Caption: Deep-water wave basin
Attenborough and the Giant Sea Monster
The BBC One documentary featured Imperial’s Dr Luke Muscutt, who was interviewed by Sir David Attenborough while testing out his robotic plesiosaur named Flip. Flip was swimming inside our deep-water wave tank.
Our laboratory is one of the best-equipped facilities of its kind covering a floor area of some 3000 square meters.
The Hydrodynamics Laboratory is located in the basement of the Civil and Environmental Engineering Building on the South Kensington Campus of Imperial College and has a tradition of excellence in wide-ranging areas of fluid mechanics with civil and environmental engineering applications.
The Hydrodynamics Laboratory is equipped with a wide range of facilities to simulate waves and their influence on the natural and built environment. Our state-of-the-art facilities can be used to experimentally generate waves, winds and currents propagating in one or more directions. Waves and current propagating in one direction are typically simulated in our 6 wave flumes, while waves propagating in multiple directions are generated in our 2 wave basins. Each wave generation facility is fitted with a modern active-absorption control system, enabling the most realistic representation of ocean wave conditions.
Our variety in geometric and operational characteristics provides an exceptional opportunity to conduct experiments at different scales and complexities. This experimental capacity is combined with our unique expertise in fluid mechanics to conduct word-leading research.
Our large scale facilities are complemented by:
- State-of-the-art measuring equipment
- Surface elevations
- Kinematics
- ADV, PIV and lasers
- Forces/pressures/accelerations
- High speed camerasDevelopment of custom instrumentation for applications
- Fully equipped workshop with specialised technical team
- In-house manufacturing of prototypes and physical models
What we offer
Experimental investigations
- State-of-the-art measuring equipment for water surface elevations and velocities.
- Wave-structure interactions: force measurements and body motions.
- High speed cameras and flow visualisation (e.g., PIV, ADV).
- Bespoke instrumentation development for challenging problems.
Numerical simulations
- Development of fit-for-purpose numerical models.
- Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)
- Spectral and process-cased modelling at local/regional scales.
- Digital twins of laboratory and field metocean conditions.
- Coastal evolution and modelling.
2 column block of things
Field data analysis
- Analysis and interpretation of in-situ measurements (wave buoys and radars).
- Shoreline detection and modelling using satellite measurements.
Analytical developments
- Theoretical modelling of nonlinear wave mechanics.
- Stochastic representation of large ocean waves.
- Analytical description of wave evolution in the coastal zone.
- Forces and motions of ocean structures.
Current research themes
- Ocean Engineering
- Coastal Engineering
- Wave-structure interaction (offshore and coastal structures)
- Floating bodies and marine renewables
- Coastal erosion and flooding
- Air-sea interaction
Key facilities compared
| Facility | Unidirectional waves | Diretional waves | Current | Additional capabilities |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deep-water basin | ♦ | ♦ | Adjustable bed | |
| Shallow-water basin | ♦ | ♦ | ♦ | Towing facility |
| Coastal flume | ♦ | Adjustable bed | ||
| Long flume | ♦ | Towing facility | ||
| Very long flume | ♦ | Variable bathymetry | ||
| Double ended | ♦ | ♦ | Wind generation | |
| Current flume | ♦ | Drop test rig |
Interested in consultancy, collaboration or hiring our faciliites?
Our testing facilities are suitable for hire and consultancy for all organisations from small-to-medium enterprises through to multinationals.
Complete our enquiries form to request an initial consultation and bespoke quotation.
Our people and expertise
- Fluid Mechanics Academic and Teaching Staff A-Z
- Fluid Mechanics Research Staff A-Z
- Fluid Mechanics Research Students A-Z
- Fluid Mechanics Emeritus, Senior Research Investigators, Visitors and Honorary staff
- Technical, laboratory and administration staff
| Photo | Details |
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Henry BurridgeSenior Lecturer in Environmental Fluid Mechanics, PhDTransport of heat and mass by convection; Convection in the built environment; Effective ventilation of buildings; Modification of natural materials for use in buildings. |
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Adrian CallaghanSenior Lecturer, PhDDirector of MSc Engineering Fluid Mechanics for the Offshore, Coastal and Built Environments Breaking waves; Surface water waves; Two-phase flows; Air-entrainment; Upper ocean turbulence. |
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Marios ChristouSenior Lecturer in Fluid Mechanics and Mathematics, PhD, DIC, MEng, ACGIMetocean, Offshore and coastal engineering; Wave statistics; Freak/rogue waves; Analysis of field measurements; Wave-structure interaction; Wave-vessel interaction; Infragravity waves; Side-by-side and tandem offloading; Boundary Element Modelling. |
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John CraskeSenior Lecturer, Imperial College Research Fellow, PhDUndergraduate Examinations Officer Building physics; Buoyancy-driven turbulence; Jets and plumes; Numerical analysis; Inverse problems; Adjoint methods; Flow optimisation; Data assimilation. |
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Graham HughesChair in Environmental Fluid Mechanics, PhDHead of Fluid Mechanics Section Buoyancy-driven flows; Stratified turbulence and mixing; Convection; Turbulent plumes and jets; Flow energetics. |
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Ioannis KarmpadakisLecturer in Coastal Engineering, PhDCoastal engineering, wave heights, crest heights, wave breaking, coastal structures, nonlinear waves, shallow water depths, statistics Email Ioannis |
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Li MaLecturer in Fluid-Structure Interaction, PhD, DIC, MEng, ACGIFluid-structure interaction; Renewable energy systems; Extreme waves; Load statistics; Reliability; Hydrodynamic impacts; Wave-in-deck; Convective flows Email Li |
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Costanza RoddaLecturer in Fluid Mechanics, PhDGeophysical fluid mechanics, wave-vortex interactions, turbulence, buoyancy-driven flows, building ventilation, laboratory experiments, data-driven modelling |
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Daniel Valero HuertaSenior Lecturer, PhDHydraulic engineering; Hydraulic infrastructure; River flows; Multiphase flows; Plastic in rivers; Air-water flows; Sediment-laden flows |
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Maarten van ReeuwijkProfessor of Urban Fluid Mechanics, BSc MSc PhDBuoyancy driven flows; Atmospheric and oceanic turbulence; Sustainable cities; Flow and dispersion in urban canopies; Heat and mass transfer; Direct Numerical Simulation; Large-eddy simulation. |
| Fluid Mechanics Academics A-Z | |
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Want to see more of our lab?
Contact Fluid Mechanics
Fluid Mechanics
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Skempton Building
Imperial College London
South Kensington Campus
London, SW7 2AZ
Telephone:
+44 (0)20 7594 5990
Email: r.naessens@imperial.ac.uk
Alternatively view our people lists
We are located in the Skempton Building (building number 27 on the South Kensington Campus Map). How to find us