Emerson Cavitation Tunnel

Post from RICOH THETA. #theta360 - Spherical Image - RICOH THETA

A specialist flume for hydrodynamic research of propellers, turbines, foils, bluff bodies, coatings and innovations. The test section is 3.1 metres long and has an adjustable working cross section of 1.2 x 0.8 metres. Atmospheric pressure within the tunnel can be adjusted to enable analysis and visualisation of cavitating flow. We keep an extensive range of instrumentation for the analysis of cavitation, propeller/turbine performance, underwater radiated noise, surface pressures, flow velocity (including LDA and PIV lasers), flow visualisation (including stereoscopic PIV and high-speed video), boundary layer formation and coating drag

Specifications

Vertical Plane, Closed Circulating Specifications

Maximum velocity	20 knots (10m/s) with insert (0.81mx0.81m)
Absolute pressure range	7.6 kN/m2 (min) to 106 kN/m2 (max)
Cavitation number range	0.5 (min) to 2 (without insert)
Model propeller size	150mm to 400mm

Test section

Size	3.10 x 1.22 x 0.81m (LxBxH)
Area	0.99m2 (0.64m2 with insert)
Contraction ratio	4.271

Drive system

The drive system is a 4 bladed axial flow impeller with thruster control drive system.

Main pump power	300Kw
Main pump rotational speed	292rpm
Impeller diameter	1.4m

Dynamometer Specifications

Type 1 - Kempf & Remmers H33 propeller dynamometer

Max thrust	± 2943 N
Max torque	± 147 Nm
Max rpm	4000 rpm

Type 2 - Kempf & Remmers R45 with vertical adjustable drive system

Suitable for placement inside of hull models.

Max thrust	± 687 N
Max torque	39 Nm
Max rpm	4000 rpm

Acoustic Specifications

Type

Bruel & Kjaer 8103 miniature hydrophone and associated instruments.

Location

In a water filled, thick walled steel cylinder placed on a 30mm Perspex window above propeller.

Testing Capabilities

Propeller testing

Conventional and unconventional propeller performance tests, including shaft inclination in three axes.

Boundary layer and drag tests with flat planes, submersible bodies and propellers with coating.

Propeller testing in simulated ice blocks.

Wake simulation

The Tunnel can be used to test wake simulation using:

wake screens
flat plate pressure pulse measurements
a dummy hull model (including hull surface pressure measurements)

Cavitation and noise tests

Cavitation and noise tests can be conducted in uniform and non-uniform streams, and tidal/current turbine performance can be studied.

Measurement and recording

Flow can be measured and analysed using 3D LDA/PDA and stereoscopic PIV systems.

Load can be measured with submerged bodies.

The nature and extent of cavitation can be recorded using still and high-speed video cameras.