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Model testing at the Offshore Technology Research Center.
The Ocean Engineering Program participates in several research centers and laboratories associated with Texas A&M University
- Center for Dredging Studies
- Offshore Technology Research Center
- Haynes Coastal Engineering Laboratory
We are also the home to several other significant research facilities
Centers and Laboratories
The Ocean Engineering Program houses three major research laboratories and two important research centers. These research and outreach programs are conducted by our faculty and are sponsored by numerous federal, state, and local agencies and industries. The research activities are a vital part of our educational mission, providing research experiences for undergraduate students and research topics for our graduate students.
Offshore Technology Research Center
The Offshore Technology Research Center (OTRC) was founded in 1988 to undertake basic engineering research in support of economical resource development in deep offshore waters.
One of the primary missions of the OTRC is to provide a strong educational program related to offshore technology, including the allied branches of science and engineering. The Center is committed to providing students with cross-disciplinary team research experience, industrial interaction, and an integrated engineering systems approach to the field of offshore technology.
The OTRC wave basin is a major research facility for model testing of deep-water ocean engineering systems. The basis is 150 feet long, 100 feet wide and 19 feet deep. There is also a 30 feet long and 15 feet wide central pit with adjustable depth from 19 to 55 feet. The tank is equipped with a directional random wave generator, current generating system, a wind generation fan bank, and a towing carriage.
Center for Dredging Studies
The Center for Dredging Studies was established in 1968 as a result of conferences held between educators, representatives of the dredging industry, manufacturers, and officials at Texas A&M University. The Center is part of the Zachry Department of Civil Engineering and the Texas Engineering Experiment Station and is supported by gifts and research grants from the dredging industry and the government. In addition to research and industrial testing, the Center’s activities include teaching university courses and providing annual seminars and short courses concerning advances in dredging engineering technology.
Laboratory Facilities
In addition to the research centers, other laboratory facilities for the Ocean Engineering Program are located in the Reta & Bill Haynes ’46 Coastal Engineering Laboratory, the Civil Engineering Laboratory Building, and the Hydromechanics Laboratory Building on the main campus of Texas A&M University. Equipment housed within the laboratories includes the following:
- 3D large shallow water directional wave tank
- Two long towing tanks
- Long glass-walled wave tank
- 2D large shallow water wave tank
- Two variable slope open channel flumes
- Long glass-walled wind-wave tank
- Dredge pump test stand and slurry pipe loop
- Data acquisition systems and equipment
- Laser Doppler velocimeter and Particle Image Velocimetry equipment
- Acoustic Doppler Velocimeters
- Field equipment and jet ski