Large Wave Flume

The Large Wave Flume is the largest of its kind in North America. Because of its size and ability to operate in high Reynolds regimes, the flume is ideally suited for

  • Cross-shore sediment suspension and transport
  • Wave forces on offshore and coastal structures
  • Nearshore hydrodynamics, wave breaking, swash dynamics, and undertow
  • Tsunami inundation and overland flow
  • Tsunami structure impact, debris and scour
  • Pollutant mixing and transport
  • Scour, pipeline stability and outfalls
  • Liquefaction, cohesive sediments
  • Wave runup, reflection, and overtopping
  • Ocean wave energy systems

Wave Flume Specifications

  • Length: 104 m (342ft)
  • Width: 3.7 m (12ft)
  • Height: 4.6 m (15ft)
  • Max water depth: 2 m (6.5 ft) for tsunami, 2.7 m (9 ft) for wind/storm waves
  • Movable adjustable bathymetry/beach

Wave Maker Specifications

  • Type:   Piston-type, Hydraulic Actuator Assembly
  • Wave Types:   Regular, Irregular, Tsunami, User Defined
  • Period Range: 0.8 to 12+ seconds
  • Max Wave:   1.7 m (5.6 ft) @ 5 sec in max 2.7 m water
  • 1.4 m (3.9ft) tsunami in max 2.0 m water
  • Max Stroke:  4 m (13.1 ft) at 4 m/s (13.1 ft/s)

Instrumentation Carriage

  • Powered carriage with full cross-shore traverse
  • Carriage-mounted vertical instrument deployment frame
  • Lightweight carriage for video and lighting applications
A diagram of a wave maker.
NSF logo
PMEC logo.

This facility is supported by the National Science Foundation (Award 2037914) and the Pacific Marine Energy Center.