Coastal, ocean and sediment transport laboratory - COAST LAB
The Coastal, Ocean, and Sediment Transport (COAST) laboratory specialises in physical model testing, integrating waves, currents, and wind at scales suitable for device testing, array assessments, environmental modeling, and coastal engineering.
Located in the Marine Building at the University of Plymouth, this versatile facility can generate short- and long-crested waves alongside currents from any relative direction, enabling detailed studies of sediment dynamics, tidal effects, and wind interactions. It is equipped with an extensive array of instrumentation, along with advanced data acquisition hardware and software. A dedicated team of engineers ensures the maintenance and operation of this specialised equipment, supporting high-precision research and testing.
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Floating Offshore Wind Turbine Testing (FOWTT) facility
The EPSRC-funded UK Floating Offshore Wind Turbine Test facility, housed within the COAST Lab’s Ocean Basin, is the first of its kind in the UK. It enables physical modeling experiments that integrate wind, wave, and current interactions simultaneously. The data gathered from these experiments will enhance researchers’ understanding of how future offshore wind technology will perform in real ocean conditions.
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Ocean Basin
The Ocean Basin is a cutting-edge facility capable of generating waves and currents at any relative orientation while operating at varying water depths. It enables the creation of unidirectional and directional wave fields, regular waves, wave spectra, and three-dimensional currents—positioning it as a leading hub for testing marine renewable energy arrays.
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Coastal Basin
The Coastal Basin provides a controlled environment for studying sediment transport and coastal structures at scale.
Measuring 15.5 meters in length and 10 meters in width, it operates at a maximum depth of 0.5 meters, enabling precise modelling and analysis.
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Flumes
The COAST Lab features two wave and current flumes: a 35-meter flume and a 20-meter flume with the ability to tilt.
Its integrated current circulation system facilitates research on both tidal energy and wave energy technologies. The facility’s advanced current circulation technology ensures smooth current modeling without disrupting wave signals, allowing precise study of wave-current interactions and wave-current-device dynamics.