WHOI Flume

The WHOI flume was obtained by the lab in 2008 after many years of service at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute in Massachusetts. The WHOI flume measures 17.3-m long, 0.6-m wide and 0.3-m deep. The flume is constructed of fiberglass composite with a total of 13 plexiglass windows (six along each side and one in the floor of the flume).

The flume is built on a set of parallel beams supported by hydraulic jacks making in possible to vary the channel slope. The flume has been outfitted with a 600 liter tailwater tank w/ integrated sediment trap that allows for closed-circuit recirculation of sediment and water.

Research carried out to date in the WHOI flume consists of an examination of the flow characteristics over idealized dunes. Currently funded research consists of a physical model study of a combined boat/fish passage for the city of Wichita, KS.

Plan view of WHOI flume

Plan view of WHOI flume