CIEMito: Maritime Research and Experimentation Flume (small scale)

The CIEMito is a small-scale wave and current flume designed to maximise the variety of test configurations while minimising costs, without compromising the quality of the results.

The CIEMito is a scaled reproduction of the large CIEM flume, built with glass walls that allow work with mobile beds and the reproduction of breakwater and coastal-zone conditions. This infrastructure is ideal for rapid tests, teaching activities and preliminary experimental projects in the field of maritime and coastal engineering.

Main characteristics of the CIEMito

Parameter	Description / Value	Comments
Total length	18 m	Small-scale wave and current flume for research and teaching
Internal width	0.4 m	Rectangular section with transparent walls
Total height	0.6 m	Allows operation under different water depths
Variable water depth	0.05 – 0.4 m	Adjustable according to the test
Wave generator	Piston-type with linear actuator	Maximum stroke of 1 m and response speed of 1.6 m/s
Maximum theoretical capacity	Water depth of 0.36 m with waves of 0.28 m and a period of 1.7 s	Maximum theoretical operating conditions
Current generator	Bidirectional, with a maximum capacity of 8 L/s	For combined wave-current tests
Control and generation software	Developed by LIM/UPC	Allows the generation of regular and irregular waves and the reproduction of real time series
Absorption system	Second-order active absorption; passive: wave-19 thermoformed polypropylene panels	Minimises wave reflection at the end of the flume
Measurement equipment	Water-level sensors — resistive and acoustic —, velocimeters and high-speed cameras	Real-time data acquisition and synchronisation

General view of the CIEMito flume during a teaching practical session, where students work on wave generation and analysis under controlled conditions.

Instrumentation with resistive sensors: water-level measurement system using resistive sensors distributed along the flume for detailed wave characterisation.

Wave–structure interaction tests with an alternative coastal-protection configuration, studied within the framework of the works at Barcelona’s Port Olímpic.

Wave-reflection tests: experimental setup to study reflection and wave–structure interaction through free-surface measurements.