Wave-Current Flume One
Name of the Facility: DICEA-UNIFI Wave-Current Flume One (WCF1)
Operator: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (DICEA), University of Florence
Installation Features
The Wave-Current Flume One (WCF1) of LABIMA - Laboratory of Maritime Engineering (www.labima.unifi.it), University of Florence, is operating continuously since 1980 and the research group has gained top-level experiences in experimental methods.
The WCF has been fully rebuilt in 2013 by using state of the art technologies. Moreover, the researchers have top-level skills with many software for off-shore/near-shore and near-field numerical simulations, among others: DHI-MIKE21, Veri-tech CEDAS, WW3, SWAN, OpenFoam, Lattice Boltzmann Method for fluid dynamics and a number of proprietary codes (e.g. PMS equation-based solver for refraction-diffraction, Sea State generation, short-term and long-term wave analysis, etc. ...)
The wave flume has the following characteristics:
- 37 m long, 0.80 m wide and 0.80 m deep.
- Adjustable sloping bottom.
- Generation of wave motion by a piston-type wavemaker renewed in 2014.
- Monochromatic and random seas generation up to 0.60m height in deep section.
- Maximum wave height up-to 0.35 m at 0.5-1.0 Hz.
- Bi-directional recirculation system with a maximum flow rate of 150 l/s.
- Wave-Maker Control and data acquisition: NI LabView, MatLab.
- Main instruments: resistive wave gauges, acoustic water surface level gages, load cells, pressure transducers, acoustic doppler current profiler, electromagnetic flow meter, digital video cameras, fast camera, 6DoF video tacking system.
Services Offered:
Access to wave-current for device testing. The services are often packaged but would normally include a number of the following:
- Wave and current generation to specified requirements (e.g. site-specific wave generation).
- Hydrodynamic performance of the device in a range of conditions.
- Limited survival (based on scale).
- Production of the power map of the device.
- Pressure and force measurements on device structural components (e.g. mooring behavior)
- Validation of pre-completed numerical models.
- Data acquisition and analysis systems (NI Labview, Matlab).
Support Offered:
- Support of the experienced staff during set up and testing activities.
- Assistance in the experiment design (scale, model design, test program).
- Office space and internet access.
- Assistance in finding accommodation.
Typical projects/examples:
- Hydrodynamic response of marine structures (wave energy devices, harbor dike, rubble-mound breakwaters, geo-containers).
- Analysis of wave energy conversion systems and design.
- Large scale evaluation of the potential energy of the sea, identification of exploitable areas and assessment of the interaction with waves, currents, sediment transport and dispersion of pollutants and morphodynamics (by means of numerical simulations).
- Evaluation of the interaction renewable energy device - waves and dynamics of the moorings in the area next to the structure, multi-scale interaction (i.e. turbulence) and non-linearity, which cannot be simulated with numerical models.
Photo Gallery:
https://www.labima.unifi.it/vp-41-bookmarks-images-and-movies.html
Access Conditions - Contact us:
Contact Person: Lorenzo Cappietti
Email: lorenzo.cappietti@unifi.it
Ph.: +390552758822
Address: via di S. Marta, 3 - 50119 Florence, Italy