O trabalho apresentado procura investigar a qualidade das ondas, equipamentos e dispositivos utilizados em um tanque de dimensões reduzidas, para ensaios em Engenharia Oceânica, tendo como fundamento a fenomenologia física da geração, propagação e absorção de ondas. Para tanto, seguindo-se uma linha experimentalista, séries de ensaios foram realizadas no tanque de ondas do LENO - Laboratório de Engenharia Naval e Oceânica do Departamento de Engenharia Naval e Oceânica da EPUSP. Nos ensaios foram geradas ondas nas formas monocromática e varredura em freqüência, durante os quais foram medidas, principalmente, a posição e força do atuador, o sinal de controle e as alturas de ondas em quatro posições. A análise comparativa entre os resultados experimentais, a teoria e resultados de outros autores conduziu a conclusões que permitiram a proposição de uma metodologia para análise de ondas em tanque de dimensões reduzidas, com vistas a validação de ensaios em Engenharia Oceânica

This thesis deals with short testing tank for Offshore Engineering purposes. Some tests have been conducted in distinct tank configuration mostly related to wave energy absorver. The main question was to investigate wave quality from generation, propagation and reflection point of view keeping in mind the tank application for model testing. The existing passive wave absorver was rebuild lowering the angles and rising the beach. The space below the beach was filled with vertical plastic screen tensioned in transverse position, orthogonal to wave propagation direction. The experimental data was analysed and then compared against theory, mainly arrival time, attenuation, generator transfer function and reflection coefficient. The experiment agreed well with prediction, generally speaking and showed consistency. Some deviation was found but into the range the instruments and data scatter leading to a inconclusive thoughts about other phenomena. Finally, a methodology for wave data analysis is proposed and also the use of plastic screen as wave dampener for short testing tank is recommended in order to save space and keep the reflection at low level. Some subject to future research is proposed in the pursuit of short testing tank development, specially active second order wave generator and active wave energy absorption.