Hydra Software making waves with Meridian deal

By RICHARD WOOD

Software from Hamilton firm Hydra Software will be used to model water and wave movements for Meridian Energy's $1.3 billion Project Aqua hydroelectric development on the lower Waitaki River.

The deal is worth $50,000 for two licences of Aulos software and a similar figure again for consulting work.

It is also expected to help Hydra in building credibility for its marketing and capital seeking efforts.

Aulos is made by Hydra in conjunction with Scott Technical Instruments and Hoare Research Software - firms also based in Hamilton.

In an earlier form the software was sold in six countries through a joint venture with a competitor, but the venture has since been dissolved.

Managing director Dr Alastair Barnett said financial backing is the only real issue holding back its global ambitions.

He said New Zealand has a unique experience with hydroelectric development, which is coming back into favour internationally.

Aulos is the fifth generation of software that grew from concepts he developed in the 1970s while leading the commissioning of the 25km Tekapo Canal for the Ministry of Works and Development, where waves reach 40km/h.

Barnett said Project Aqua would be the biggest project the software has been used in and also the most technically demanding because the predictions the software generates will be able to be compared against real tests.

Aulos has international competitors, including free software from a US Government department, but Barnett claims an advantage in accuracy in modelling large flows.

He said Aulos used advanced maths and analysed in four dimensions, including time, by breaking water down into "cells" that exist for only up to a minute each. Each unit might be anything from 1 cu m to 10,000 tonnes of water depending on the type of work being done.

Software from Hydra was used to see what effect tsunamis would have on Te Papa, the national museum, and also in designing the redirection of Auckland City drainage around the underground Britomart centre.

The software is used by Rotorua District Council for drainage and Barnett said Hydra had done work for other councils. It also predicted currents for the America's Cup.

Aulos Hydraulic modelling software