An architectural rendering of the large-scale wind-wave deepwater laboratory in Dalian City, northeast China's Liaoning Province. /Dalian University of Technology
A large-scale wind-wave deepwater laboratory has begun construction in the coastal city of Dalian in northeast China's Liaoning Province.
Jointly funded by the Dalian University of Technology and the China Three Gorges Corporation, the project, Wind-Wave Deepwater Basin, will simulate a dynamic marine environment under complex wind and wave situations and provide high-precision experimental simulation technology for the effect of an extreme marine dynamic environment on engineering structures.
It is the first known large-scale wind-wave deepwater laboratory in the world, according to the university.
An architectural rendering of the large-scale wind-wave deepwater laboratory in Dalian City. /Dalian University of Technology
The project, which boasts a land area of 16,000 square meters and a floor area of 8,100 square meters, is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2026.
In the marine environment, waves and wind affect offshore engineering facilities and are important factors that must be considered in the design and operation of offshore engineering, said Lyu Lin, vice dean at the School of Infrastructure Engineering of Dalian University of Technology.
The laboratory will provide first-class research and development conditions and high-quality technical services to meet the country's significant national needs, such as developing deep-sea oil and gas resources, utilizing offshore renewable energy, and constructing major cross-sea transportation infrastructure.