Wave and Current Generation in Wave Flumes Using Axial-Flow Pumps

Aurélien Babarit (1) , Simon Delvoye (1) , Vincent Arnal (1) , Laurent Davoust (1) , Jeroen Wackers (1) , Félicien Bonnefoy (1)

1 LHEEA - Laboratoire de recherche en Hydrodynamique, Énergétique et Environnement Atmosphérique

We investigate a new concept for wave and current generation. It consists of axial-flow pumps driven such as to generate an oscillatory flow through an orifice located at one end of the flume. Oscillations of the flow lead to the generation of water waves at the free surface. If the average of the flow is different from zero, a current is generated that superposes on the waves. In this study, we explored the technical capabilities of this concept and the influence of geometric parameters on wave and current generation. We used numerical and experimental modelling. Most noticeably, the numerical results indicate that this concept is well suited for the generation of long and high waves. An experimental setup has been designed and built. We used it to make an experimental proof of concept for the wave and current generation, including waves propagating against the current.

Mots clés: Axial flow; Waves; Flumes; Pumps

Domaines: Mécanique des fluides [physics.class-ph]; Energie électrique

Aurélien Babarit, Simon Delvoye, Vincent Arnal, Laurent Davoust, Jeroen Wackers, et al.. Wave and Current Generation in Wave Flumes Using Axial-Flow Pumps. 36th International Conference on Ocean, Offshore and Artic Engineering (OMAE2017), Jun 2017, Trondheim, Norway. ⟨10.1115/OMAE2017-61404⟩. ⟨hal-01563340⟩