Transcript
Scotland, UK
A Scottish Story
Between the ports of Grangemouth and Falkirk the Forth & Clyde canal, was excavated in 1777 connecting
the east coast of Scotland.
Later, in 1822, the channel was completed connecting Falkirk and
Edinburgh.
The relief of the region required the use of 11 locks to secure the traffic between
Glasgow and Edinburgh.
They had to overcome an uneveness They had to overcome an uneveness of 24 meters in heightof 24 meters in height..
In 1963, after 150 years of operation, construction started of a work of exceptional
craftsmanship
The rotation exchange was named"Falkirk Wheel"
This fantastic device, completed in 2002, has become the symbol of modern
Scotland, allowing savings of travel time and energy
The SiteThe Site
This is the only mechanism in the world to transfer a vessel through rotation.
A set of two containers filled with water, one above and one below, each with a capacity
for one or more vessels, allows to simultaneously transfer from the upper level
to the bottom level which is higher.
The lower channel access is through a lockThe lower channel access is through a lock
The upper channel ……
... Access is through a viaduct
A vessel enters the upper level viaductA vessel enters the upper level viaduct
The vessel in the upper level is readyThe vessel in the upper level is ready
Upper LevelUpper Level
Lower levelLower level
115 ft.115 ft.
During rotation each vessel is kept horizontal by a set of During rotation each vessel is kept horizontal by a set of gearsgears
Both vessels remain horizontalBoth vessels remain horizontal
Ongoing rotationOngoing rotation
rotation near its endrotation near its end
When rotation is completed the boats vessels can leave the When rotation is completed the boats vessels can leave the trays. The photo below is the lower level accesstrays. The photo below is the lower level access
Entry of a vessel to the lower trough
The closure of the bulkheads, the
balance of water levels and the
rotation of the vessel require
around 15 minutes
Ready to begin again with other boats.Ready to begin again with other boats.
The weight of the container, 25 feet long, filled with water The weight of the container, 25 feet long, filled with water and a loaded vessel reaches 300 tonsand a loaded vessel reaches 300 tons
Since both receptacles must weigh the same, together with the water fill corresponding to the volume of the vessel, it is necessary to balance
the weight by regulating water levels.
To close the upstream and downstream bulkheads and complete a rotation of 180 degrees,
energy consumption of the engines is 22.5 Kwh
This rotating work has completely transformed the river journey between Glasgow and Edinburgh making it very
interesting from the tourism point of view
The End
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