Location
IKT
Gelsenkirchen | Germany
Fields of expertise
Assets deterioration
Performance of urban assets
Digital water solution
Modality of Access
In-person
Access offered for each project
40 days
Number of Projects
2 (1 per call)
Expected composition of the visiting user-group
1 researcher during the full access period and 5 researchers for 10 days
Description
The IKT´s Large Test Facility is a modular construction with a water transport and circulation system, which can be adapted for scientific questions concerning the hydraulic performance of products of wastewater and storm water management.
The flexible facility is 18 m x 6 m x 6 m and offers the possibility of simulating on site conditions and at 1:1 scale under realistic soil, groundwater and traffic load conditions. Flow rates and traffic loads can be regulated up to 50 L/s and 1000 kN at frequencies up to 5 Hz respectively.
Flow meters, metering devices for test substances, water level gauges and a portable irrigation system of 1 m2 are also available to carry out tailored experiments.
Service provision
IKT offers researchers from other institutions facilities for conducting their own Research & Development projects including staff for installation of their own test setups, measurements and analysis of data; and assistance with planning and running the specific experiments.
The facility has already been used during last years, in collaboration with water authorities and sewer operators from North Rhine – Westfalia region, to simulate pipe-jacking at 1:1 scale, assess the performance of repair methods for severely damaged sewer laterals and to studying new materials for sewer pipes bedding and backfilling.
However, there is a wide range of further applications in which the facility may be interesting from a commercial and academic point of view such as:
- Hydraulic capacity of pumps, throttles, gullies, permeable pavements or decentralized treatment plants, being able of considering contaminants;
- Comparative product tests on different kind of pipes and manholes;
- Simulation of long term behaviour of pipe soil system interaction analysing infiltration and exfiltration; or
- Studying the performance of water and wastewater measurement systems such as flow meters, water gauges or optical detection systems.
Instrumentation available and specific services provided
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