Teaching facilities

Closed conduits model

Two types of energy losses in closed conduits can be studied in this model:

  • friction losses (caused by friction at the inner wall of the conduit) and
  • local losses (caused by sudden changes in the conduit).

Small demonstration flume

This 2.5 m long and 0.08 m wide flume provides students with the ability to study fluid flow phenomenon associated with weirs and sluice gates. Sediment can also be applied to the bed to demonstrate bedform dynamics and sediment transport. The flow system is entirely self-contained and the flume is portable meaning it can be move into any suitable laboratory or class environment for use.

Large demonstration flume

This 5 m long and 0.3 m wide flume allows students to study a wide range of topics including the hydraulics associated with different types of weir and sluice gate. Bed roughness and channel slope can also be adjusted and the apparatus includes a closed sediment circuit which allows a sand sediment load to be fed into the flow enabling bedload transport rates and phenomenon such as local scour around bridge piers to be investigated.

Venturi meter and orifice

Measuring discharges in closed conduits is possible with an orifice or Venturi meter. Students learn how these widely used systems are working by applying the energy conservation law and the equation for continuity of mass.