75th Anniversary |
HR Wallingford – 75 years of model work
As proved by this edition of IWP&DC, a lot can happen in 75 years. It certainly has at HR Wallingford, which celebrated its 75th anniversary last year. Craig Goff, who leads the dams and reservoirs team there, takes us on a journey to see how life at the consultancy has changed, and shares his favourite moments
IN 1947, THE UK GOVERNMENT set up the Hydraulics Research Organisation, following a request by the Institution of Civil Engineers. This was partly to harness the expertise of engineers returning from the recently disbanded empire in order to ensure that the UK was at the forefront of hydraulic research. Initially the organisation was housed in cramped,
Above: A model of Victoria Dam in the HR Wallingford labs in 1979
Below: Archive pic of LLyn Brianne spillway in the HR Wallingford labs 3336-9
temporary accommodation at the National Physical Laboratory in Teddington while a new research station was built on a 70-acre manor house estate just outside Wallingford in Oxfordshire. In 1951, the organisation moved to its new home in the grounds of what has now become Howbery Business Park. Using a combination of wave basins, hydraulic flumes, curiosity, and scientific rigour, the scientists and engineers painstakingly developed methods for understanding waves, sediments and flood flows. Even in those early days, around three quarters of the work carried out at the Hydraulics Research Organisation included applied research into the: Turbulence below spillways; falls and sluices. Prevention and reduction of flooding. Improvement of shipping channels in ports and estuaries.
Damping of waves. Control or slowing of wave erosion.
This work was carried out for government departments, dam owners, river boards, port authorities, local authorities, and consulting engineers. The organisation also undertook work for members of
the Commonwealth and other countries around the world, a notable example being the physical modelling of Victoria Dam spillway in Sri Lanka in 1979. The application of computer power proved a significant development when, in 1969, mainframe computers were introduced. These could be employed to process data collected from field surveys and models, and used to undertake small computations. The ability to process data facilitated the development of numerical models, starting the transformation of the organisation into its current shape.
One of the company’s longest running barrage studies has been on the Thames Barrier. Starting in 1968, we undertook studies to predict how the construction and operation of a barrier at different sites would affect river levels, tidal currents, and siltation in the Thames. Alongside other computational and physical modelling, monitoring, and laboratory studies to refine the barrier plan in the 1970s, the data enabled the barrier to become operational in 1984. In 1982, the organisation was privatised, becoming a ‘not-for-profit company limited by guarantee’, and renamed as the Hydraulics Research Station Limited. In 1991, it changed its name to HR Wallingford Limited. Our structure means that, although we are not controlled by the government, we have no shareholders and that all our profits are reinvested into research. The result is that we are able to fully commit to our purpose of helping people to live and work sustainably with water, rather than maximising financial return for shareholders. Instead of shareholders we have company members, made up of eminent organisations such as the Institution of Civil Engineers, Environment Agency, Canal & River Trust, and the Dredging Association. These partners help steer our research work to the areas where they provide the most impact. It’s an unusual model but it seems to work well. From those early days of fluvial/coastal sediment
movements and hydraulic flows, we have expanded into dam breaching modelling, ship movement simulation, hydraulic equipment design and manufacture, pipeline design, reservoir risk assessment methodologies, as well as many other related fields.
Our facilities now include the Froude Modelling Hall, one of the largest physical modelling facilities in the world, and the UK Ship Simulation Centre. We also have labs and ship simulators across the world, as well as nine international satellite offices.
52 | May 2024 |
www.waterpowermagazine.com
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