Hydraulics and Fluid Mechanics Laboratory

It is among the largest university-laboratories in Italy, dedicated to the study of hydraulics and fluid mechanics. It allows for the investigation of applied and fundamental research-projects on a wide spectrum of areas such as: drop and bubble dynamics, dam break hydraulics, sediment transport, free and wall turbulence, wave-current interaction, pulsating flows, hydrodynamic cavitation, fish propulsion and physical modelling of hydraulic structures.

The hydraulics and fluid mechanics lab is also home of interdisciplinary research environments such as  the Clean Water Center lab, the CC-green-roof lab and the CC core lab.

Pipe flows Channel for waves and currents Reynolds experiment Hydrogen bubble visualization of flows around solid obstacles Pipe flows Venturi tube Low flow rate flume The white chamber Cavitation rig Turbulence box Physical modelling area 2-D Laser Doppler Anemometry Moving flume Water conveyance system Low flow rate flume Visualization of irrotational flows around solid bodies turbines

TEACHING FACILITIES

Flume for teaching activities dedicated to the study of free surface flow problems (e.g. hydraulic jump, the functioning of weirs etc)

Reynolds experiment for the visualization of laminar, transitional and turbulent flows in pipes

Visualization of irrotational flows around solid bodies

Hydrogen bubble visualization of flows around solid obstacles

Francis, Pelton e Kaplan turbines

Pipe flows for the study of Energy and Hydraulic grade lines

Hydrodynamic cavitation inside a Venturi tube

Orifice flows spilling from reservoirs

RESEARCH FACILITIES

Wave-current flume. Fixed bed flume (length 50m, width 0.6 m, depth 1.0 m) dedicated to the study of waves as well of combined wave-current flows. Waves are generated by a piston-type wavemaker located at the upstream end of the flume. A submerged pump allows for the recirculation of water and the generation of steady currents to be combined with waves

High flow rate flume. Tilting flume (length 18 m, width 0.9 m, depth 1.0 m) dedicated to the study of a wide range of phenomena including, wall turbulence (including smooth, rough and permeable walls), local scouring and testing of prototype-turbines

Sediment flume. Tilting flume (length 18 m, width 0.6 m, depth 0.3 m) dedicated to the study of sediment transport, bed forms and sediment-turbulence interaction

Low flow rate flume. Tilting flume (length 12 m, width 0.5 m, depth 0.6 m) currently employed for the study of dam break flows over rough surfaces

The white chamber. By means of a diffuse and uniform illumination of a cubic space and ad-hoc calibrated high speed cameras, this chamber allows for the measurement of water depths in 3-D dam break flows

Rainfall simulator. Alluminium structure hosting 14000 needles (located at a height of 10m) which allows for the generation of a wide range of precipitation intensities over a surface of 3 x 3.5 m²

Membrane channel flow. Channel flow (test section with length 2.0 m, width 0.2 m, depth 0.01 m) for the study of mass transport phenomena leading to clogging in flows over membranes. The channel is equipped with a chiller to maintain constant water temperature during experiments and with a system that permits the generation of controlled unsteady flow conditions

Cavitation rig. Hydraulic plant dedicated to the study of hydrodynamic cavitation within the context of water disinfection

Turbulence box. Glass walled reservoir (2.0 x 1.0 x 1.0 m) equipped with 126 little pumps controlled by a specific on/off random protocol, which generate homogeneous and isotropic turbulence

Moving flume. Tilting flume (length 2.0 m, width 0.3 m, depth 0.3 m) for field applications and the study of fish swimming performance

Physical modelling area. The size of the hydraulics and fluid mechanics lab allows for the hosting of large-scale physical models, which are employed in support of the design and analysis of hydraulic structures

Measuring instruments: besides, a wide range of pressure and level sensors (mainly ultrasound based) load cells and cameras for flow visualization, the lab is equipped with advanced systems such as:

  Stereoscopic Particle Image Velocimetry

  2-D Laser Doppler Anemometry

  50kHz High-Speed Camera