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Marcel Grootenboer supervises the physical processes in the Water-Soil Flume.
Marcel Grootenboer
keeps an eye on the
carriage.
Cutter digs into the
sediment, a pump
sucks it up through
a hose.
The 43-tonne carriage moves
along the flume like a professional
dredging plant.
Four electric
motors on each
wheel push the
carriages on rails.
Sediment is dumped
in a chute to be
used again in other
experiments.
Measurement flume: 50 m long,
5.5 m wide and 2.5 m deep;
contains water and soil.
Glass partitions to
adjust the size of the
flume.
Equipment connected
to the conditioning
carriage measures
the physical proper-
ties of soil and water
such as salinity and
soil stability.
The seabed is a working location: it is where we dig for
sand to strengthen the coast, lay power cables and
build wind farms. Offshore engineering involves many
challenges: the stability of the bed and the interaction
between soil and water, for example. Moreover, it is
important to bury cables deep enough to prevent
damage by anchors, and equipment has to be strong
enough.
To conduct the relevant tests, we have the Water-Soil
Flume, the world's largest facility where engineers can
simulate natural processes involving water and soil.
Deltares uses the flume to study new applications:
salt intrusion at locks, injecting bog iron to strengthen
soil, and mining precious metals. We study water with
different salinities and all types of soil: sand, clay or
rock.
The tests help to assess risks, perfect technologies and
make decisions about how strong ships and excavators
need to be. This knowledge is needed by dredgers, ship-
builders and national authorities to make working at sea
better, safer and more economical throughout the world.
MAKINGWORK ON THE SEABED
SAFER AND CHEAPER
TESTING GROUND