National Distributed Water Infrastructure Facility
University of SheffieldSheffield
The National Distributed Water Infrastructure Facility at the University of Sheffield’s ICAIR supports experimental research into potable-water, sewer and drainage assets and their surrounding soil and water. Its working tank, hydraulic systems and actuators allow controlled asset, flow and loading studies. Contact Simon Tait at s.tait@sheffield.ac.uk to discuss the experiment and arrangements. This is a research facility within UKCRIC, which states that it is not a lab service provider or an accredited analysis service.
Reviewed by Arc · About this review
Key facts
- Research facility and host
- ICAIR, the Integrated Civil and Infrastructure Research Centre at the University of Sheffield, hosts NDWIF. UKCRIC lists access for research partners and industry at various technology readiness levels.
- Working tank
- ICAIR states a 38 m working length, 6 m width and 5 m depth. Soil or sand arrangements and watertight partitions can be configured by technical staff for the proposed experiment.
- Current enquiry and address
- The owner directs NDWIF enquiries to Simon Tait at s.tait@sheffield.ac.uk. ICAIR’s address is Sheffield Business Park, Europa Avenue, Sheffield, S9 1ZA. Its separate satnav instruction uses S9 1XZ.
- Research-access qualification
- UKCRIC asks for early project discussion and gives EPSRC-funded proposals priority. It explicitly states that it is not a lab service provider or an accredited analysis service.
Testing capabilities
Buried water assets and surrounding environments
Study potable-water, sewer and drainage assets under complex loading, including their interaction with soil, groundwater, pipe flows and surface flows. The tank can be configured with specified sand or soil, with the experimental layout arranged by technical staff.
Water distribution and hydraulic transients
Pressurised pumping stations can connect to buried pipe sections under constant or variable hydraulic conditions. Modular HDPE pipe coils can extend or complicate the network. Fast valves and high-speed pressure and flow logging support transient studies, with the required duty and configuration to agree.
Drainage and wastewater experiments
Computer-controlled constant-head systems can represent groundwater, pipe and surface flows in the tank, with steady or varying inputs. A combined-sewer pumping connection can introduce raw wastewater into piped systems. Confirm experiment handling and the available flow configuration directly.
Sensing, inspection and rehabilitation research
The network profile describes development and field-style testing of sensing, inspection, repair and rehabilitation systems for surface and underground water infrastructure. ICAIR lists access to flow-imaging, anemometry and digital image correlation equipment with training and technical support. This does not establish an accredited inspection or analysis service.
Equipment and published limits
| Specification | Published value | Conditions |
|---|---|---|
| Working tank and split-cell arrangement | 38 m long by 6 m wide by 5 m deep | These are ICAIR’s explicit working dimensions. Its split-cell description gives two 38 m long, 3 m wide and 5 m deep cells. Confirm usable dimensions after soil fill, partitions and asset installation. No width or volume is inferred from UKCRIC’s separate overall cell line. |
| Constant-head flow systems | Two systems, each up to 100 L/s. Linked operation up to 200 L/s | ICAIR describes computer-controlled steady or varying flows and up to four independent inputs. The 200 L/s figure applies to the linked systems and is not a guarantee for every input or pressure duty. |
| Pressurised pumping stations and modular pipe coils | Two stations, each with published maxima of 55 m head and 14 L/s. Four 100 m HDPE coils with 100 mm internal diameter | These pumping stations are separate from the constant-head flow systems. The source does not establish simultaneous maximum head and flow or a combined pump duty. The modular coils are network equipment, not a universal accepted pipe size or straight tank length. |
| Pressure transient shocks | Up to 10 bar | This is the transient-shock figure on UKCRIC’s profile. It is not a stated steady operating pressure or a guarantee for every pipe and pumping configuration. Agree pressure history and safety arrangements for the proposed experiment. |
| Point and distributed loading | ICAIR point loads up to 250 kN. UKCRIC distributed cyclic loads up to 10 kN/m² | ICAIR describes multiple steady and low-frequency point loads from computer-controlled actuators. UKCRIC separately reports distributed cyclic loading. These are different load descriptions, with no summed, simultaneous or universal loading envelope established. |
| Raw wastewater supply | Up to 10 L/s | ICAIR describes raw wastewater from a pumping station in the city’s combined sewer network introduced into piped systems in the tank. Confirm the experiment’s supply, handling and disposal requirements. |
| Pressure and flow logging | Up to 10 kHz | This is ICAIR’s stated high-speed logging rate, with automatic fast-valve control also available. It does not establish a universal sensor accuracy or the rate available for every measurement channel. |
Access and contact
Contact Simon Tait at s.tait@sheffield.ac.uk using ICAIR’s facility-specific route, and describe the water assets, soil or sand, hydraulic duty, loading history and measurements needed. The current owner invites research collaboration and facility-use enquiries and offers academic, technical and organisational support. UKCRIC also accepts early project enquiries at hello@ukcric.com, discusses visits and intellectual property, and gives EPSRC-funded proposals priority. Use S9 1ZA for the postal address and the separately labelled S9 1XZ satnav instruction.
Facility contact
- Address
- Sheffield Business Park, Europa Avenue
Sheffield, S9 1ZA - Website
- Official test house website
Standards and accreditation
Public information not available. Contact test facility provider for more information.
What to confirm with the facility
- UKCRIC explicitly states that it is not a lab service provider or an accredited analysis service. No method-specific testing standard or accredited scope was verified in the current bounded sources. Confirm any required protocol, acceptance criteria and reporting for the research project.
- The UKCRIC profile describes a 45 m overall cell and repeats a depth dimension in that line. ICAIR separately publishes the tank’s 38 m by 6 m by 5 m working dimensions. No missing overall width or usable volume is inferred, and soil fill, partitions and the installed assets can affect the experiment space.
- Constant-head flow, pressurised pump maxima, transient shocks, point loads and distributed loading describe different systems or duties. They are not a combined simultaneous operating envelope. Confirm the required flow, pressure, frequency, load application and measurement configuration directly.
- The owner lists access to measurement equipment and support. Other ICAIR laboratories and wider university analytical equipment are not treated as installed NDWIF assets or as evidence of accredited testing.
- Confirm project access, materials and preparation, installation responsibilities, handling of wastewater, programme, costs, data ownership and report format directly.
Before requesting a test
Public information not available. Contact test facility provider for more information.
Frequently asked questions
Public information not available. Contact test facility provider for more information.
Related testing facilities
Public information not available. Contact test facility provider for more information.
Further reading
Public information not available. Contact test facility provider for more information.
Sources and review
Reviewed by Arc on 1 October 2026 using fresh official ICAIR facility, contact and host pages and UKCRIC’s profile and access page. No publication or modification date for these exact pages was verified. The network’s October 2021 Facilities Showcase date applies to event materials, not page publication. The current owner’s Simon Tait route is primary, with the network’s Steve Thornton listing recorded separately. Working tank dimensions and different hydraulic and loading ratings remain qualified, and no accredited routine testing service is inferred.
Arc publishes this directory entry and does not operate the test facility. Suggest a correction to Arc with a supporting source.
UKCRIC National Laboratory for Distributed Water Infrastructure
ICAIR publishes the working tank dimensions, constant-head and pressurised pumping systems, point loading, wastewater supply, logging and measurement support. Limits are specific to the named systems and configurations, with simultaneous duty and experiment suitability to confirm.
The contact page names Simon Tait and s.tait@sheffield.ac.uk specifically for NDWIF. S9 1ZA is the postal postcode, while S9 1XZ is labelled for satnav. The guide uses the owner route ahead of the UKCRIC profile’s separate Steve Thornton listing.
ICAIR identifies itself as the University of Sheffield research centre hosting NDWIF and repeats the Simon Tait enquiry route. The wider centre’s structural laboratories and central-campus equipment are not added to this facility’s capability.
National Distributed Water Infrastructure Facility
The profile describes water-asset research and lists transient shocks and distributed cyclic loading. Its overall cell line repeats a depth dimension, so no width is inferred. ICAIR’s explicit working dimensions are used separately. The profile’s Steve Thornton contact is secondary to the current owner route.
UKCRIC facilities and research access
UKCRIC describes early project enquiries, intellectual-property discussion and EPSRC priority, and explicitly states that it is not a lab service provider or an accredited analysis service. October 2021 refers to its linked Facilities Showcase materials, not this page’s publication date.