The University of Edinburgh and commercial partner Babcock International will build a £2.4 million engineering research facility in Scotland, known as Fastblade, to speed development of materials and structures for tidal energy, transport, etc. Fastblade will be first facility in the world designed to carry out large-scale accelerated testing of tidal blades.

Fastblade will help fulfil the University’s commitments as part of the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal, which includes targets to help improve digital skills across the whole of the region. The facility has received £1.4 million from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and £1 million from the University of Edinburgh, according to a press release from University of Edinburgh. Babcock is the principal designer and host of the facility.

Fastblade’s first clients will include tidal stream developers.

Testing will use complex forces that simulate real environments, limiting the risks for product developers. Engineering researchers will use an efficient hydraulic technology – developed by University spin-off company Artemis Intelligent Power – which enables structures to be tested significantly faster and using less energy compared with existing technologies. The system will recover energy between load cycles, reducing the cost of testing.

Tidal blades made of composite materials need to be designed to withstand high fatigue loads in harsh ocean conditions for up to 20 years. Pioneering measurement systems will enable developers to learn from test datasets to understand damage accumulation and optimise blade structures through data-driven design.

“This collaboration is an opportunity to develop a world-class engineering facility to accelerate and support the development of new efficient technologies, and will be a great benefit to the tidal energy sector,” said professor Conchúr Ó Brádaigh, head of school of engineering of the University of Edinburgh.

“For us, this really is a great industrial partnership. Our engineers working alongside the University’s renowned academics has shown what the art of the possible is, in engineering and in working together. Whilst we are still at the early stages of development, I know we are creating something that isn’t just a great opportunity for us, it will have real benefit for all the companies using the facility in years to come,” said Neil Young, technology director, Babcock. (PC)