Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) Unveils Advanced Maritime Research Facility

Key facts

• The Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) launched an advanced maritime research facility to strengthen indigenous ship design, ocean engineering research, and hydrodynamic testing.
• The facility was established with ₹4.5 crore in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funding from Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL), a defence public sector undertaking under the Ministry of Defence.
• The Circulating Water Tunnel Facility is located at the 'Discovery' satellite campus of IIT Madras in Thaiyur, near Chennai.
• The fully operational hybrid wind and circulating water channel facility provides a stable, uniform-flow test section for investigating ship models, propellers, bluff bodies, and underwater structures.
• IIT Madras and MDL are exploring future initiatives, including the HYDRA Centre with a 500-metre towing tank and research on thermoelectric subzero refrigeration systems for naval submarines and small vessels.