The associated Hydraulic Engineering Laboratory with the research group is a fundamental support in the teaching and researching tasks in the European Higher Education Area, which covers the following qualifications: Degree, Master and Civil Engineering PhD.
The main activity of the group and the Hydraulic Engineering Laboratory is the study of hydraulic structures in reduced physical models, fluvial hydraulics, corrections and recovery of river systems, flood control, urban hydrology and hydraulics, calibration of large diameter water meters, hydrological and hydraulic mathematical modeling and algorithm development of automatic control in hydraulic systems.
The main research lines that the group currently develop are:
- Fundamental hydraulic: characterization of turbulent flows.
- Safety of water infrastructure: Hydrodynamic actions by effect of the spill of water and overflow dams.
- Analysis of burst conventional dams and reservoir mining.
- Effect of climate change on floods and their impact on regulation infrastructures and evacuation floods.
- Hydrologic modeling in semi-arid regions and design of intake systems in ephemeral rivers.
- Renewable Energies. Pumped-storage Hydropower plants for integrating wind power fluctuations.
- Energy efficiency in industry, power plants and hydraulic installations. Wind resources assessment and power curve studies (IEC 61400-12-1/2)
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The group use the principal simulation and optimization numerical models both public domain, commercial and self development by group members in order to carry out hydrological and hydraulic studies.
The laboratory forms part of the "Spain Hydraulics Laboratories Net", which has been formed with the objectives of generating a forum for the Hydraulic Engineering among the main research centers in Spain into the National Program of Networks (plan of R+D+i 2008-2011)..
The Hydraulics Laboratory of the Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena (Spain) has an infrastructure designed specifically for the study of turbulent jets and their diffusion in the energy dissipation basin. To improve the knowledge of the phenomenon of this structures type, aeration rates, velocities and pressures in different sections of the stilling basin are being measured.
Also, in order to improve the knowledge of the intake system structures, an model has been built in the Hydraulics Laboratory. This will serve us to analyze different configuration of bars (shape, spacing, tilt) and the effect of different sediment concentrations flowing over a intake system.
The current equipment available to analyze the hydraulic variables is as follows: Flow meters, precision limnimeters, instantaneous pressure piezoresistive transducers, PIV, ADV, two-phases optical fiber equipment, hot film anemometer, photographic equipment, video and high-speed camera.
