ETH - LEC - Facilities

The LEC wind turbine test facility ( WEST Facility) is used for experimental aero-hydrodynamic studies using scaled- and full-size models. The water-towing tank has dimensions of 40×1×1m. A four-wheeled carriage, which is mounted on rails extending along the sides of tank, is driven by a DC motor and tows a model through the stationary water. A water-towing tank has several advantages over a wind tunnel. First, it can provide higher Reynolds numbers both with negligible background motion of the ambient flow and with low power consumption during operation. Secondly, a water-towing tank is well suited for the investigation of accelerating and decelerating flows, which is usually quite challenging in other types test rigs.

The water-towing tank is equipped with a 6-component load cell for force and moment measurements. The aero-hydrodynamic forces and moments can thus be measured over a range of Reynolds numbers (0.5 to 150 × 104). An infrared sensor is used to measure the speed of the carriage, and by synchronization with the load cell, unsteady measurements can be made.

The water-towing tank is also well suited for flow visualization studies. The LEC water-towing tank is equipped with flow visualization techniques including colored and fluorescent dye injection. Flow visualization images are captured using a camera that is enclosed in a waterproof housing and submerged below the water surface. The camera is synchronized with the load cell and the speed sensor. Detailed studies of unsteady/steady characteristics of boundary layers, wakes and secondary flows have been demonstrated in the water-towing tank.

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