DURATION: 01.11.2025 to 1.11.2027
BUDGET: 441,000.00 €
FUNDING: 2nd HFRI Call for the procurement of high-value research equipment” (H.F.R.I. Project Number: 18168).
ABOUT HYDRA
HYDRA: A Modular and Customisable Experimental Facility for Developing and Testing Smart Water Technologies is a 2-year research project funded by the Hellenic Foundation for Research and Innovation (H.F.R.I.) in the context of 2nd Call for the procurement of High Value Research Equipment.
HYDRA will construct, in the Laboratory of Applied Hydraulics of NTUA, a modular and expandable circuit of pressurized pipes of the two core experimental arrangements, i.e., a looped and a single-pass network, along with other physical and digital components of an urban water system. The infrastructure will allow the configuration of alternative network topologies, enabling benchmarking upon a wide range of operating conditions and scenarios.
HYDRA is the first infrastructure of this type in Greece, and one of the few in Europe!
Conceptual design of the HYDRA experimental facility
CHALLENGE & MISSION
The current and future services of urban water infrastructures face a range of challenges including aging infrastructure, non-revenue water, climate stresses, contamination, cyber-physical threats and the continuous need for sustainable and resilient management practices. Addressing these challenges requires innovative approaches and state-of-art technologies, in both hardware (i.e., new sensors and IoT agents) and software terms (i.e., new models, soft sensors, digital services).
In this context, HYDRA attempts to be an innovation catalyst, supporting the development, calibration, testing and benchmarking of new smart hardwater and software technologies, in experimental, though close to real-world, conditions. This experimental facility will enable stakeholders, such as water utilities and critical infrastructure management agencies, to demonstrate and validate the accuracy, efficiency, and applicability of new technologies before opting for integration into their daily business.
VISION
HYDRA is the first infrastructure of this type in Greece, and one of the few in Europe, and as such, can significantly enhance the existing academic, research and market opportunities for multiple stakeholders. HYDRA aspires to be a first-of-its-kind “Living Lab” where: a) undergraduate, postgraduate and lifelong learning modules taught at NTUA can be underpinned with hands-on experiences for young engineers, b) novel models and algorithms for water systems (e.g. based on machine learning and soft-sensors techniques) as well as digital services and applications (digital twins) can be developed and tested on realistic laboratory data, c) new software and hardware products (e.g., new water quality sensors and/or smart meters developed by third parties) can be evaluated and benchmarked to become suitable for real-world conditions, also ensuring financial sustainability for the HYDRA infrastructure.
INDICATIVE USE CASES
As facilitator for both curiosity-driven research and market-driven industrial research and technology development, HYDRA can be utilised for the development of a wide range of water related innovations, including, but not limited to: i) efficient monitoring and early detection of chemical and biological agents ii) estimation, detection and management of leakages, iii) optimal management and operation of urban water systems, iv) analysis of energy losses and pressure control strategies, v) optimal retrofitting of water infrastructures, vi) emulation, detection and response to cyber-physical threats, vii) design of decentralized systems and technologies and viii) development of digital services and models (e.g. data assimilation techniques, real-time modelling, Digital Twin solutions, etc.) for the optimal design, operation and maintenance of urban supply systems in the digital era – covering their full life-cycle.
The project entitled is implemented under the “2nd HFRI Call for the procurement of high-value research equipment” (H.F.R.I. Project Number: 18168).
