Oscillating Water Tunnel
The oscillating water tunnel is constructed to study sediment transport phenomena and related problems under controlled simulated wave conditions at full scale. For example, problems like boundary layer flows bed-load transport, suspended sediment transport, bed shear-stress, incipient motion and ripple formation can be studied.

Tests can be performed both under random and periodic wave conditions. The latter may be either sinusoidal or non-sinusoidal which makes this facility unique. The system basically consists of a vertical U-tube with one open leg. The other leg is provided with a piston. At the bottom of the test section a sediment bed may be installed. The tunnel is equipped with a highly accurate pump system consisting of two pumps which enable the simulation of a combination of waves and current. Transported sediment can be accumulated in a 12 m long sand trap.

technical data

tunnel
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  • length: 14 m
  • inner width: 0.3 m
  • inner height: 1.1 m, the lower 0.3 m is available for a sediment bed, remaining upper 0.8 m is for the oscillatory flow
  • drive system: hydraulic
  • control signal is a digitised time series
  • maximum stoke volume: 1.15 m3
wave characteristics
  • periods between 5 and 15 s
  • maximum velocity: 2 m/s
  • maximum acceleration: 2 m/s
pump capacity
  • capacity of small pump adjustable from 5 to 20 l/s
  • capacity of large pump adjustable from 15 to 95 l/s

Download brochure (in PDF)

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