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 |
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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
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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. |
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Fluid Mechanics Academics A-Z |
Download our Departmental Research Brochure
Photo | Details |
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Barnaby DobsonImperial College Research Fellow, PhDKeywords: Water resources modelling; Optimization; Uncertainty and systems analysis; Project: Integrated urban water cycle modelling for London (as part of the Camellia project) Email Barnaby |
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Alice HandyResearch Associate, PhDKeywords: Urban fluid mechanics, building ventilation and pollutant dispersion Project: SAMHE investigating indoor air quality in schools Email Alice |
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Jingzi HuangResearch AssistantKeywords: large eddy simulations, urban fluid mechanics, transport.
Email JingziProject: Effect of urban heterogeneity on atmospheric flow. |
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Dipanjan MajumdarResearch AssociateTurbulence at the Exascale: Application to Wind Energy, Green Aviation, Air Quality and Net-zero Combustion Email Dipanjan |
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Paul MannixResearch AssociateProject: Prediction and control of stratifications using probabilistic methods (as part of [D*]stratify) Keywords: Probabilistic methods, Adjoint optimisation, Hydrodynamic stability, Optimisation Email Paul |
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Kat RobertsResearch Associate, PhDSchools' air quality monitoring for health and education Email Kat |
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Samuel WoodResearch Associate, PhDDeveloping models to better understand the role that building ventilation plays in the spread of Covid-19 Email Sam |
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Fluid Mechanics Research Staff A-Z |
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Umniya Al KhaliliStarted Oct 2022Numerical simulation of waves over coastal bathymetries Supervised by: Christou, M.; Karmpadakis, I. Email Umniya |
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Yusuf AlmalkiStarted Jan 2020Coastal waves / Floating bodies Supervised by: Swan, C.; Karmpadakis, I. Email Yusuf |
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Nada AlsulaimanStarted Feb 2021Numerical modelling of the thermal effluent of power plants in a shallow, semi-enclosed bay Supervised by: Piggot, M; van Reeuwijk, M. Email Nada |
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Vasilis BellosStarted Jan 2020Wave propagation over complex coastal bathymetry Supervised by: Karmpadakis, I.; Swan, C. Email Vasilis |
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Rui CaoStarted Nov 2018Breaking wave energy dissipation, air entrainment and bubble statistics in the absence & presence of wind forcing Supervised by: Callaghan, A; Swan, C. Email Rui |
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Lianzheng CuiStarted Oct 2022Turbulent entrainment in stratified oceanic multiphase flows Supervised by: van Reeuwijk, M.; Hughes, G. Email Lianzheng |
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Lei DaiStarted Oct 2020The effective modelling of hydrodynamic impacts Supervised by: Ma, L.; Swan, C. Email Lei |
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Lizzie EllisonStarted Oct 2018Carbon dioxide sequestration through ocean fertilization and potential for harvest of calcium carbonate from marine organisms As part of the CDT in Sustainable Civil Engineering Supervised by: Mashayek, A; Cheeseman, C.R. Email Lizzie |
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Pu GongStarted May 2018Numerical study of the natural ventilation driven by an occupant’s heat output considering the effect of radiation Supervised by: Hughes, G.; Burridge, H.C Email Pu |
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Steven (Cheong) HuoStarted Oct 2019Development of a probabilistic wave loading model for offshore structural designs Supervised by: Swan, C.; Ma, L.; Karmpadakis, I. Email Steven |
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Canwei JinStarted Jan 2022Peering inside breaking waves Supervised by: Callaghan, A; Craske, J Email Canwei |
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Cleo JongedijkStarted Dec 2017Lagrangian tracking of plastic particles in coastal areas and evaluation of beaching Supervised by: van Reeuwijk, M., Alsina, J. Email Cleo |
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Younmo LeeStarted Apr 2017Wave-structure and wave vessel interactions Supervised by: Swan, C.; Ma, L. Email Younmo |
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Lucy Xinlu MaoStarted Oct 2021The reliability of offshore floating wind farms Supervised by: Swan, C.; Ma, L.; Karmpadakis, I. Email Lucy |
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Sam OwensStarted Oct 2019Towards real-time simulation of urban air quality and microclimate Supervised by: van Reeuwijk, M. Email Sam |
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Xiwu PangStarted Nov 2021Simulating fluid load on offshore wind turbines Supervised by: Christou, M. Email Xiwu |
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Joe PeachStarted Oct 2019Measuring the space and time evolution of the geometric, kinematic and dynamic properties of oceanic breaking waves Supervised by: Callaghan, A; Benetazzo, A; Bidlot, J. Email Joe |
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Nick ReynardStarted Oct 2018As part of the CDT in Sustainable Civil Engineering Supervised by: Mashayek, A; Cheeseman, C.R. Email Nick |
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Rodrigo RibeiroStarted Sep 2020Uncovering the criteria for ship-contrail formation using high fidelity simulations Supervised by: van Reeuwijk, M. Email Rodrigo |
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Chenduo WangStarted Oct 2022Understanding stochastic behavior of passive tracers transport and thermal effects in built environment Supervised by: Craske, J; Hughes, G. Email Chenduo |
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Chris WilsonStarted Oct 2021Quantifying variability of the surface energy balance in heterogeneous vegetated urban areas Supervised by: van Reeuwijk, M. Email Chris |
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William WrightStarted Oct 2023Addressing coastal erosion: Stochastic modelling of shoreline evolution under a changing climate Supervised by: Craske, J; Karmpadakis, I. Email William |
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Fluid Mechanics Research Students A-Z |
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Chris SwanEmeritus Professor of Hydrodynamics, PhD, CEng, MIMarESTSurface water waves; Extreme ocean waves; Wave kinematics; Wave statistics; Wave-structure and wave-vessel interactions; Wave loading; Impact loading; Experimental and numerical modeling. |
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Emeritus and Senior Research Investigators |
Visiting and honorary staff
Name | Details |
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Ben Devenish |
Honorary Visiting Professor Met Office. Turbulence and dispersion (particularly in the atmospheric boundary layer), buoyant plumes, and the dispersion of volcanic ash and cloud formation. |
Shaui Huang |
Visiting Academic National Institute of Natural Hazards, China. Fluid-structure interaction of floating objects, with applications that include the tracking of sea/river ice, the motion of tsunami debris and their impacts on infrastructure and built environments. |
Visiting and Honorary staff |
Photo | Details |
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Dave de RuyterLaboratory Technician, Fluid MechanicsRoom 101b, +44 (0)207 594 5925, Email Dave |
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Andy WilsonLaboratory Technician, Fluid MechanicsRoom 010a, +44 (0)207 594 5938, Email Andy |
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Darren JuppLaboratory Technician, Fluid MechanicsRoom 010a, +44 (0)207 594 5957, Email Darren |
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Rebecca NaessensResearch Group Administrator, Fluid MechanicsRoom 328, +44 ( 0)207 594 5990, Email Rebecca |
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Professional Services Staff |
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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