HYDRAULICS LABORATORY
This group designs, builds, and deploys equipment for long term
time-series data acquisition and control
of
underwater devices including video and digital cameras in support of field
programs using a variety of self-contained
and real-time sensing instrumentation. Experience includes the deployments of
subsurface and surface ocean arrays, bottom
mounted instrumentation and free vehicles in near-shore, shelf and
deep ocean environments measuring physical, biological and chemical processes,
along with the deployment of meteorological
arrays at sea and on land. Projects have been staged in the US and abroad
for principal investigators from various SIO
departments, other institutions, universities, and governmental
agencies. Mooring
Capabilities.pdf
Building dimensions are 31 m by 46 m. Adjacent is an asphalt-surfaced work yard 31 m by 40 m. Throughout the laboratory there is access to fresh and salt water (which can be chilled and filtered), drainage trenches, electric power (120 v single phase and 208 v and 460 v three phase), and compressed air. Also available are oil hydraulic power supplies of a combined total power of 160 kW for servo systems and variable speed drives.
WIND WAVE CHANNEL -- Interior dimensions are 44.5 m long, 2.39 m wide, and 2.44 m deep with a maximum water depth of 2 m. Strategically placed windows , the longest being 5.5 m, allow optical access from the side. The plywood and steel truss construction allows the insertion of instrumentation through the sides or bottom. The wave generator, an electro-hydraulic servo-system, can create a maximum wave height of 60 cm at 5 seconds. Opposite the wave generator is a fixed 1:10 slope beach. An open circuit wind tunnel produces variable wind velocity ranging from 0 to 16 m/s with a 1.5 m water depth. A tow cart runs the length of the channel. Its velocity, which is precisely controlled by a closed loop electrical servo-motor, is variable from 0 to 2.0 m/s with a tow force of 2.2 kN max. to 1.1 kN at maximum velocity.
GLASS WALLED WAVE CHANNEL -- Interior dimensions are 33 m long, 0.5 m wide with a normal water depth of 0.5 m. The electro-hydraulic servo-actuated wave generator will generate waves to 25 cm high. All side walls and 11 m of the tank bottom are glass to provide optical access. Different configurations of beaches can be installed. There is also a reversible flow system variable to .041 cubic meters/sec. A small tow cart runs the full length of the channel and has a variable speed range of zero to 74 cm/s.
Breaking Wave Demo
GRANULAR FLUID MECHANICS TEST FACILITY -- Interior dimensions of the sand basin are 12.2 m long, 6.1 m wide, with a maximum depth of 3 m. Total volumetric capacity is 140 cubic meters. There is a jib crane, and a traveling bridge spans the basin. Adjacent to the basin is a 10 m long, 1 m square cross section fluidizing channel. Three large reservoirs, each of 68 cubic meter capacity and 4.9 m internal diameter, are available for sand storage, calibration, and other purposes. A high flow slurry pump is used for sand transport.
DEEP TANK -- An insulated tank, 3.0 m inside diameter and 10.5 m deep,
installed in a concrete-lined well with observation platforms located at each of
four view port levels. There are 5 levels of water inlets for filling and
recirculation of refrigerated and filtered sea water. Encircling the tank is a
steel tower equipped with a traveling motor-driven hoist with a lift capacity of
1800 kg and a lift clearance of 11.5 m above the tank top.
STRATIFIED FLOW CHANNEL -- The overall length of the channel is 30 m including diffuser, flow straightener, test section, and end return tank. The test section sides are glass, 16 m in length, 1.1 m wide with a water depth of 1.1 m. A computer system automatically controls flow velocity uniformly or in two separate layers, variable from zero to 1.3 m/s. An overhead 1/2 ton power hoist runs the length of the channel.
OSCILLATORY FLOW TUNNEL -- Overall length of the tunnel is 16 m, test section is 39 cm wide by 40 cm high with Plexiglas side walls and a full-length hinged Plexiglas lid. The water column is driven by a 22 kW electro-hydraulic servo system. Maximum oscillatory peak to peak water particle displacement is 2.0 meters. At a period of 3.5 seconds, the maximum sinusoidal velocity is 1.8 m/s. A steady bi-directional flow, variable to 0.2 m/s, can be superimposed on oscillatory flow. There are sediment traps at both ends, and to simulate a sloping beach, the tunnel can be tilted between -5.7 and +9.1 degrees from horizontal.
PRESSURE TEST CHAMBERS --
All with working fluids of either ambient or chilled, fresh or salt water. Pressure measurement is accurate to <+/- 0.11% full scale. Electrical
feed-throughs are available.
OCEAN ATMOSPHERE RESEARCH PRESSURE FACILITY --
The Hydraulics Laboratory manages this 69 MPa (10,000 PSIG) pressure chamber for
the Keck Center. Interior dimensions are 0.35 m diameter and 1.8 m length. Fresh
or salt water is available. Pressure measurement is accurate to <+/- 0.1% full
scale.
OCEAN ATMOSPHERE RESEARCH POOL -- The Hydraulics
Laboratory does not manage but does have access to this testing pool located at
the Keck Center. Oval shape, interior dimensions are 5.5 m width and 12.5 m length. Shallow depth is 4 m with a deep section at 9.1 m.
Fresh or salt water is available.
pdf drawings: Pool1
Pool2
Pool3
Pool4
Pool5
Pool6
TEMPERATURE-PRESSURE CALIBRATION FACILITY -- There is a temperature calibration tank, 0.51 deep by .51 m wide by 1.83 m long (.48 cubic meters) with temperature control of several millidegrees and temperature measurement =
+/- one millidegree. There are two separate pneumatic pressure standard measurement and control systems ranging from atmospheric to either 100 or 300 PSIG with <
+/-.01 % full scale accuracy.
ROTATING TABLE FACILITY -- A table with a diameter of 1.5 m (60") rotates on hydraulic bearings and supports an open top, cylindrical, acrylic tank with an ID of 1.2 m (48.25") and a height of 0.6 m (23.5").
The maximum rotation rate exceeds 1 rev/s.
FIELD INSTRUMENT POOL -- The Laboratory
maintains a small pool of field instruments which can be made available to SIO
researchers. The pool includes RDI Workhorse ADCPs, temperature loggers, and a 1/4" self illuminating, monochrome DeepSea Power and Light SST-1370 camera rated to 750 m. Field work
support is available with advance notice.
BOATS & VEHICLES -- There are 2 small boats available for
recharge. SIO1 is a 17' whaler with GPS, depth sounder & a small davit for
over the side work. SIO5 is a 14' whaler with a RDI ADCP well for survery
work. Boats can be launched off the SIO pier or trailered to the work
site. Land vehicles include a small pickup and a larger stakebed truck.
Operators available for boats and vehicles..
SUPPORT
--Direct and 802.11b wireless Ethernet connections are available throughout the
lab.
For maintenance tasks and research support there are machine, welding and wood working
shops. For heavy lifting, there are a couple forklifts (5,000 and 32,000 pounds lifting)
and the deep tank hoist mentioned above. There is also considerable electronic, photographic, mechanical, and other laboratory equipment available for use.
