This was quite an experience. In the first picture you see the two pans side by side. The left pan is elevated while the ferry and the Dubhe III was about to enter the right pan. Each of the two pans weighs 1300 tons when filled. With one pan up and the other down the two balance each other. It does not matter how many boats are in either pan. A boat displaces its own weight in water. When it is time to lower one pan and raise the other, one extra foot of water (130 tons) is allowed to enter the upper pan. This extra weight allows the upper pan to push down and raise the lower pan to the top level. The two pans are locked in place and the extra water is let out of the lower pan. Boats enter and exit the upper and lower pan and the process is repeated.
No comments:
Post a Comment