Facilities
The Flume
The primary test facility used by the group is a unique wide flume that is capable of generating unidirectional flows and directionally spread wave-fields simultaneously. Designed specifically for shallow hydraulic flows such as found in coastal regions, the flume is well-suited to the evaluation of marine energy devices and their environmental impact.
The flume is 5 m wide with a flat test section of 18 m between inlet and outlet. An overhead crane is available for installation of test equipment.
Specification
- Current generation is provided by 2 No. 25 kW pumps which develop mean flow velocities of up to 0.5 m/s at typical operating depths of 450 mm.
- Wavemaking is provided by eight Edinburgh Designs piston-type wave paddles which allow generation of regular waves over the frequency range 0.25 – 3.0 Hz with headings between 0o (along the tank) and 60o.
- Controls. Both unidirectional and directionally spread irregular wave fields can be generated defined either by empirical functions built into the Edinburgh Designs OCEAN software (including Pierson Moskowitz, Bretschneider and Jonswap spectra) or user defined power spectral densities. As required, spectral peak frequencies between 0.50 – 2.0 Hz may be generated. These equate to full-scale wave periods of between 5 and 20 s.
Other facilities
Several projects also employ the following facilities:
- Narrow wave flume: 1 m wide x 20 m long, depths up to 0.8 m, Edinburgh designs piston type paddle controlled by OCEAN software.
- Open Channel: 0.3 m wide x 4 m long, depths up to 0.3 m. Flow velocities up to 0.4 m/s