Internship - Numerical Modeling And Spatial Characterisation Of Water Waves H/F

Ifremer; Plouzané; On-site; EUR 7,800 - 11,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

800€ per month

Job summary

Ifremer's Laboratory of Marine Hydrodynamics (LHyMar) in Plouzané invites a final-year Master student to model wave fields with the HOS-NWT solver, validating the simulations against wave gauge measurements and stereo-video data collected during related PhD work. The internship combines numerical modelling and experimental validation in a marine hydrodynamics context.

The project aims to assess the potential of stereo-video systems to estimate the wave spectrum, leveraging a network of virtual

Qualifications

• Final-year Master student with strong background in fluid mechanics and numerical models.
• Interest in pursuing a PhD in hydrodynamics is a plus; funding may be available.
• Self-funded interns with public servant status are welcome.

Responsibilities

• Model wave fields using the non-linear potential flow solver HOS-NWT.
• Assess accuracy by comparing simulations with wave gauge measurements.
• Compare simulations with stereo-video measurements from Noémie Russo's PhD work.
• Extract additional parameters from HOS simulations if possible for wave measurements comparison.
• Evaluate benefits of stereo-video to estimate the wave spectrum using virtual probes.

Skills

Fluid mechanics

Numerical modeling

Experimental work

Education

Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering or Applied Mathematics

Tools

HOS-NWT

High-Order Spectral Method

Job description

Keywords: water waves, stereo-video measurement, potential flow model

Context

The Laboratory of Marine Hydrodynamics (LHyMar) at Ifremer is equipped with wave basins in which scale models of offshore structures (offshore wind turbines, ships, wave energy converters) are tested under controlled wave conditions.

A reliable interpretation of these experiments requires an accurate control and characterisation of the waves. In most facilities, waves are measured using wave gauges, which record the free-surface elevation at fixed locations. The wave shape and the spatial characteristics of the wave field must be inferred from these point measurements. In several cases, direct measurements of the spatial properties of the waves would help interpreting other measurements collected during the campaign. Ifremer is currently exploring two complementary approaches to obtain spatial information on the wave field.

The first involves the use of a stereo-video system to reconstruct the free-surface elevation over a certain area. Research concerning the feasibility of this approach has been conducted at Ifremer in recent years. The measurement technique is now close to have a sufficient maturity to be considered a robust and accurate method to characterize the waves.
The second approach consists in using a digital twin of the basin to simulate the waves generated during an experiment. Potential flow solvers are attractive for this purpose because their computational cost is relatively low while they make it possible to model the non-linear propagation of the waves. They provide access to various parameters of the flow, including at locations where no direct measurements are available. Ifremer whishes to set up High-Order Spectral (HOS) simulations to support the interpretation of experimental measurements.

Mission

The intern will be in charge of modeling wave fields generated in the basin with the non-linear potential flow solver HOS-NWT. The first part of the internship will focus on assessing the accuracy of the numerical simulations by comparing the results with wave gauge measurements. The simulations will then be compared to stereo-video measurements carried out during the PhD of Noémie Russo. Depending on the progress of the stereo-video measurements, other parameters may be extracted from the HOS simulations and compared to the wave measurements. The second part of the internship consists in assessing the potential benefits of a stereo-video system to estimate the wave spectrum. Using the HOS simulations, the intern will compare the spectrum estimations obtained from a network of virtual probes to the one obtained from virtual wave measurements over a surface.

Responsibilities

• The intern will be in charge of modeling wave fields generated in the basin with the non-linear potential flow solver HOS-NWT.
• The first part of the internship will focus on assessing the accuracy of the numerical simulations by comparing the results with wave gauge measurements.
• The simulations will then be compared to stereo-video measurements carried out during the PhD of Noémie Russo.
• Depending on the progress of the stereo-video measurements, other parameters may be extracted from the HOS simulations and compared to the wave measurements.
• The second part of the internship consists in assessing the potential benefits of a stereo-video system to estimate the wave spectrum.
• Using the HOS simulations, the intern will compare the spectrum estimations obtained from a network of virtual probes to the one obtained from virtual wave measurements over a surface.

Qualifications

• We are seeking a highly motivated final year Master student with a strong background in fluid mechanics (mechanical engineering, applied mathematics, ...) and with a strong interest for numerical models and experimental work.
• Priority will be given to applicants interested in pursuing a career in research and completing a PhD in hydrodynamics (funding availability to be confirmed).
• Self funded interns with public servant status are also very welcome.

Duration

4 to 6 months (6 months preferably).

Application deadline

30th of November 2026

Internship compensation

800€ per month

Location

Ifremer, Centre de Bretagne, Marine hydrodynamics laboratory (LHyMar), Plouzané

Contacts & Supervision

Interested applicants should send their application (CV, cover letter and Master degree transcript) to Florian Hulin and Alan Tassin (e-mail: who will be in charge of the student supervision.

References

[1] S. Le Page, A. Tassin, J. Caverne, G. Ducrozet A particle-free stereo-video free-surface reconstruction method for wave-tank experiments. Exp Fluids 65, 157 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00348-024-03887-w

[2] N. Russo, A. Tassin, J. Caverne, M. Träsch, G. Ducrozet. Reconstruction de surface libre par stéréo-vidéo sous marine sans particules en bassin d'essais. 19ème Congrès Francophone de Techniques Laser, Sep 2026, Poitiers, France. pp.345-352. https://hal.science/hal-05837148v1

[3] G. Ducrozet, M. Charlou, F. Bonnefoy, HOS-NWT: an open-source numerical wave tank based on the high-order spectral method, Comput. Phys. Commun. 325 (2026) 110168. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpc.2026.110168