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Em4 Stream Table

Em4 Stream Table

A robust, modular geomorphological research system capable of simulating floodplains, deltas, groundwater processes, and sediment transport. The Emriver Em4 is the largest moveable bed stream table available on the market, and well suited for colleges and universities with ongoing research and teaching in river and coastal science.

Em4 at GSA
The Em4 at South Sutter Charter School
Em4 showing meander, bank failure, and delta
Using the Crossbeam and Level Rod with a great delta
Em4 at Essex College in Newark
Stratigraphy cuts in the EM4 Delta
Looking downstream at GSA 2025
Looking upstream in the Em4 at AGU 2025
Em4 at Duquesne University

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Perfect for Dedicated Labs

Modeling Media

Modeling Media

The Em4 comes standard with 163 kg (360 lb) of color-coded by size media.

Em4 Reservoirs

Em4 Reservoirs

Two reservoirs are connected by a gravity feed hose for a total capacity of 265 L (70 gal).

Em4 Box

Em4 Box

The welded aluminum box features T-Slot gunwales for mounting instruments and controllers.

Flow Outlet

Flow Outlet

The Em4 comes standard with the K500 Digital Flow Controller.

Single-Tilt Base

Single-Tilt Base

The Em4 comes standard with static supports but the vast majority of users elect a single or dual-axis tilting base.

Standpipe

Standpipe

The Em4 standpipe is adjusted with a precise gear-drive system and controls stream slope.

Leveling Casters

Leveling Casters

The leveling casters allow the Em4 to be positioned in the lab or classroom and precisely leveled.

Specifications

Dimensions
Box: 3.7 m x 1.2 m (12 ft x 3.9 ft)
Model Footprint: 4.22 m x 1.27 m (166 in x 50 in)
Portability
Moveable, but not easily portable. Best suited to a dedicated lab or teaching space.
Water
265 L (70 gal)
Media Amount
163 kg (360 lb)
Media type
Color-coded
Base options
Static, single, and dual-tilt
System includes
Reservoirs, pump, power supply, K500 digital flow controller, K28 flow controller, sediment trap, energy dissipating unit. Modeling accessories: measuring tape, limestone and plastic rip-rap, acrylic shapes to simulate culverts, plastic vegetation, dye injection bottles for visualizing flow, scoops, and scrapers. User and laboratory manual.
Upgrades
The following modular options can be added at any time: Tilting Base, Accessories, Instruments.

The scale of the Em4 allows for long-term experiments that develop mature river systems with parallel channels, multiple meanders, cut-offs, oxbows and islands, and has space for a large pool to build impressive deltas. With the addition of a Wave Maker, the Em4 can be used to model coastal morphological phenomena such as longshore drift, estuaries, barrier islands, and tombolos. The very large size of the Em4 allows a whole class of 25 plus a teacher or facilitator to participate, with a second row of 20 observers.

The Em4 stream table is as much a research tool as it is a teaching tool, and can be found in laboratories at major universities around the world as well as at research institutes and museums.

The two reservoirs hold a total of 70 gallons of water, so the lab should ideally have a dedicated spigot and floor drain. There is a drain valve built into the upstream reservoir so the system may be quickly emptied. The standard static supports are engineered from high-strength aluminum and create a box slope of 3 degrees, but the vast majority of our clients opt for a single or dual-tilt base.

The Em4 comes standard with 360 pounds of our color-coded by size thermoset plastic modeling media, and also comes standard with our K500 digital flow controller in addition to the standard K28 flow controller. The K500 allows precise, metered control of water flow using an Omega paddle wheel flow meter with closed-loop monitoring and adjustment. The K500 displays measured and requested flow in milliliters per second, total water volume since startup, and elapsed run time. It also includes eight preprogrammed hydrographs to model common flood sequences.

We had a great first class with our Em4. It was a hit with the students, best hydraulic lab by a mile. A couple of them thought it was the coolest lab yet at GWU.

Owen Scholl
High Bay Manager

We have been very happy with our Em4 model since the day it arrived at BYU. We use it in beginning and upper division-level classes in geological sciences and civil engineering. The model is diverse and representative enough of many different aspects of stream and delta systems that students of all levels are engaged.

We keep the table in a prominent location in the lab section of our building, and many students are intrigued and inspired by it and often spend time outside of their scheduled labs to work with the table.

The lower-density media makes the table a good analogue for sediment transport on other planetary bodies, and some students have approached research projects for courses or their MS theses using the stream table.

We are so happy to have the Em4 and feel it helps to elevate our department’s educational and research profile. We recommend this product to anyone engaged in teaching or researching river processes.

Jani Radebaugh
Associate Professor, Department of Geological Sciences

The EM4 is an indispensable tool to illustrate groundwater-surface water interactions and river dynamics in our hydrology classes.

David M. Kahler
Associate Professor and Chairperson
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Science, Duquesne University