Aberdeen Oscillatory Flow Tunnel

The Aberdeen Oscillatory Flow Tunnel is one of the few facilities of its kind in the world. The tunnel generates oscillatory flows with periods and amplitudes equivalent to full-scale wave flows and therefore enables wave-generated processes to be studied under controlled, full-scale conditions, free from the scale effects which are present in smaller facilities.

The tunnel has an overall length of 16m and consists of a glass-sided, 10m long, 0.75m high and 0.3m wide rectangular test section, and two end reservoirs which are open to atmosphere. A 0.75m diameter piston with 1m maximum stroke generates the oscillatory flow, driven by a 30kW electro-hydraulic system. The facility is computer-controlled, so that oscillatory flows of various types can be generated - simple sinusoidal oscillatory flow to irregular oscillatory flow corresponding to random waves. Test section flow amplitudes of 1.5m with periods greater than 5s can be produced when a 250mm deep sand bed occupies the test section. The facility is therefore capable of generating sheet flow conditions for a wide range of flow periods and typical sand sizes.