The FloWave TT ocean energy research facility is designed to test physical scale models of marine renewable energy devices, in a combined wave and current environment.

The facility is located at The University of Edinburgh, King's Buildings campus, on Max Born Crescent. It comprises a 25-metre (82 ft) diameter circular tank, with 168 active-absorbing wave makers around the circumference, and 28 pumps arranged beneath the raisable floor. These allow the creation of multi-directional random waves with current in any direction across the 15-metre (49 ft) diameter, 2-metre (6.6 ft) deep test area.[1][2] The facility is optimised for approximately 1/10th to 1/40th scale model tests, with scale waves approximately 14-metre (46 ft) high and with a current of 7 knots.

Construction of the facility started late in 2010, and was completed in autumn 2013. The opening was on 5 June 2014,[3] with the Energy Minister Amber Rudd officially opening the facility on 6 August 2014.[4]

FloWave TT is a wholly owned subsidiary of the university, and the £10M construction cost of the facility was primarily funded by Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).[5]

Key clients

A number of developers have publicised that they have completed testing of their devices at FloWave, including:

  • Albatern - WaveNET[6]
  • QED Naval - SubHub[7]

Five of eight projects from the Wave Energy Scotland Novel Wave Energy Converter Call were tested at FloWave, with the others being tested in the towing tank at University of Strathclyde.[8][9]

  • Quoceant - Ectacti-hull[10]
  • Joules Energy
  • Mocean Energy
  • Albatern - WaveNET Series 12
  • AWS Ocean Energy - Advanced Archimedes Waveswing
  • The Slow Mo Guys

References

  1. ↑ "The Facility". FloWaveTT. Archived from the original on 25 August 2014. Retrieved 7 June 2014.
  2. ↑ Davey, T; Brown, S; Bryden, I; Ingram, D; Robinson, A; Wallace, R (2013). "The All-Waters Test Facility – The Role of a New Facility in Physical Modelling for Marine and Coastal Engineering" (PDF). ICE Breakwaters. Retrieved 24 April 2014.
  3. ↑ Morgan, James (5 June 2014). "Spectacular wave tank opens in Edinburgh". BBC News. Retrieved 7 June 2014.
  4. ↑ Murray, James (6 August 2014). "FloWave marine energy research centre officially opens for business". Business Green. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
  5. ↑ "Unique EPSRC-funded test facility will help technology go with the flow". EPSRC. 22 May 2012. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
  6. ↑ "WaveNET Tank Testing :: FloWaveTT 2014". YouTube. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
  7. ↑ "PROJECTS Subhub Tidal Foundation Platform". Retrieved 19 November 2014.
  8. ↑ Hodges, Jonathan (2 December 2016). "WES 1st Annual Conference - Main Presentation - 2nd Dec 2016". ResearchGate.
  9. ↑ Hodges, Jonathan (2 December 2016). "WES 1st Annual Conference - Participant 3-min Pitches - 2nd Dec 2016". ResearchGate.
  10. ↑ Quoceant (1 August 2016), Quoceant Ectacti-Hull Tank Testing Time-Lapse - FloWave, July 2016, retrieved 29 December 2016

55°55′19″N 3°10′43″W / 55.9220°N 3.1786°W / 55.9220; -3.1786

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