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FloWave tank officially opened

Edinburgh University’s spectacular new circular wave and current tank, designed and built by Edinburgh Designs, has been officially opened.  This tank can create 360 degree waves and current, independently of each other, and has been designed to simulate wave conditions anywhere in European seas.  Waves are created using 168 paddles arranged around the tank, and strong tidal flow conditions can be simulated using 28 propellers located under the floor.  The centre of the floor can be raised to the surface to assist in setting up devices.

Read more and see a video of the tank in operation on the BBC news website.

Construction underway on new UCC Beaufort Laboratory

Construction is underway on the new Beaufort Laboratory which will house University College Cork’s new National Ocean Test Facility.  Edinburgh Designs is supplying 16 2.5m flap wavemakers for a deep water flume, along with a hydraulically driven movable floor, for the main deep water basin.  A coastal flume will be fitted with 8 0.7m flap wakemakers, also supplied by Edinburgh Designs.  The third basin, the Ocean Wave Basin, will have wave generation provided by the relocated 40 x 0.7m flap wavemaker originally built by Edinburgh Designs for UCC in 1993 .

See artist’s impressions of the new building here.

FloWave tank now making waves.

The FloWave tank at the University of Edinburgh is now complete and making waves.  The video below shows a large focus event from all directions, something uniquely possible in a circular tank.

Carderock basin officially opens

The US Navy’s new upgrade to the Manouvering and Seakeeping (MASK) basin was officially opened in a ribbon cutting ceremony on 19th December by Dr. John Holdren, assistant to the president for Science and Technology.

The upgrade to the 360-foot long and 240 foot-wide (110x73m) facility consists of 216 flap paddles designed by Edinburgh Designs Ltd, and can reproduce a wide variety of scale model sea conditions with continuous regular waves up to 1 metre in height possible.

Read the full story on ABC news

Breaking waves makes musical history

Kevin in his wave tank

Kevin in his wave tank

We have just received an email from a long time user of our machines, Kevin Drake of University College London. He entered the competition to produce the best sounds of the University and his entry for wave tank and lute was judged the joint winner alongside Kate Oliver’s entry for solo wave tank! Congratulations to them both for showing how wonderful the noise of breaking waves in a tank can be.

Construction underway on US Navy MASK Basin upgrade.

Construction has begun on the upgrade to wave generating equipment at the US Navy’s Manouvering And Sea Keeping (MASK) basin. The basin, part of the Navy’s Carderock Division, is one of the largest mavouvering basins in the world and, once complete in late 2013, will have 216 flap wave generators capable of producing a total of over one megawatt of wave energy.

Edinburgh Designs creates “The Impossible” wave.

Edinburgh Designs created the giant wave and flood scenes for 2012 movie The Impossible about the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, staring Ewan McGregor and Naomi Watts.

Most of our customers are looking for accurate, perfect waves; however, the director Juan Antonio Beyona was looking for the opposite effect. His vision was a mean ugly and chaotic wave: something that looked more evil than one dreamed up by the effects guys.