IIT Madras launches Asia's largest shallow wave basin research facility

NEW DELHI: Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras has launched Asia’s largest shallow wave basin research facility that can cater to Indian research and industry requirements. The facility can address challenging problems in Indian ports, waterways and coastal Engineering.

As per the institute, the development of this advanced facility is a key demonstration of the research and technical capabilities of IIT Madras and the nation. It is a multi-directional shallow wave basin that can handle complex wave and current interactions.

The facility was established through the National Technology Centre for Ports Waterways and Coasts (NTCPWC), a technology arm of the Ministry of Shipping, Government of India. The facility is located at the 'Discovery' Satellite campus in Thaiyur, about 36 km from IIT Madras.

IIT Madras: Applications of research facility

The official press release states that the research facility can be utilised for both fundamental understanding and application projects, where the impact of 3D waves on structures can be critical. The basin can be used for harbour, coastal, offshore, inland waterways and shallow water manoeuvring-related projects.

Studies can be conducted on sediment transport, stability of the armour units, hydraulic and hydrodynamic performances, wave impact loading and the determination of the relevant design aspects due to climate change can be ascertained.

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IIT Madras: Key benefits of research facility

The key benefits of this IIT Madras shallow wave basin research facility include testing of varieties of coastal structures, post-impact analysis of the coastal structures, large solar floating plants, climate change effects and many more.

With the knowledge gained by creating such a large-scale facility, IIT Madras is also set to help other institutes like NITs, IITs and research institutes in India to establish such cutting-edge research centres for their academic and research purposes.

The institute informed that the large dimensions of the basin and modular wave makers provide greater accessibility to handle multiple projects in parallel. Both waves, current and a combination of these can be generated.

As of now, due to the available stroke, velocity limits and basin size, for example, a wave period range from 5 s- 18 s with a significant wave height up to 3m can be easily generated in 1:10 scale or in large scale easily.

Highlighting the significance of this shallow wave basin research facility to India, K Murali, Department of Ocean Engineering, IIT Madras, said, “This facility will position IIT Madras in the international arena as one of the institutes that operates the large scale shallow wave basin for research and industry applications. We no longer need to depend on technology from other countries for the generation of waves in the laboratory.”