Various projects are related to vertical hydraulic and airlift conveying as well as the development of harvesting devices. For these experiments a 12 m high pipe loop with various velocity and density measuring systems has been installed. In the field of pollution abatement procedures, equipment and systems for offshore oil skimming and the fighting of chemical pollution are developed and investigated. Research activities in Ship Hydrodynamics are concentrating on cavitation phenomena as experienced in propulsion systems for high speed craft. The cavitation behaviour of hydrofoils, rudders or other underwater appendices is also of interest.
Special attention is paid to the performance of partially submerged propellers.
If compared with fully cavitating propellers, they do not suffer from cavitation erosion and can be installed without causing the usual appendage drag originating from inclined shafts and brackets. In the design one has to look for an acceptable compromise between efficiency and number of blades. The latter has to be large from the point of view of propeller excited vibration. Prediction of cavitation erosion from model tests is of importance and can be verified by means of soft surface techniques. These techniques are promising tools for erosion prediction, both with regard to extent and intensity, after short test duration.