About Us

The Istanbul Technical University Large Cavitation Tunnel, ITUKAT, was designed and manufactured by GÜRDESAN A.Ş. as part of the Amphibious Ship (LST) Procurement Contract Technology Acquisition Obligation (TKY) signed between Istanbul Technical University (ITU) and ARI Technopolis Inc., jointly supported by the Defense Industry Presidency (SSB) and ANADOLU Shipyard Industry and Trade Inc. (ADIK) – ALYANS Ship Leasing and Maritime Inc. joint venture, within the framework of the improvement of the hydro-acoustic characteristics of Turkish warships under the LST-TKY project. The special tunnel building where ITUKAT is located was provided by ASELSAN and constructed with TKY support signed by ITUNOVA.

The aforementioned projects have been completed by the academic staff of the Istanbul Technical University (ITU) Faculty of Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering, under the organization of the project manager, Prof. Dr. Ömer Gören.

ITU Large Cavitation Tunnel (ITUKAT), which became operational at the end of 2021, ranks seventh globally in terms of flow rate among its counterparts, boasting a large test section measuring 5.5 m x 1.5 m x 1.2 m (Length x Width x Height) and a maximum flow velocity of 16.5 m/s attainable within the test section. The tunnel is propelled by a 1 MW electric motor.

ITU Large Cavitation Tunnel (ITUKAT) is equipped with measurement devices of international standards. Special design propeller dynamometers, a special design hydroacoustic chamber, PIV (Particle Image Velocimetry), LDA (Laser Doppler Anemometry), and contra rotating propeller dynamometers are among the wide range of equipment options available in ITUKAT.

In addition to its size, ITU Tunnel (ITUKAT) provides facilities for experiments with all types of propellers and surface/underwater vehicles, thanks to its flow uniformity in the test section, low turbulence, and acoustic noise characteristics, as well as its pressurization and vacuum capacity in the test section, and the measurement devices it contains.

ITU Tunnel is managed with a joint structure through a protocol signed between Istanbul Technical University (ITU), the Presidency of Defense Industries (SSB), and TRtest Inc.

ITUKAT Founding Team:

Prof. Dr. Omer Goren (Project Manager)
Prof. Dr. Emin Korkut
Prof. Dr. U. Oral Unal
Asst. Prof. Burcu Erbas
Dr. Çağatay Sabri Koksal
Res. Assist. MSc. Cagri Aydin