The Department of Naval Architecture, Ocean & Marine Engineering at University of Strathclyde has always been a leading research institution in the area of naval architecture, offshore hydrodynamics and marine structures.
The major driver of the Ocean Energy Research Unit research is the design, analysis and safety of energy efficient and environmentally friendly ships and other offshore structures for ocean energy resource exploration, with a view to how we can improve our understanding of various flow phenomena that govern complex behaviours of ships/offshore structures, the fluid-structure interaction, and recent development in offshore renewable energy systems. These aspects are addressed using a diverse range of theoretical, experimental and numerical approaches.
The work of the research group encompasses hydrodynamics, structures and materials and their integration for the design, production and operation of merchant and naval ships, supporting vessels, offshore and subsea structures, wind/wave/tidal renewable energy devices, underwater vehicles and submersibles, and risk and reliability of complex ocean energy production system. We work closely with our colleagues in the faculty to ensure the inclusion of environmental, economic, social and safety-related factors, and in recent years the group has been active both in carrying out research to internationally recognised standards and in facilitating the translation of this research to industry.
Research topics
Our academics work on a wide range of applications, always driven by environmental sustainability. Research topics include, but are not limited to:
- experimental hydrodynamics
- fluid–structure interactions
- marine computational fluid dynamics
- ship stability and safety
- structural integrity management
- fatigue and fracture of marine structures
- offshore renewable energy devices
- survey of offshore wind farms
- marine risers, pipelines and mooring systems
- subsea asset integrity management
- offshore/subsea infrastructure corrosion
- structural health monitoring and data collection and processing
- offshore decommissioning
- offshore renewable energy system
- Arctic operations and ice mechanics
List of academics
The research unity hosts world-leading academic staff and researchers who are internationally recognised with a track record in their fields.
- Professor Erkan Oterkus (Research Unit Director)
- Professor Feargal Brennan
- Professor Maurizio Collu
- Professor Selda Oterkus
- Professor Julia Race
- Professor Longbin Tao
- Professor Qing Xiao
- Dr Zhiming Yuan
- Dr Laibing Jia
- Professor Atilla Incecik
- Dr Saishuai Dai
- Dr Saeid Lotfian
Key Collaborators
- Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)
- Natural Environment Research Council
- The Royal Society of Edinburgh
- Innovate UK
- The Carbon Trust
- European Commission