cages filled with rocks. These gabions have an elongated shape of 3m to 20m length and are positioned in a direction towards the sea. The shape allows closed packed fitting to build a vertical wall, with a concrete road and wall on top (not shown by figures). Also here the surge stoppers will be useful.

Protection of the construction site against high sea waves from storms

These works need to be done at relatively quiet sea. In view of frequent storms and high sea waves, a wave-damping structure is invented as shown in Fig. 25 and Fig. 26. A large horizontal steel net, with lateral dimensions between 50m and 500m, is held floating by means of small pontoons or light-weight bodies (Fig.25), and its position is fixed by chains or steel ropes connected to stable foundations or heavy weights and/or anchors on the sea-floor.

Fig. 26 shows a row of long pontoons which themselves assist to wave damping. The horizontal pontoon-steel-fence with long pontoons can be enforced by a hanging deep steel fence on the sea-side as a weight and acting to reduce the energy of the arriving tsunami wave, in addition to reducing the power of storm waves. These pontoons with combined horizontal and vertical steel fences are schematically shown in Fig. 26.a and 26.b. The openings of the horizontal and vertical steel fences determine the water penetration as a function of the angles between wave-front and the actual steel-fence surface, and thus determine the energy dissipation of the waves. Also the total mass of the fence-pontoon structure helps to increase the attenuation efficiency as it counteracts mainly the rising waves. The attenuation effect will be reduced when due to small penetration the steel fence partially follows the wave motion up and down. With theoretical estimations and numerical simulations the required size of these fence-pontoon structures has to be found and experimentally tested. The damping mechanism of vertical fishing farm net structures with openings up to 25 mm has been studied by

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Lader et al. (2007). By intuition the width of the fence towards the open sea in our case should not be much smaller than 100m, and the diameter of the circular steel rings of the fence could be 30 to 50 cm. Also the shape and size of pontoons will have an impact on the efficiency of these wave attenuators (here the study of

Koraim (2013) about suspended horizontal rows of half pipes is of interest).

It is important that these pontoon-fence structures are fixed by steel ropes, chains and steel beams to the bottom of the sea by solid foundations or by heavy weights or by anchors. The elongated pontoons will also allow to use the energy of waves when the latter activate corresponding generators (dynamos).

After the stable Tsunami barriers have been built or independently, the pontoonsteel-fence structures can also be used along the coast and in harbour bays to reduce the energy of storm waves and of tsunami waves. In harbours these structures can be folded to open a channel for navigation, and closed in case of tsunami warning.

Specific Application of Tsunami Protection in North-East Japan with 800 km double-fence-rock Tsunami barrier, depth 30 m, width 5.6 m; from Shirya saki (41 °26'N 141 °34'22” E) to Choshi/lnubo zaki (35°42'05”N 141 °14'23” E); requires per km about 70Ό00 m2 steel fence (ca. 15% ultra-high-strength net); ca.400’000 tons of rocks; 12Ό00 m steel pipes or profiled steel beams, and 6Ό00 m3 concrete for walls & roads.

Land Reclamation

If new land is developed between the Tsunami barriers and the coast, for example 500 km², this would correspond, at a typical price of 100 USD per m² Japanese land, to 50 billion USD. However, in this case huge masses of rocks, rubble and soil would have to be transported. An alternative could be to fill some part of the gap between Tsunami barrier and coast with “swimming land surface” or with land surface on pillars or on vertical steel-fence-rock structures (not shown with figures).

Renewable Energy from Tides and Energy Storage by Pumping

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Fig. 23.b shows reservoir I for using tidal energy by reversable turbines (1038). The large volume of the reservoir can utilize small tide height differences.

Reservoirs II and III also can use tidal energy, but he main application is by pumps (1056) activated by low-cost electricity for instance during night to increase the water level in reservoir III. The turbines (1038) are activated when electricity is needed so that a continuous supply of electricity can be provided.

A successful example for these energy applications was built in Rance, Northern France in 1967.

Fishing Farms

A large fraction of the sea water reservoir between coastline and Tsunami barrier can be used for fishing farms, for instance for salmon, bluefin tuna, sea flounder etc. This water reservoir will be partially connected with the ocean. Extended conventional fishing nets will prevent escape and separate different sizes of fish. In certain areas the application of copper-alloy nets will be used to prevent fouling.

For example the North-East coast of Japan protected by 800 km Tsunami barriers can be divided into sections divided by supply roads according to the boundaries of Prefectures. An alternative arrangement for the supply roads allows navigation from the cities and fishing harbours (51) to the open ocean as schematically shown in Fig. 23.a. The access to the open sea (39) is protected by a short

Tsunami barrier which stops the direct move of the Tsunami wave into the harbour. The supply roads are on top of double-fence-rock barriers of 4 to 5 m thickness which have gaps with bridges (47) and fences (46), the latter with openings according to the separated fish sizes, see Fig.24.a and 24.b. These gaps can be closed by gates with fences or with completely closing gates. The system closed for fish reduces the risk of contamination from the open sea, although fresh water from the ocean can be exchanged through the fences in the openings of the Tsunami barrier.

Deep-Sea Mining

Double-fence-rock structures of three to more than 100m height and horizontal length of five to more than 100m can be lowered to the seafloor in order to define,

2014200674 07 Feb 2014 separate and mark specific areas and in order to mark paths and directions. The vertical fence-rock structures of one to more than 20m width are connected in order to form cages of square, round or other shapes. These separation walls also may prevent overflow of material from one specific area to another area and thus contribute to the efficiency of deep-sea mining. Furthermore, such walls can be covered by roofs (with slits for the transport ropes) of fence-rock structures or of other material in order to provide space for storage of diving bells and other equipment. The specification of the steel wires and of the fences is less stringent compared to the 30 + 5m high Tsunami barriers discussed above.

A specific application is envisaged for mining rare-earth containing mud, gravel or rocks from the 5 to 6 km deep sea-ground near Minami-Torishima Island near Japan and from other rare-earth- and manganese-containing deposits. Such double-fence-rock circles and crosses can also be used for geographic marking points in the sea.

A variety of technical solutions have been discussed for the various aspects of this invention. The detailed technical realization depends on the estimation of the local Tsunami and sea-wave/flooding risks, on the industrial capabilities, on the planned application, and on the local expansion of the continental shelf which is quite different for example along Japan’s coasts and along the coasts of Chile and the

East and West coasts of North America.

The novel submarine architecture is useful worldwide, besides protection against Tsunami and flooding, not only for renewable energy and energy storage, for fishing farms and for deep-sea mining, but also for any buildings in the sea, in lakes and in rivers.

2014200674 07 Feb 2014

References

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Underwater Vehicle (AUV) Technology in the Oil Industry - Vision and

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Coastal Engng. Manual, chapter 2: US Army Corps of Eng. Rep. EM 1110-21100 Part VI (30 April 2002; change 3, 28 September 2011).- Geobrugg (2012) AG, Geohazard Solutions, 8590 Romanshorn, Switzerland, www.qeobruqq.com.

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Gauges, and Coastal Tide Gauges of NOWPHAS on the Japanese Coast”, Proceedings of Twentysecond (2012) International Offshore and Polar Engineering Conference Rhodes, Greece, June 17-22, 2012, p. 20, www.isope.orq.

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978-1-4020-8855-1, e-ISBN 978-1-4020-8856-8.

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Tsunami”, Taylor & Francis, London 2006.

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2013 (Japanese Translation).

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2014200674 17 Apr 2018

Claims

THE CLAIMS DEFINING THE INVENTION ARE AS FOLLOWS:

1. A barrier against impulse waves such as a Tsunami and against high sea

5 waves comprising a wall extending below sea level, wherein the wall extends 20 m to 500 m below sea level, wherein a lowest end of the wall is adapted to be fixed on the sea floor or in the ground, the wall being furthermore designed to be stabilized in a vertical position towards seaside and to be protected against erosion above sea level by hanging and replaceable surge stoppers or wave

10 deflectors, wherein the wall is a net structure fence with horizontal anchors stabilized landward by rocks, concrete blocks or other solid bodies and wherein the barrier comprises several fences horizontally and vertically interconnected to form a continuous surface, wherein the barrier is fitted with waterwheels or turbines using the inward and outward water flow for producing electric energy.
2. A barrier against impulse waves such as a Tsunami and against high sea waves comprising a wall extending below sea level, wherein the wall extends 20 m to 500 m below sea level, wherein a lowest end of the wall is adapted to be fixed on the sea floor or in the ground, the wall being furthermore designed to be

20 stabilized in a vertical position towards seaside and to be protected against erosion above sea level by hanging and replaceable surge stoppers or wave deflectors, wherein the wall is a double-fence wall made of net structure fences and filled with rocks,

25 wherein the barrier comprises several fences horizontally and vertically interconnected to form a continuous surface and wherein the barrier is fitted with waterwheels or turbines using the inward and outward water flow for producing electric energy.

30 3. The barrier according to claim 1 or 2 wherein the fences are made of steel.

2014200674 17 Apr 2018

4. The barrier according to anyone of the previous claims 2 or 3 comprising anchors which are fixed to the fences and which are held horizontally and adapted to be fixed by rocks or concrete blocks inserted from above.

5 5. The barrier according to anyone of the previous claims 2 or 4 wherein the double-fence wall comprises two parallel fences connected at the bottom and thus forming a fence basket adapted to be filled by rocks and/or similar materials, and with distance holders to keep the parallel fences apart.

10 6. The barrier according to claim 1 comprising a chain of steel beams with side-arms, spines and anchors to connect neighbouring fences and to provide the horizontal anchors to stabilize the vertical fences by rocks.

7. The barrier according to anyone of the previous claims 1 to 6 wherein the

15 fences are coated or filled in by an elastic polymer like a natural or a synthetic rubber or poly-urethane.

8. The barrier according to anyone of the previous claims 1 to 7 comprising a sequence of submerged walls forming a step-riser structure for reflecting the

20 impulse waves.

9. A method for constructing a barrier as defined in anyone of the previous claims 1 to 8, the method comprising the following steps:

- lowering of fences with anchors into the sea by assistance of weights,

25 - connecting the fences horizontally by formerly inserted and fixed vertical steel pipes, filled with concrete, and connecting steel rings,

- horizontally fixing the anchors by rocks or concrete blocks inserted from above,

- protecting installation of the submerged barrier in the sea against storm waves by a large horizontal floating fence which is fixed in the sea-ground by anchors or by

30 foundations, filling the coast side of the fences with rocks and/or similar materials and a top soil layer to gain new land.

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