During the H-HOPE consortium meeting held in September, project partners visited and explored a newly completed hydraulic piping test rig developed to investigate vortex-induced vibrations (VIV) as a potential clean energy source for future sensor technologies.
The visit provided consortium members with a first-hand view of the system’s capabilities and highlighted recent progress in translating VIV research into practical and testable engineering solutions. The test rig has been specifically designed to support experimental research on how flowing water interacts with structures and how the resulting vibrations can be harnessed for energy generation.
Designed, built, and commissioned over a period of approximately ten months, the hydraulic test rig offers a controlled experimental environment for studying fluid–structure interactions. A transparent test section allows direct visual observation of vortex-induced vibration phenomena, while an integrated data acquisition system delivers real-time measurements of flow conditions and structural vibration behaviour.
Initial testing conducted ahead of the consortium visit confirmed the stability and repeatability of the system, demonstrating its suitability for evaluating new VIV-based energy-harvesting concepts. These early results indicate stable flow conditions and clearly measurable vibration responses, providing a solid foundation for future experimental work.
With commissioning and validation now complete, the project team is preparing to test the first energy-harvesting prototype, known as PPOP2. This next phase represents an important transition from design and numerical modelling to experimental validation within the H-HOPE project.
