Lir consists of state of the art wave tanks and electrical rigs that allow for scaled testing in a controlled environment.

The state of the art facilities comprise a 2,600 m2 tank hall which houses 4 different wave tanks. These include a new  deep ocean wave basin (circa 1:15 scale testing) and capable of producing waves of up to 1.2 metres high, an ocean wave basin (circa 1:50 scale testing), a wave and current  flume with coastal/tidal testing capabilities  (circa 1:50 scale testing) and a wave demonstration  flume.

Lir has mechanical and electrical workshops and offers a range of electrical and energy storage test infrastructure including a smart-grid and a series of linear and rotary rigs used to emulate linear and rotary actuation to investigate power take-off methods, control laws, electrical generation, and grid-integration of this power.

Lir primarily underpins the Marine Renewable and Coastal Engineering sectors supporting both R&D and commercial activities. It provides an ideal testing environment throughout the early stages of device development (TRL 1-4)

OCEAN BASIN – 25M X 18M X 1M DEEP

Used for testing a variety of marine structures (wave energy convertors, floating wind platforms, coastal structures, oil & gas platforms). It has capacity for adding a 2.5m deep section and it can produce real and simulated sea states. The wave generation peaks at Hs = 0.16m, Tp = 1.4s and Hmax = 0.32m.

DEEP OCEAN BASIN – 35M X 12M X 3M DEEP

It has a movable floor plate to allow the water depth be adjusted, making it suitable for circa. 1/15 scale operational conditions and 1/50 scale survival waves. Equipped with 16 hinged force feedback paddles capable of a peak wave generation condition of Hs = 0.6m, Tp = 2.7s and Hmax = 1.1m.

WAVE AND CURRENT FLUME – 28M X 3M X 1M DEEP

A multi-purpose facility with the capability of running separate and combined unidirectional wave and current tests. It has 8 hinged force feedback paddles with adjustable height positioning and three thrusters for generating current speeds of greater than 1m/s. The wave generation peaks at Hs = 0.16m, Tp = 1.5s and Hmax = 0.35m. It is fitted with a towing carriage that can operate at speeds up to 1.5m/s.

WAVE WATCH FLUME – 15M X 0.75M X 1M DEEP

A glass sided flume with a single wave flap for wave generation. Used to provide students with an introduction to tank testing as well as device concept development and stability testing of coastal structures.

ELECTRICAL INFRASTRUCTURE

Lir has experience in building and testing electrical systems for sea trials and  operate a range of electrical and energy storage test infrastructure including a medium speed rotary emulator (Conn), a high speed rotary emulator rig (Aodh), a linear PTO test rig (Fiachra), a rotary PTO test rig (Fionnuala) and a microgrid.

Services:

Services currently offered by Lir to third-party developers include access to the tank hall for device testing together with a range of the following services:

• Device testing
• Component testing (linear and rotary rigs and a micro-grid)
• Hydrodynamic Performance in a range of conditions
• Power take-off performance
• Site specific wave generation
• Naval architecture in terms of motions, weight distribution, balance and stability
• Mooring, influence and loading
• Validation of numerical models
• Data acquisition and analysis through bespoke software
• Power matrix production

During the testing process, support will be offered by highly-skilled personnel, including the following services:

• Mechanical and electrical technical support to assist in setting up projects and instrumentation
• Tank operation support by experienced Lir personnel, including guidance on testing schedule optimisation
• Desk space and internet access
• Assistance on logistical issues, including local accommodation and transport