Design, development and commissioning of a new towing tank at the University of Southampton: A decade of endeavour

TL;DR

This paper details the decade-long process of designing, building, and commissioning a new towing tank at the University of Southampton, including technical innovations, challenges faced, and validation results.

Contribution

It introduces a newly constructed towing tank with advanced features, showcasing technical solutions and validation that enhance naval hydrodynamics research and education.

Findings

Successful commissioning of a 138 m long towing tank

Implementation of a 12 paddles wavemaker with high-speed carriage

Validation experiments confirming technical performance

Abstract

The University of Southampton in the United Kingdom is worldly renowned in the naval architecture domain. For several decades, the researchers in hydrodynamics have been discussing the need of a middle-sized towing tank to accommodate the teaching, research and commercial experiments that previously had to be outsourced. In the early 2010s, the renovation of the Boldrewood campus was decided and opened the way for the construction of this 138 m long, 6 m wide and 3.5 m deep facility. Commissioned in 2022, the tank is equipped with a 12 independent paddles wavemaker and an innovative carriage capable of speeds of up to 10 m/s. The design, construction and commissioning of the experimental facility were subject to many hurdles and delays that are described here. Details about the technical solutions and chosen equipment are provided. Validation experiments are also described.