Falkirk Wheel boat lift - amazing!

[tomlarkin]

This has been mentioned on the forum in passing, but it's new to me. It lifts the boats 79 feet, and replaced 11 locks. It's in Scotland, near the Firth of Forth.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b0/Falkrikwheelanimationmedium.gif

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falkirk_Wheel
Here's an aerial view (http://www.bing.com/maps/?v=2&cp=tb01drgpcx0m&scene=28440693&lvl=1&sty=b&where1=The%20Falkirk%20Wheel%2C%20United%20Kingdom ).

One cool thing about this is that it's incredibly efficient. The tank holding heaviest boat on one side will weigh exactly as much as the other tank, even if there are no boats in it (if the water level is the same and the boat is floating), so it would take very little power to spin the thing.

This design can only work if the lower waterway is a constant height, so I spent an hour drawing variations that would work with tidal waters on the lower end. Can't come up with one that raises and lowers simultaneously like this one does.

[Chip-skiff]

Do they let you stay in your boat while it's lifted?

That'd be a memorable ride.

[P.I. Stazzer-Newt]

Do they let you stay in your boat while it's lifted?

That'd be a memorable ride.

Yup - they even have a couple of boats as tour-busses.

If you go there, go on foot to the tunnel at top - the tunnel passes under the Antonine wall (http://www.antoninewall.org/history.php)

[Eric D]

now that is cool.

I wish we could have more of those.

I assume (hopefully) that they have a fish ladder of some sort to lessen the impact on the other water users.

[Thorne]

These water-powered lifts are way cool. The only one I've ridden on is the quarry lift / Cliff Railway at the CAT in Wales -
http://www.cat.org.uk/media/images/Visitor%20Centre/Cliff-Railway_m.jpg
http://store.cat.org.uk/product_info.php?products_id=811
http://www.cat.org.uk/information/aboutcatx.tmpl?init=1

[StevenBauer]

Here's a side view of the part that's hidden in the animation:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cd/FalkirkWheelSide_2004_SeanMcClean.jpg/800px-FalkirkWheelSide_2004_SeanMcClean.jpg

[willmarsh3]

This is quite spectacular.

There are several lift locks on the Trent Severn waterway in Ontario, Canada that work on the same principle, notably the Peterborough lift lock and the Kirkfield lift lock.

http://www.galenfrysinger.com/ontario_cruise.htm

http://204.9.137.18/trent/docs/L-21.html

http://204.9.137.18/trent/docs/L-36.html

As for balancing these I would hazard a guess that they can raise or lower the boxes by a bit to bring the water level inside the box to a specified mark before beginning the lift. Or they could pump some water after closing the gate.

These would be nice to ride through as there would be no turbulence to deal with as opposed to the the locks that TVA uses.

Edit: after looking at the aerial view of the Falkirk Wheel I see where there are conventional locks on both sides so they can carefully regulate the water levels that way.

[rbgarr]

There are plans for another that has horseheads as a motif.

[Concordia...41]

There are plans for another that has horseheads as a motif.

Whatever they do, do not let them put one in Florida :eek::eek:

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/150/433447591_b7d5c80597.jpg

[frank pedersen]

Does the boat lift in Tomlarkin's post keep turning when it is not on your computer screen?

[C. Ross]

Wow. I don't know whether to be more impressed with the engineering or the aesthetics. OK, both.

[katiedobe]

I google mapped the waterway and it looks like after the lift you go through a tunnel, underground, and then further away there is another, even longer tunnel to pass through!
No sailboats I assume. It looks like a nice part of the world to do some Canal trips on in a nice quiet slow boat.

[PeterSibley]

I've come back to this 4 times now ! Wonderful !

[P.I. Stazzer-Newt]

Does the boat lift in Tomlarkin's post keep turning when it is not on your computer screen?

Yup, and sometimes it goes the other way.....

It can do a full 360° in either direction but the driver has a net-revolutions counter and they try to maintain the count at zero!

[Paul Scheuer]

Facinating -

What's the purpose of the "beaks" ? They can't be for style if the mechanism is intended to rotate both ways. I had the idea that the offset upper beak would provide more torque than the submerged/bouyed lower beak, thus aiding start up. But that only works (if it does) for counter-clockwise.


Also - I see that usually no water is transferred from upper to lower basins. Couild this be the answer to the water shortage at Panama ?

[BrianW]

now that is cool.

I wish we could have more of those.

I assume (hopefully) that they have a fish ladder of some sort to lessen the impact on the other water users.

It's a man made canal, not a natural river.

[BrianW]

I had the idea that the offset upper beak would provide more torque than the submerged/bouyed lower beak, thus aiding start up.

We visited the place a few years ago, and while the single malt has blurred my memories... I don't believe the "beaks" enter the water at all. Note the lack of water dripping as they break the water level plane.

[BrianW]

A couple of our pics...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v136/BrianW/Britian%20Vacation/falkirk-wheel-1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v136/BrianW/Britian%20Vacation/falkirk-wheel-2.jpg

[MarkH]

I guess if you stepped the mast and weren't too big you could get through in a sailboat.

it connects with the the forth clyde canal which is now operating again as a shortcut from the east coast to west coast (edinburgh to glasgow) so you could have a wee trip via the lift

it is a fun bit of engineering, and so well balanced it takes the same amount of energy to rotate as it takes to boil 2 electric kettles apparently, done by sticking a bit more water in one side to counter the water displaced by travelling boats

[Bill Perkins]

So the beaks are water ballast tanks ; water being added to the top beak and voided from the bottom one till the thing rotates (counter clockwise) ? If the lower beak were filled and the top one emptied I guess the first few degrees of tilt are achieved that start it clockwise ?

[tomlarkin]

Whatever they do, do not let them put one in Florida
Imagine a Ferris wheel for boats that took an hour to go around. This would be an awesome tourist attraction! I'd pay 20 bucks to do it. :D

[tomlarkin]

...sticking a bit more water in one side to counter the water displaced by travelling boats.

Since the boats are floating, if the water were the same height in both tanks, wouldn't the 2 tanks weigh the same with or without boats in them? Displacement and all that...