CA2130056A1

CA2130056A1 - Streamlab hydraulic demonstration flume

Info

Publication number: CA2130056A1
Application number: CA 2130056
Authority: CA
Inventors: Robert Newbury
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1994-08-12
Filing date: 1994-08-12
Publication date: 1996-02-13

Abstract

In illustrating and teaching the phenomena of flowing water in open channels, a large glass-walled flume in a hydraulics laboratory is commonly used. In this invention, the same open channel flow phenomena are reproduced in miniature in a portable re-circulating flume that is adapted to fit overhead projectors and that uses light to magnify the phenomena to the scale normally used in a hydraulic laboratory. The live projected images of flowing water phenomena may be manipulated and demonstrated to a large number of viewers without access to a hydraulics laboratory. Particular experiments and illustrations have been developed as elements inserted into the flume that are adapted to illustrate the projected images of the flowing water. These images give new insights into the phenomena and cannot be produced by photographic or other means using full-scale hydraulic laboratory flumes.

Description

DISCLOSURE/SPECIFICATION
This invention relates to a visual aid for illustrating and teaching open channel hydraulics and fish habitat characteristics.
Open channel flow phenomena are generally illustrated using large glass-walled flumes in hydraulic laboratories. Typical ~imensions are 1 m wide x 1 m deep x 20 m long. Large pumps of 3 to 5 Hp, sub-floor reservoirs and other built facilities are required to operate the flumes and create various hydraulic phenomena such as weir overflow, uniform flow, and hydraulic jumps of particular interest to fish habitats. Typically, an individual setup in the flume would take several hours to install. The phenomena can be viewed through the glass walls by only a few observers at a time and only in parts as they move along the length of the flume. Flow patterns can be followed with floats or large dye releases.
I have found after several prototype trials, that the flow phenomena normally illustrated in a hydraulics laboratory flume can be reproduced in miniature in a smooth transparent plastic flume that is approximately 1/100 of the normal size. To be useful in classrooms and conferences, the flume has been made fully self-contained with a 1/lOth Hp re-circulating pump. The whole apparatus fits in a standard briefcase. The flume width has been adjusted so that when fitted to a normal overhead projector, light may be projected through an inverting mirror to create a sharply-focussed full-scale or larger image of the whole flume and flowing water phenomena on screens or walls up to 10 m wide. This allows a large number of observers to view the illustrations and demonstrations at the same time. The whole flow pattern may be seen from one viewing position. Different flow phenomena may be easily illustrated by inserting scaled weirs and other elements in the ~1300~6 STREAMLAB Hydraulic Demonstration Flume p3 flume as it is operating, allowing different setups to be compared imm~ tloly. Flow patterns may be readily followed along the whole flume by releasing dye or air bubbles using a small syringe.

The applications of the STREAMLAB Hydraulic Demonstration Flume for illustratingopen channel flow phenomena that are typical of streams, rivers, and fish habitats are fully described in the attached publication:
Newbury, R. U~ 1994. STREAMLAB Hydraulic Demonstration Flume, Teaching and Construction Guide. Newbury Hydraulics Ltd. Gibsons BC ISBN O 968 6891 0 2.
Page iv contains a photograph of all of the flume, mirrors, demonstration inserts, pump, and other mlsc. apparatus required to make the flume fully self-contained and portable.
The folio in the back cover contains a full-scale blueprint of the flume components.
Illustrations contained in the guide show the flume setup, demonstrations, and uses.
Figure 1 attached is an isometric drawing of the flume body.
Figure 2 is a reduced copy of the blueprint contained in the Guide folio.

~130056 STREAMLAB Hydraulic Demonstration Flume p5 STREAMLAB Hydraulic Demonstration Flume Drawings and Illustrations Figure 1: isometric view of flume body Figure 2: reduced copy of construction blueprint cont~inecl in Guide folio 2 copies: STREAMLAB Hydraulic Demonstration Flume: Tea~hing and Construction Guide with various illustrations and photographs of the apparatus.

Claims

1) a self-contained miniature hydraulic demonstration flume made of transparent plastic that is specially modelled to produce a full scale flowing image of hydraulic conditions and phenomena in streams and rivers using flowing water and projected light.

2) a visual teaching aid as described in 1) using a unique inverting mirror and adjustable stand that can be adapted to all standard overhead projectors to enlarge and manipulate live images of flowing water phenomena on projection screens or walls.

3) a self-contained, portable, briefcase-sized hydraulic flume scaled to accurately produce open channel flow phenomena created by diverse inserts for weirs, gates, pools, and rapids that have been developed to utilize flowing water and projected light.