Professor Simon Tait

My research results in improved measurement and management methodologies to allow urban water infrastructure systems to cope better with pressures caused by climate change, changing patterns of use and physical deterioration.

PROFESSOR SIMON TAIT

Some of Simon’s research focuses on how sediments and pollutants get into water networks and environments; specifically, the processes associated with erosion, transportation and deposition of sediment in river and urban drainage systems. This has evolved to the study of near-bed turbulence and how this interacts with water surfaces waves, offering the potential for the measurement of river and in-pipe turbulence from observations of the water surface.

When sewers fail due to the system filling up or blockages, they can overflow into rivers and urban environments which is biologically damaging and can be detrimental to the aquatic ecology. By working to ensure better management of sewer and drainage networks, Simon aims to prevents this and minimise the resources spent on maintaining sewers and clean-up. He uses lab experiments and surrogate or real sediments as well as numerical modelling to discover how sediments and pollutants move within networks and rivers. By understanding how sediments and networks perform, better decisions can be made to ensure the safety of the urban drainage systems that serve large sections of the population.

Simon is involved in the development of novel inspection techniques to allow the large sewer and drainage networks to be better managed as they face increased pressures from climate change and deterioration. He helped form a spin-out instrumentation company with Professor Kirill Horoshenkov, which uses acoustic-based instruments to search for defects in pipes.

Research Themes

Energy

Hazards

Infrastructure