Readers letters
I read with considerable interest the articles in the July 2011 edition of Professional Engineering relating to renewable energy in general and the Cavitation Tunnel at Rolls Royce’s Hydrodynamic Research Centre in Sweden in particular.
Of course we should not forget that a considerable number of marine technology facilities exist in the UK, not least at Newcastle University.
For example, we have one of the last, if not the last fully operational Cavitation Tunnel, which continues to be actively used in high level research, both academic and commercial, both in areas of propulsion and renewables. Indeed, this tunnel is widely regarded as a living legend by the Cavitation Tunnel Community.
In addition, we have a unique Wind Wave Current Tank, currently the only one of its type in Europe, which is able to simulate the three sea-states of wind, waves and currents simultaneously, and is widely used in renewable energy research and development, in particular by clients seeking to test the merits of particular concepts (wind, waves and tidal currents), with or without academic support, at a relatively low financial risk in comparison to larger scale or full size prototyping.
These key facilities are effectively complemented by a towing tank, a flow cell used in the assessment of anti fouling coatings, and engine laboratory and a brand new research vessel, due to be launched next month. The research vessel also provides a link to our Marine Science area of activity, allowing us to cover both the technology aspects and environmental impact of offshore installations.
As is the case for a significant number of university facilities across the UK, this concentration of complementary facilities in the field of marine/ offshore/ renewables, plus specialist expertise and support, is available for industry to make use of.
It may be worth considering a future article on what is available for UK industry to tap into.
Peter Bowes, Newcastle upon Tyne
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