English name: Flanders Hydraulics Parent institute: Vlaamse overheid; Beleidsdomein Mobiliteit en Openbare Werken; Vlaams Ministerie Mobiliteit en Openbare Werken; Departement Mobiliteit en Openbare Werken (MOW-DMOW), more Previous name: Administratie Waterwegen en Zeewezen; Afdeling Waterbouwkundig Laboratorium en Hydrologisch Onderzoek (AWZ-WLH), more
Flanders Hydraulics was founded in 1933, and was initially part of the 'Antwerpse Zeediensten' until 1945. In this year, the institute became a separate research department under the Ministry of Public Works, Administration Waterways and Marine Affairs. In 1989, this entity was integrated in the Ministry of the Flemish Community, which included the merging of Flanders Hydraulics Research with the department of Hydrological Research. Since 2006, the laboratory is a division of the Technical Support Services of the department of Mobility and Public Works of the Flemish government.
Flanders Hydraulics Research is active within five research fields:
coastal protection;
harbours and waterways;
water management;
hydraulic structures;
hydraulics and sediment.
The research of the laboratory is targeted at three main topics:
safe and smooth manoeuvring of ships in Flemish ports and on Flemish inland waters;
optimisation of hydraulic constructions (ports, locks, dams, dikes, weirs);
developing efficient measures to control exceptional water levels in rivers.
More specifically, the group performs hydraulic and nautical studies for hydraulic constructions, harbours, rivers, the coast and the environment. The hydrodynamic regime of important non-tidal rivers and canals is also studied, and the laboratory also performs studies which are highly relevant for the management of waterways. The laboratory manages the hydrological monitoring network, is charged with flood risk warning in Flanders, carries out assignments for the agency for Maritime and Coastal Services and performs similar assignments for other Belgian and foreign governmental services as well as for private companies.
Flanders Hydraulics Research disposes of a wide range of research infrastructure, from physical models (wave flume, wave basin, multifunctional test basin, towing tank, current flume, Scheldt and Zeebrugge model), ship simulators, a sediment laboratory to its own applied software. The laboratory also participates in several projects with both Belgian and foreign universities and institutes, with an emphasis on cross-border collaboration regarding the Scheldt estuary.
CLASH: Crest Level Assessment of coastal Structures by full scale monitoring, neural network prediction and Hazoa analysis on permissible wave overtopping, more
SAFECOAST: Sustainable Coastal Risk Management in 2050, more
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