WORLD-LEADING FACILITIES
Led by:
WELCOME TO THE FLOOD INNOVATION CENTRE
Located in the Humber, the second most flood-prone region in the UK, the Flood Innovation Centre brings together a range of cutting-edge facilities to enable our clients to innovate products, processes and services in the flood resilience market.
Based in the University of Hull’s Energy and Environment Institute, we have facilities available to help your business to develop ideas that can help to combat the challenges of rising water levels. Through our partnerships with the Aura Innovation Centre and The Deep, our capabilities and facilities are comprehensive.
From initial discussions and working in collaboration with our Technology Research Managers, our customers can work with the University’s academic researchers and gain access to a suite of equipment to provide new solutions to flood-related issues.
Although the Flood Innovation Centre is no longer able to accept new applications for ERDF funded support, we are able to direct your enquiry to a relevant department within the University of Hull. So, whether you need access to immersion tanks, Virtual Reality equipment or you simply need to access lab space – we can help.
WATER-BASED TESTING FACILITIES
If you need to test your ideas in a simulated flood environment, we have a wide variety of equipment to enable you to do so.
All of our water-based testing facilities aim to increase your understanding of the performance of your flood resilience ideas, whatever their size and complexity. These facilities range from immersion tanks, through a tilting and recirculating flow, sediment and wave flume, to the state-of-the-art Total Environment Simulator housed at The Deep in Hull. We have the capabilities to conduct small-scale immersion and jet and wave impact testing, swift current and sediment interaction testing and large-scale rainfall, sediment, flow and wave interaction testing.
Monitoring capabilities rely upon cutting-edge 3D imaging technology, enabling combined water velocity and pressure monitoring and immersed object motion, stress and strain analysis.
With high-speed 2D visualisation and supported by bespoke processing and simulation software and the Viper high-performance computing cluster at the University of Hull, we can provide comprehensive testing scenarios and high-resolution analysis of the performance of a vast range of flood resilience technologies.
CUTTING-EDGE WATER-BASED TESTING EQUIPMENT
You’ll have the opportunity to work with experts to drive your innovations forward and test products in real-life scenarios with equipment that includes:
- Current and wave flumes
- Immersion tanks
- Portable 3D Accelerometers
- 3D Particle Image Velocimetry System and high-speed camera
- 3D high speed stress and strain monitoring system
- Bespoke Flood Modelling Suite
- University of Hull’s Viper High Performance Computing cluster
TEST YOUR PRODUCT IN A CONTROLLED LAB-BASED ENVIRONMENT
Here at the Flood Innovation Centre, we know that product testing and development is a rigorous and intense process. Some circumstances call for multiple methods and different environments. Not only do we have water-based testing facilities, but we also have access to laboratory space to test and develop your innovation under different weather conditions and with specialist equipment.
The Flood Innovation Centre has laboratory space at the Aura Innovation Centre, where we house our printed circuit board prototyping suite of equipment. We can rapidly produce laser-printed electronic circuit board prototypes, from CAD design to fully structured, electroplated and assembled boards ready for testing.
In addition, the Aura Innovation Centre houses resources and equipment for 3D printing of polymers and metals, a full suite of chemical analysis, fibreglass fabrication and a well-equipped fabrication workshop.
Your business will have the opportunity to work with our Technology Research Managers to develop a programme of support specifically designed for your innovation.
STATE-OF-THE-ART LAB-BASED EQUIPMENT
Our range of lab-based testing equipment and facilities give you the capability to fine-tune your innovation and develop your idea. Our facilities will give you access to:
- Computer Aided Design (CAD)
- Circuit Board Design
- Multi-layer Rapid Printed Circuit Board Laser Prototyping
- Suite of 3D Printers – including metal and polymer printing
- Fibreglass Fabrication
- Flexible Workshop Space
- Chemical Analysis Equipment (spectrometry, rheometry, chromatography, gravimetric calorimetry, electron microscopy, optical microscopy, materials analysis, reformulation)
