Atlantic Basin
The Atlantic Basin, built in 2009 is a multifunctional facility and at present the only one of it's kind in the world. With its total size of about 650 m2, waves and (tidal) currents can be simulated.
In the test section, a closable pit of 130 m2 and a depth of 0,5 m is
available which allows for modelling of a mobile bed. A sediment sieve
is constructed at the downstream side for the collection of lightweight
material in morphological tests.
The wave generator is positioned at one of the short sides and consists
of 20 wave paddles driven by a hydraulic system. The independently
controlled wave paddles make it possible to generate oblique waves.
A current can be generated via a pumping system either following or opposing the waves. Depending on the project-specific needs, the basin layout can be modified e.g. by building wave damping beaches or sluice gates. Also, the Atlantic Basin is equiped with state-of-the-art instrumentation, a gantry crane and access bridges.
Application areas
The Atlantic Basin can be used for coastal, river, harbour and offshore
projects. This basin is a wide flume for investigations related to flow
forces, discharge coefficients, specific design details, bed protection
and morphological impact of hydraulic structures.
The combination of wave generation with a pumping system allows for
realistic simulation of sea waves interacting with a current. This is
not only of interest for research on wave-current interaction but also
essential for a number of situations, such as scour around offshore
structures. In addition to that, water levels can be adjusted which
allows for the simulation of tidal and non-tidal water level
fluctuations.
Projects
Our experience with physical modelling studies is considerable. We are involved in a wide range of river, coastal, harbour and offshore structures.
Typical studies are related to:
Stability of breakwaters: trunc sections and roundheads
Scour around piles, jackets, jack-ups, GBS, pipelines
Scour protection and pipeline covers
Stability of groynes, sills, bed protections, intake and outfall structures
Forces on structures.
Wave basin
Length: 75 m
Width: 8.7 m
Height: 1.3 m
Max. water depth : 1.0 m
Wave generation
Wave board type: cradle
Width of wave maker: 8.7 m
Height of wave board: 1.3 m
Frequency range: 0 to 2 Hz
Max. sign. wave height: 0.25 m for Tp = 2 s
Max. wave height: 0.45 m
Directional spreading: yes
Wave damping: automatic reflection compensation
Pumping system
Max. pumping capacity: 3.0 m3/s
Current-wave-angle: 0º and 180º
