Current list of facilities involved or prospective facilities engaged in MARINERG-i
Lir is Ireland’s National Ocean Test Facility. Based in Ringaskiddy, Cork, Lir NOTF consists of state-of-the-art wave tanks and electrical test infrastructure that allow scaled testing of marine devices and their integration to the grid in a controlled environment. The scale and scope of testing cannot be found in a single location elsewhere.
Deep Ocean Basin
35 m x 12 m x 3 m deep
It has a movable floor plate to allow the water depth be adjusted, making it suitable for circa. 1/15 scale operational conditions and 1/50 scale survival waves. Equipped with 16 hinged force feedback paddles capable of a peak wave generation condition of Hs = 0.6 m, Tp = 2.7 s and Hmax = 1.0 m.
Ocean Basin
25 m x 18 m x 1 m deep
Used for testing a variety of marine structures (wave energy convertors, floating wind platforms, coastal structures, oil & gas platforms). The wave generation peaks at Hs = 0.16 m, Tp = 1.4 s and Hmax = 0.32 m.
Wave & Current Flume
28 m x 3 m x 1 m deep
A multi-purpose facility with the capability of running separate and combined unidirectional wave and current tests. It has 8 hinged force feedback paddles with adjustable height positioning and three thrusters for generating current speeds up to 1 m/s. The wave generation peaks at Hs = 0.16 m, Tp = 1.5 s and Hmax = 0.35 m.
Wave Watch Flume
15 m x 0.75 m x 1 m deep
A glass sided flume equipped with wave flaps for wave generation. Used to provide students with an introduction to tank testing as well as device concept development and stability testing of coastal structures.
Microgrid
Dual-bus, 3 phase, <600 V line to line, islanded or parallel operation with local grid
Generation, storage, and load elements, including fully controllable high-frequency switched power converters, provide system control. Industry-standard PLCs provide system control, while the NI cRIO system offers high-speed data acquisition. An Opal-RT power hardware in-the-loop system provides grid emulation capabilities.
Medium Speed Rotary Emulator
Rated values 22 kW, 1,500 rpm, max speed 3,000 rpm
This scaled rotational test rig is used for generator type selection, control strategy design and optimisation. The flexible design facilitates islanded, direct and indirect connection to the grid from different types of generators. Hardware in the Loop (HIL) functionality is achieved with a Speedgoat system. Flexible system control options are available, from simple fixed speed or torque modes to more complex hardware in the loop modelling modes.
High-Speed Rotary Emulator
Rated values 11 kW, 9,000 rpm
Consists of a permanent magnet machine with resolver feedback directly coupled to an induction machine with encoder feedback. Various electrical control options are available with the Vacon and Parker drive panels, both with full regenerative capability and Ethernet connectivity, as well as the HBM torque sensor. A Sorrensen 10 kW dc power supply allows flexibility of power flows.
Linear PTO Test Rig
Rated values, 20 kW, 15 kN, 0.9 m/s, 1.8 m/s2 , stroke length 0.9 m
This ¼ scale linear electromechanical test rig has been built to emulate the linear motion induced by the waves. The system is controlled using an industrial standard PLC and HMI, to ensure safety of equipment and personnel.
Rotary PTO test rig
Rated values 15 kW, 1,000 rpm
Consists of a standard 6 pole, 15 kW machine operated from a universal variable speed ac Emerson UniDrive. The rotary PTO test rig provides generator testing options to developers for their initial scaled test device at various speeds and load profiles.
Lir-NOTF is a multi-use facility that can cater for most ORE needs. Along with the tanks and electrical equipment listed above, we offer the following instrumentation.
• Motion Capture system -Qualisys track manager overhead and underwater.
• Various size Load Cells.
• Wave height recording.
• Current Speed and turbulence recording.
• Class 4 Laser for particulate flow around submerged objects.
• Hexapod for forced oscillations.
• Software in the Loop wind generation (Multi-Propeller Actuator).
• Software in the Loop current generation.
• Towing bridge.
• Pressure sensors.
• Strain Gauges, Accelerometers, 3D printing and various other options.
In addition, Lir-NOTF offers developers data analysis, report creation and consultancy services. We have fully functional instrumentation and mechanical workshops for model building and maintenance.
The Coastal & Ocean Basin (COB) facility, located in the Flanders Maritime Laboratory on the Ostend Science Park, provides academic and industrial driven testing services coastal and offshore engineering scale models and offshore renewable energy technologies. The COB is a state-of-the-art wave tank in which high-quality waves and currents are generated in a controlled manner using advanced generator systems. The design and behaviour of scale models under the action of high-quality waves and currents are studied in the COB. Extreme directional wave conditions with a wave height up until 0.55m in combination with maximum current velocities of 0.4 m/s can be generated.
Basin dimensions: 30 m x 30 m x 2.3 m (L x W x H)
Maximum water depth: 1.4 m (with a 3.0 m deep pit in the middle of the basin)
Maximum wave height: 0.55 m
Maximum current velocity: 0.4 m/s @ 1.0 m water depth
Wave generation: L-shaped piston type wavemaker to generate regular, irregular, short-crested and directional waves of 1st and 2nd order, with active wave absorption
Pump discharges of 400 m³/h are achieved to fill and empty the basin (1.4 m) within 1 h
A very flat floor accuracy has been achieved (+/- 2.5 mm)
Portal crane 6 t
Forkliftruck 1.5 t
A pioneer in ocean science, IFREMER’s cutting-edge research is grounded in sustainable development and open science.
Our vision is to advance science, expertise and innovation to:
Protect and restore the ocean
Sustainably use marine resources to benefit society
Create and share ocean data, information & knowledge.
With more than 1,500 personnel spread along the French coastline in more than 20 sites, the institute explores the 3 great oceans: the Indian, Atlantic and Pacific oceans. A leader in ocean science, IFREMER is managing the French Oceanographic Fleet and its dedicated scientists create ground-breaking technology to push the boundaries of ocean exploration and knowledge, from the abyss to the atmosphere-ocean interface.
Well-established in the international scientific community, our scientists, engineers and technicians are committed to advance knowledge about our planet’s last unexplored frontiers. They provide the science we need for informed decision-making and public policy and they transfer this knowledge and technology to businesses to fulfill public and private needs. Core to our mission is also to strengthen public awareness about the importance of understanding the ocean and its resources, and empowering future generations of leaders through education and outreach national campaigns.
Founded in 1984, IFREMER is a French public organization and its budget approximates 240 million euros. It is operating under the joint authority of the French Ministry for Higher Education, Research and Innovation, the French Ministry for the Ecological and Solidary Transition, and the French Ministry of Agriculture and Food.
Deep Wave basin: https://theorem-infrastructure.org/english-version/tank-facilities/deep-water-wave-tank
Current and wave flume: https://theorem-infrastructure.org/english-version/tank-facilities/wave-current-flume-tank
Experimental flume: 50m in length, 4m in width, depth between 0.5 m and 2.5 m – Waves up to 0.8m – Period range : [0.5s – 4.5s]
Open sea test site: https://theorem-infrastructure.org/english-version/test-sites/ifremer-testing-station-ste-anne-du-portzic
Material testing facilities: IFREMER has classic electromechanical traction systems (capacity from 10 to 200 kN). Combined with immersion ageing in seawater and in deionised water, many tests can be carried out with these machines on the correlation between ageing and modification of mechanical behaviour of polymers and composites.
The study of cyclic loading, analysis of elastomer behaviour and rope and cable tests are also carried out using different housings of 25 and 250 kN to carry out fatigue tests on composites in natural seawater or using traction benches to plot fatigue test curves in water and in air and finally on specific benches for rope testing: a high-capacity bench (1000 kN, 8 m in length) and another bench (limited to 300 kN) specially designed for studying synthetic cables on pulleys.
In addition to this equipment, shock towers and immersed creep testers complete the mechanical testing resources. IFREMER recently obtained a INSTRON traction machine, 1 m displacement, 10 kN.
Pressure test tanks
These tanks are mainly dedicated to the development, qualification and acceptance testing of underwater devices (scientific instruments, deep-sea sampling systems, portholes, ROV components, etc.). They can also be used to test and qualify materials intended for use in high-pressure conditions. They have variable capacity (from 0.07 to 1 m in diameter, from 0.1 to 2 m in length) as well as testing pressure (1000 or 2400 bars), thereby meeting the needs of IFREMER and collaborating public or private partners. They can be filled with freshwater or seawater and some can be temperature regulated.
SMC Laboratory (Metallic and Cable Structures)
Cable fatigue testing rig.
The University Gustave Eiffel cable fatigue test bench allows realizing real scale tests on civil engineering cables or cylindrical technical elements (dynamic cables and moorings for MREoffshore structures).
These tests are necessary to validate innovating technical solution and ensure its durability and integrity when submitted to real load conditions (static and dynamic loads in combined tension and flexure). It is the only such equipment in France and only two other similar testing facilities exist in the world.
The Centrif-UGE is devoted to physical modelling in geotechnicals.
By increasing the centrifuge forces applied on a small scale model of an anchor , the stress field existing on full scale (prototype) anchor is reproduced. The model is installed in the Centrif-UGE’s basket (~1.5m3 of volume). The centrifuge acceleration can be increased until 100g to study 1/100th small scaled model.
DIMENSIONS
Distance axis to swinging basket 5,50 m
Centrifuge room diametre 13,50 m
Centrifuge room height 3,90 m
Swinging basket : Playload length x Playload width x Free height 1.40 m x 1.15 m x 1.50 m
PERFORMANCE
Max. weight model 2 000 kg
Max. acceleration (@ 5 m) 100×g
Max. inbalance +/- 100kN
We offer purpose-built, open-sea testing facilities for prototype technologies. We operate two grid-connected, accredited test sites – where larger prototypes are put through their paces, as well as two scale test sites where smaller scale devices, or those at an earlier stage in their development, can gain real sea experience in less challenging conditions.
EMEC’s facilities help to prove what is achievable in some of the harshest marine environments while near sheltered waters and harbours.
EMEC operates to relevant test laboratory standards (ISO17025) enabling the Centre to provide independently-verified performance assessments. We are also accredited to ISO/IEC 17020 offering technology verification on marine energy converters and sub-systems. EMEC is at the forefront in the development of international standards for marine energy and is forging alliances with other countries, exporting our knowledge around the world to stimulate the development of a global marine renewables industry.
EMEC are also pioneering the development of a green hydrogen economy in Orkney, and have set up an onshore hydrogen production plant in Eday to generate hydrogen from tidal and wind energy.
We’re also working on development of floating offshore wind and wider clean energy systems, and perform alternative real-sea testing. For example, we hosted a subsea data centre designed by Microsoft on our Billia Croo test site.
EMEC was set up to kick start an ocean energy sector in the UK and boost economic development in the Highlands and Islands. We are now using our infrastructure, skills and know-how to help the world decarbonise – and demonstrate the clean energy system of the future.
4 main test sites:
Billia Croo – grid connected wave test site. 5(+2) Berths, 11kV connections.
Fall of Warness – grid connected tidal test site. 7(+1) Berths, 11kV connections, with 33kV in planning.
Scapa Flow – intermediate scale wave test site. No specific berth arrangements, although multiple developers/activities can be supported on-site.
Shapinsay Sound – intermediate scale tidal test site. No specific berth arrangements, although multiple developers/activities can be supported on-site.
The intermediate scale test sites do not have grid connections. At various times there have been additional berths available at the grid conneted sites – an additional +2 at Billia Croo and an additional +1 at Fall of Warness.
There is a planned Floating Wind test site to the west of the Billia Croo wave test site under consideration. This is planned to have 8 berths, 4 of which will be grid connected.
CNR-INM is the Institute of Marine Engineering, under the National Research Council of Italy, a public research body. Website: http://www.inm.cnr.it/.
The Institute mission is focused on applied research on technologies for the sustainable use of the marine environment and exploitation of the marine resources, following the integrated European maritime policy. With headquarters in Rome, and premises in Genova and Palermo, CNR-INM has a staff of 150+ people, with a research workforce of 90+ researchers and assistant researchers and 60 technicians and administrative staff. The Institute manages world-class hydrodynamic testing infrastructures and has long-dated expertise in the development of digital models to support research and innovation activities. CNR-INM collaborates in projects under national and international funding programs (H2020, Horizon Europe, EDA, EDF, NICOP) and as partner in industrial projects. In the offshore renewable energy sector, INM participates to national and EU-funded initiatives. It also collaborates in commercial projects with leading companies (developers, utilities, supply-chain). CNR-INM is also member of key international R&D networks and organizations in the areas of marine transport (EU Waterborne Platform, ITTC, ISSC) and in the renewable energy sector (ETIP Ocean, EERA, IEA).
The site in Rome hosts the three large-scale hydrodynamic testing infrastructures described in this document: calm water towing tank, wave towing tank, and depressurized circulating water channel. The complete list and description of all research infrastructures and of laboratories supporting testing activity can be found on http://www.inm.cnr.it/labs/.
Calm water tank: http://www.inm.cnr.it/labs/umberto-pugliese-towing-tank/
towing tank facility type, with a 460 m long, 13.5 m wide and 6.5 m deep basin.
The towing carriage is equipped with 4 electric motors with 4×92 kW power + 2×5.5 kW low-speed motors and Ward Leonard control. The maximum towing speed is 15 m/s.
Wave towing tank: http://www.inm.cnr.it/labs/emilio-castagneto-seakeeping-tank/
towing tank facility type, with a 240 m long, 9.0 m wide and 3.8 m deep basin. The towing carriage is equipped with 4 electric motors with 4×57 kW power and Ward Leonard control. The maximum towing speed is 10 m/s.
The tank is equipped with a 9 m wide single-flap wave maker, for regular and irregular waves with1 to 10 m in length, and 100 to 450 mm height, and absorbing beach on the opposite side of the tank. Wind generation up to 20 m/s is obtained by an array of fans and a 3×3 m squared section converging nozzle.
Depressurized circulating water channel: http://www.inm.cnr.it/labs/circulating-water-channel/
Free-surface flume tank facility type, with a 12 m long, 3.6 m wide and 3 m high test section, with nominal water depth at 2.25 m. The test section can be closed to operate in depressurized conditions up to 30 kPa. The flow speed range is 0.5 to 5.0 m/s, with onset flow turbulence of 2% for the axial component and 4% for the cross-components. The water flow is driven by dual 4-bladed axial impellers with 435 kW power each.
The Kelvin Lab houses a large hydrodynamics test tank (76m x 4.6m x 2.5m). equipped with state-of-art variable-water-depth wavemakers capable of generating long-crested waves of up to 0.7m height, an efficient wave-absorbing beach and a towing carriage capable of speeds of up to 4.5 m/s.
The James Weir wind tunnel is a recirculating tunnel with a working area of 1.4m diameter and capable of air speeds up to 30 m/s.
At the AMRL, we can carry out analysis and tests in compliance with internationally recognised standards, such as BS, ISO, ASTM, DIN, etc. We also work with our clients to deliver bespoke testing solutions and the possibility of reproducing operational conditions traditionally not easily accessible. Some examples include:
Mechanical properties at sub-ambient temperatures and up to 1000°C
Thermal properties at sub-ambient temperatures and up to 1600°C
X-ray diffraction at elevated temperatures
Non-destructive topographical and morphological investigations and elemental analyses of small parts (i.e. no need of materialographic preparation).
The Laboratory of Coastal Engineering, Oceanography and Hydraulics conducts physical model testing to study phenomena related to wave generation and propagation, wave-wave and wave-structure interaction, the stability and behaviour of coastal protection structures, seawalls and marine structures, the behaviour of floating structures, the operation of hydraulic valves and machines, and to test marine energy generation devices.
The capacities of the facilities, the experience of the staff members and the use of state-of-the-art numerical modeling software and advanced instrumentation allow us to conduct basic research testing on the behavior of fluids, structures and devices, to calibrate and validate all types of numerical models, and to test and optimize specific designs for applied fluvial and marine structures and models.
Infrastructure:
Wave basin
Current Flume
Wind basin
Overall dimensions: 30 m long x 44 m wide x 4.75 m high
Test area: up to 24 m long x 32 m wide
Operating depth: 0.2 m to 3.4 m
Multidirectional wave generator
Waves up to Hs = 1.1 m @ Tp = 3s & 2.5 m depth
Bidirectional current generator
Rotatable wind generator
6 meter diameter basin with an additional 8 meters of depth
Active absorption in front and side blades & dissipators
PLOCAN´s test site is a marine reserved area a 23km2 offshore test site for a wide range of marine technologies, with access to a unique ecosystem, to accelerate the understanding, sustainability, and responsible use of the marine environment in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It enables and contributes to accelerating the development of technologies and knowledge in the marine environment, with deep-sea observation systems in real conditions.
The test site has an offshore energy evacuation capacity of 15MW to the power grid. Currently, it is equipped with two submarine electric and communication cables, each with a capacity of 5MW, conected to the onshore electrical infraestructure. Additionally, PLOCAN test site had two additional cables available to users with a power of 250 kW each both independent from the grid and connected to the Offshore Platform to its internal smart grid (SmartGrid).
Oceanic Offshore Platform: This facility rests on the seabed, at 30m depth, and 1.5km from the coast in the NE ofthe island of Gran Canaria. It comprises multidisciplinary laboratories for analysing biogeo-chemical variables in the water column, main deck area and hangar, with
equipment for loading and unloading the material for experimental testing.The structure also has space for a range ofobservation and measuring devices (e.g.
corrosion, solar…).
Oceanic Observatory: Permanent multidisciplinary array of autonomous ocean observation platforms forobserving the marine environment. The observation systems and facilities provide
support to the environmental monitoring and characterisation needs of the test site.
Coastal node: Equipment includes:
– HF Radar: monitors ocean surface currents.
– Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP): monitors currents and waves.
– Hydrophones: measures underwater noise.
VIMAS
The VIMAS base (Underwater Vehicles, Instruments and Devices) has a
multidisciplinary fleet of cutting-edge autonomous ocean platforms and instruments. This is a permanent base of autonomous underwater and surface vehicles, as well as observation vehicles at different depths. This base has dedicated mechanical and electronic equipment and tools, as well as
workbenches and test tanks.
OPEN-C Foundation, national offshore test centre for floating wind and marine renewable energy (MRE) : The OPEN-C Foundation coordinates, develops and manages offshore tests for floating offshore wind, tidal power, wave energy, offshore hydrogen and floating photovoltaics, in France, thus becoming the sole operator of French offshore test centre.
5 test sites pre-approved for certain MRE devices technological components, as well as case strudies for Environmental conditions and MRE impacts :
– Paimpol Brehat
– Sainte-Anne du Portzic
– SEM-REV
– SEENEOH
– MISTRAL
NTNU and SINTEF are operating the National Smart Grid Laboratory in Trondheim.
The laboratory is a system oriented laboratory providing state-of-the-art infrastructure for R&D, demonstration, verification, and testing over a wide range of Smart grid use cases. The key feature of the laboratory is the opportunity to integrate real-time simulations and physical power system assets (hardware in-the-loop) with ratings up to 200 kVA, 400 V AC or 700 V DC.
In 1996, the Coastal Research Center (FZK) emerged from the joint research facility Large Wave Flume as a joint institution of Leibniz University Hannover and Technische Universität Braunschweig. The overarching goal of FZK is the scientific investigation of hydrodynamic, morphodynamic and ecological processes at the coast and in the foreshore.
In association with four partner institutes, FZK offers numerical and physical models in the realms of hydraulic engineering, coastal protection, offshore technology, geotechnics and soil mechanics. This bundled competence and the extensive equipment with some unique test facilities make FZK a nationally and internationally recognized institution for university research in coastal engineering and offshore engineering. As a representative of these disciplines, FZK is a member of the German Marine Research Consortium (KDM) and the German Marine Research Alliance (DAM) as well as the German Association for Marine Technology (GMT) and the Maritime Cluster Northern Germany (MCN) in order to actively shape developments at the research policy level.
The Large Wave Flume (Großer Wellenkanal, GWK) in Hannover, Germany is in operation since 1983. With a usable length of around 300 m, a width of 5 m and a depth of 7 m, it is still one of the largest flumes in the world. Since its construction, it has served national and international research interests dedicated to the development of waves and their interaction with a wide variety of structures.
With the expansion of renewable energy generators on the sea, foundation aspects of such structures and the influence of tidal currents came more into focus. In October 2020 construction works started for a major upgrade of GWK to GWK+, the Large Wave Current Flume. The upgrade included a new wave maker, a current generation system and a deep section. These new features allow for the generation of waves and sea states with heights up to three meters while simultaneously absorbing reflected waves (principle similar to active noise cancelling). In addition, currents with flow rates of up to 20,000 liters per second can be generated simultaneously and entire tidal cycles, including flow reversal and water level change, can be simulated without interrupting the test. The new staggered deep section (length / depth: 28 meters / 2 meters & 8 meters / 6 meters) allows the installation of sea floors flush to the rest of the flume bottom and a realistic embedding of offshore foundation structures in the ground.
The CIEM is a large scale wave flume oriented to simulate harbour, coastal and oceanographic engineering together with maritime and environmental processes. It is a recognized Large Scale Facility by the DG Research of the European Comission since 2006, being the first of its kind in Europe and only comparable to another wave flume in Japan. The combination of wave and current generation makes this infrastructure particularly relevant for controlled hydraulic experiments in coastal, harbour and oceanographic engineering, as well as in other fields such as aquaculture and wave-energy installations. Additionally, the CIEM wave flume is designed to work both with fixed or mobile bed with lateral crystal windows to visualize the phenomenon occurring in the vicinity of the bed. Usually working scales range between 1:2 to 1:20
Main characteristics:
Length: 100m
Width: 3m
Maximum height: 7m
Minimum height: 0.5m
Wave generator: wedge-type wave paddle particularly suited for intermediate depth waves. Wave heights up to 0.9m with SWL of 2.65m and a period of around 4 seconds. Generation of regular and irregular waves both parametric or used-defined spectra, as well as actually measured time series. The system is hydraulically actuated and PC-controlled.
Current generator: bidirectional system with a maximum capacity of 2 m3/s.
Centrale Nantes facilities are part of Europe’s largest facilities of this type. The experiments conducted can test a lot of equipment in their use environment, river or sea. The structures studied are fishing vessels, ships and also equipment related to marine renewable energy such as wind turbines, floating turbines, tidal turbines or wave energy converters.
The towing tank at Centrale Nantes is 140 m-long, 5 m-wide, with a constant depth of 3 m. It is equipped with a towing carriage able to move in both directions, at speeds up to 8 m/s. At one end of the tank, a wave maker generates waves with heights up to 0.5 m. At the other end, a beach allows waves to break, therefore limiting the reflection of waves in the tank. It is the second largest towing tank in France, the largest in higher education.
The Ocean Engineering Tank is 50 m long by 30 m wide and 5 m deep, it is equipped with a segmented wave maker composed of 48 independent flaps to generate directional waves up to 1 m high. This tank allows the simulated physical simulation of floating systems, navigating or anchored in open seas (ships, MRE systems or oil platforms). Due to its size and generation capacity, it is currently the largest tank in France dedicated to this type of study.
The Hydrodynamic and Ocean Engineering Tank
The main dimensions are 50m x 30m x 5m with a central openable shaft (5m x 5m x 10m).
It has a large preparation area of 15m x 15m dedicated to the assembly and the preparation of the tests. The tank is equipped with three movable transverse footbridges : a small one (30mx0.5×0.5) for instrumentation only, a medium one (30mx2x1.5) for access to the measurement area and instrumentation, a larger and taller one (30mx3x3) for supporting heavy parts of the experimental setups above water. An overhead crane covers the entire BHGO area, as well as the preparation area. It has two hoists and has a maximum capacity of 4 tons. The hoists can operate independently or synchronously. The maximum clearance from the ground is 8.50m. The tank is equipped with a segmented wave maker, composed of 48 hinged flaps distributed over the width of the basin. Each flap is controlled in position separately. The wave generator system is equipped with an active wave absorption (force) control feature. The other end of the basin is composed of a 9.7m passive wave breaking beach (gentle slope and quadratic profile). The wavemaker control software, used together with enhanced control laws from the literature and implemented at LHEEA (Dalrymple method, Molin method (disc or rectangle)), gives access to the following high quality waves : Regular and irregular waves, unidirectional / directional waves, irregular crossing waves (angle up to 90°). The wave parameter ranges are : periods from T 0.5 to 5.0 s, regular wave height H max 1.0 m, irregular wave height Hs max 0.6 m. Dedicated instrumentation is available for this facility : QUALISYS motion capture system (Aerial and submarine), resistive, capacitive and ultrasonic wave sensors, tripod for maintaining structures or setups above water, self-propelled models, synchronized HD video system (Air and Underwater), acquisition and analysis systems (HBK, NI-LabVIEW, Matlab). Additionnal info, pictures and sketches are available on :
https://lheea.ec-nantes.fr/test-facilities/ocean-tanks/hydrodynamic-and-ocean-engineering-tank
The Towing tank
The main dimensions are 140m x 3m x 5m. The carriage has a maximum speed of 8 m/s and runs over the total length of the tank. A large preparation area (10 x 10m) is dedicated to the assembly and the preparation of the tests. An overhead crane covers the central area of the towing tank, as well as the preparation area. It features a 2.5 ton hoist. The maximum clearance is 6.50m from the ground. The tank is equipped with an hydraulic flap-type wavemaker (monodirectional waves only). Opposite the wave generator, a passive wave absorber is installed. Dedicated instrumentation is available for this facility : specific 6D load cells for resistance tests, QUALISYS motion capture system (Aerial and submarine), resistive, capacitive and ultrasonic wave sensors, synchronized HD video system (Air and Underwater), acquisition and analysis systems (HBK, NI-LabVIEW, Matlab).