Studies & numerical modeling, physical modeling

ACRI-IN's renown is based especially on its understanding of and experience with the maritime environment that its team member possess, qualities that promote a critical nature indispensable for the proper use of digital tools to model complex natural phenomena. ACRI-IN owns a significant meteorological and oceanographic database on a large number of coastal sites in France and around the world. The team has the know-how and tools required to analyze a study site to determine the project's offshore storm waves and model their propagation up to the coast. Their characteristics are determined to evaluate their impact, size the structures as a result, model the effect of wave agitation in a port body of water, etc. To master this type of study, ACRI-IN has developed and continuously improves its own digital tools (SIMAC-POSEIDON) and also uses widely used and recognized calculation codes in the field of physical oceanography and marine engineering (REFDIF, SWAN).

As part of projects that are submitted by customers, ACRI-IN studies currents and sediments using the latest generation of tools combining swells, currents and ocean floor movements (SBEACH, MEPBAY, GENESIS, SMC, DELFT3D). This type of study is implemented to solve several problems:

• Coast erosion (quantification of deposits required to maintain a coastline, optimization and positioning of artificial reefs, etc.);
• Impact of structures or coastal improvements on sediment transport and the coastline (groins, port breakwaters, etc.);
• Port silting (situation analysis, dredging operation quantification, solution research, optimization of the position and survey maps for structures, etc.);
• Port water renewal (positioning water polishing equipment, etc.);
• Sewage outfall (optimizing the position for waste dilution and its impact, conduit stability, etc.).

ACRI-IN's core business is in coastal, marine and port engineering. Our engineering is renowned for its know-how in sizing wave protection structures (vertical breakwaters, seawalls, rubble mound breakwaters with natural rock or artificial blocks armour, artificial reefs, etc.), and port infrastructure civil engineering (quays, pontoons, wave absorbing structures, etc.). Our team uses its entire experience to perform this type of study, especially to optimize technical choices for all the constraints to consider:

• Minimize environmental impact;
• Performance to achieve;
• Structure durability;
• Construction costs.

In addition to the digital tools mastered by its scientific department, ACRI-IN owns its own hydrodynamics laboratory including a wave/current flume. ACRI-IN uses it to perform test plans on physical models to check the sizing of a structure and optimize it to ensure performance and stability in accordance with the project specifications.

To help customers present their projects to the authorities, ACRI-IN's engineering has indispensable legal and environmental skills to perform regulatory studies before their construction:

• Legal feasibility studies;
• Impact studies presenting an exhaustive environmental impact study of the project, from the preliminary studies through construction, as well as during the operating phase throughout its useful life;
• Incidence report on construction impacting the marine environment;
• Establishing approval documents to present to the competent authorities (local representatives of the State , territorial and maritime offices, environnement offices, etc.), and supporting the customer during the administrative process.