Deltar

The Deltar (27 January 1972)

Layout of the Deltar. 1. Analog river sections 2. Peripheral equipment (Punched tape) 3. Operator controls 4. Measuring controls 5. Analog output (recorders) 6. Digital output (punched tape) 7. Design table (configuration of river setup) 8. Wind generator.

The Deltar (Delta Getij Analogon Rekenmachine, Dutch for Delta Tide Analog Calculator) was an analog computer, used from 1960 until 1984 in the design and implementation of the Delta Works. The computer was based on ideas of dr. Johan van Veen; he also constructed the first prototypes. After his death in 1959 this work was continued by J.C. Schönfeld and C.M. Verhagen.

The computer was designed and built in order to make the complicated calculations required to predict the effects of dams, dikes, and storm surge barriers on the tides in the estuaries of the rivers Rhine, Meuse and Scheldt.

The design of the Deltar was based on the analogy that exists between the properties and behaviour of water and electricity. Working with analogs of quantities such as water's height, rate of flow, and water storage, the design for the calculator basically used the electrical quantities charge, potential, inductance and capacitance.

References

• Van Veen "Analogy between Tides and A.C. Electricity", The Engineer, dec 1947 (pp 498, 520. 544)
• Development of the tidal analogue technique in Holland", Dr. ir. J.C. Schönfeld en Ir. C.M. Verhagen, Second International Analogue Computation Meeting, Straatsburg, 1957