Depressurised Towing Tank

Towards the end of this year, MARIN’s newly rebuilt and modernised Depressurised Towing Tank (DTT) will be back in service. Renovation is needed for improved operational performance of the facility with greater flexibility, reduced operating costs, improved quality of cavitation observations and broader applications. It is also needed to adapt the facility to meet new market developments, such as higher ship speeds and the ability to model true operational conditions.

A number of significant improvements are being implemented:

A direct driven towing carriage, capable of speeds up to 8 m/s (formerly 4 m/s), making the DTT suitable for modern high speed ships.

An open frame carriage, leading to a minimum aerodynamic interference with the ship model, enabling atmospheric resistance and propulsion tests.

Improved access to the carriage, including a visitors platform for tests under atmospheric conditions.

Improved quality and flexibility of cavitation visualisation.

Allowance for all types of powering tests; Time to depressurise the basin is reduced from approx. 8 hours to approx. 4 hours.

Complete test set-up preparation and check-up, prior to transferring the model to the depressurised basin.

Increased data transfer rate through optical fibres and minimal electromagnetic interference on data acquisition.

At present, the basin is under construction and full completion is scheduled for shortly thereafter.