Abstract:To address the issue of unsteady waves and currents in the intermediate channel caused by the concentrated discharge of the ship lock in a combined navigation structure,the objective of this paper is to enhance the navigational conditions for ships in the intermediate channel by modifying the number of outlets from the ship lock.The research focuses on a structure comprising a 1,000-ton class ship lock and an intermediate channel with dimensions of 1,400 m in length,20 m in width,and 4 m in depth.Utilizing three-dimensional flow numerical simulation methods,the study investigates the impact of the number of ship lock outlets on the hydraulic characteristics of the intermediate channel.The findings indicate that,in contrast to a centralized outlet configuration,a decentralized layout significantly ameliorates wave and current conditions within the channel.Specifically,increasing the number of outlets from a single point to eight symmetrically dispersed outlets results in a 74.3% reduction in the maximum water surface gradient and a 55.0% decrease in the maximum velocity within the berthing area.However,when the number of outlets exceeds six,the rate of improvement in wave and current conditions diminishes,with reductions in maximum water surface gradient and flow velocity in the berthing area falling below 5%.The research results can provide a theoretical foundation and technical guidance for the design of intermediate channels in similar projects.