As part of establishing and strengthening cooperation with leading specialists in hydrodynamic modelling and hydrotransport, the Director of the Institute of Environmental Engineering Assoc. Prof. Dr. Krzysztof Lejcuś, and the Head of the Water Laboratory Maciej Gruszczyński, PhD Eng. visited two well-known research units in the Netherlands, Technische Universiteit Delft, Faculteit Civiele Techniek en Geowetenschappen, Hydraulic Engineering Laboratory (Delft University of Technology) and Deltares, independent institute for applied research in the field of water and subsurface, Delta Basin Laboratory (a public-private independent institute of water flow and impact research).
The Delft laboratory is Europe's largest indoor water laboratory. It has a total area of 5000 m2, of which 1700 m2 are exclusively dedicated to research and experiments. For research requiring water, a total water flow rate of 2.0 m3/s and a reservoir capacity of 1200 m3 are provided.
Among other things, the laboratory is currently conducting research on the stability and resistance of wharf protection against waves, the wave damping properties of plants, and the occurrence of extreme waves in areas of planned offshore hydropower plants. Fish ladders are also tested, water flow through dams is simulated and assessed and many other issues are studied.
Our representatives talked with the heads of laboratories about technical issues related to water circulation in supply systems, control of the research process, measurement of test stands, and the technique of archiving research on fast-changing processes. They also discussed the use of research on physical models and its application in calibrating numerical models and the impact of experiment scale in geotechnics.
An important element of the visit were discussions regarding potential opportunities for cooperation, joint research and academic exchange.
