At the beginning there were two canals: Canal Forth and Clyde was built in 1777, between harbors Grangemouth and Falkirk connecting Glasgow with west cost of Scotland. Canal Union between Falkirk and Edinburgh was finished in 1822. Because of geographical difficulties, which created a difference of 79ft.in elevation, the two canals were connected by 11 locks.
In 1963, after 150 years of existence of this water way with 11 locks, the construction of a huge water carousel started. This extraordinary idea was finished in 2002 and became a symbol of Scotland. This invention saves not only time but also energy. It is known as the Falkirk Wheel.
This is the only rotational boat transporter in the world. It has two arms and each arm forms a kind of huge tub filled with water. Boats enter the tub, then the tub locks up and the huge arm starts rotating.
Closing the gate, regulation of level of water and “tubs” rotation takes less that 15 minutes.
The “tubs” are filled according the Archimedes’ Law, so the weight of “tubs” is balanced. To open the upper and lower lock and turn the whole system by 180 degrees they need an engine of 22.5 kW which uses only 1.5 kWh.
Additional information: Falkirk Wheel - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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