Fast Flow Facility turns one

One year on from the official opening of their Fast Flow Facility, engineers and scientists at HR Wallingford are celebrating a first year in business.

The Fast Flow Facility was officially opened on October 30, 2014, comprising a 75 m long and 8 m wide flume holding a million litres of water that can generate waves up to 1 m high and flows of over 2.6 m/s.

It is designed to simulate the interaction of waves, currents and sediments at large scale.

According to HR Wallingford, the Fast Flow Facility, located in Wallingford, Oxfordshire, UK, has been in continuous use for both commercial and research projects on offshore wind and tidal energy over the past 12 months.

Commercial projects have included work for Norfolk Marine and MeyGen on offshore wind and tidal energy developments in UK waters, and for Danish energy provider, DONG Energy, on an offshore wind development planned for European waters.

Research for MeyGen and the Carbon Trust investigated the impact of combined strong tidal currents and large waves on turbine foundation stability and the stability of seabed cables.

Richard Whitehouse, the leader of the team responsible for the Fast Flow Facility, said: “Our goal was to develop a state-of-the art facility to help us investigate the complex interactions faced by developments in the marine environment, and we have delivered on this promise.”

HR Wallingford is a UK-based independent engineering and environmental hydraulics organisation.

Check out the infographic summarizing the past year in Fast Flow Facility.

Image/Infographic: HR Wallingford