Inauguration of the Jules Verne climatic wind tunnel

François de Rugy, Minister of State, Minister of the Ecological and Inclusive Transition, Christelle Morance, President of the Pays de la Loire Regional Council, Pascal Bolo, Deputy Mayor of Nantes and Vice-President of Nantes Métropole and Etienne Crépon, President of the Scientific and Technical Center for Building, inaugurated this morning in Nantes, the Jules Verne climatic wind tunnel.

Modernized and enlarged to meet emerging challenges, the Jules Verne wind tunnel is today a cutting-edge scientific and technical infrastructure, unique for its innovative equipment and its multidisciplinary offer. It is the only one in the world to be able to subject various structures and systems, in the fields of construction, transport and new energies, to climatic phenomena, from the simplest to the most extreme. This international research infrastructure thus makes it possible to test, in a single place, any equipment at different scales, up to scale 1, by reproducing all the climatic conditions, and by coupling digital and experimental approach to obtain the most efficient results. . The CSTB thus supports, through its research work and its multidisciplinary expertise, the actors of many industrial sectors in their projects and innovations.

A project supported by public actors, the Pays de la Loire Region and Europe, the City and the Metropolis of Nantes

Created by CSTB in 1990 in Nantes, the Jules Verne climatic wind tunnel makes it possible to analyze the behavior and stability of structures and equipment subjected to various climatic phenomena, from the most common to the most extreme. In 2013, to strengthen the support of actors in their industrial projects, consistent with the scientific and technical challenges generated by the ecological, energy and digital transitions, the CSTB launched a reflection around the modernization of the wind tunnel.

Objectives: develop a global scientific and technical offer adapted to the changing expectations of stakeholders, strengthen the research and experimentation offer and expand the target markets.

• Supported by Nantes Métropole, the Pays de la Loire region, the European Regional Development Funds (ERDF), the project materialized in 2018 with the launch of works, the renewal and strengthening of instrumentation (for a global budget of 8,5 million euros funded 50% by the Pays de la Loire Region (1,5 M € or 17.53%) and the ERDF (2, 7 M € or 32.47%), and 50% by CSTB equity).

The Jules Verne climatic wind tunnel, equipment unique in the world

After a year of work, the Jules Verne climatic wind tunnel now covers more than 6.000 m² and includes:

• 5 study and experimentation veins: 2 improved atmospheric and aerodynamic veins, as well as a new aeroacoustic vein, complete the thermal and aeraulic veins.
• State-of-the-art scientific and technical instrumentation, dedicated to the automobile and transport sector: a new double-axle roller bench was installed to be able to test all types of vehicles, cars and trucks up to 14 tonnes, and in particular hybrid and all-electric vehicles.

The Jules Verne wind tunnel is the only international research infrastructure which combines:

• The diversity of the climatic phenomena reproduced: torrential rain, freezing rain, snow, hail, ice, fog, hot weather, storms, winds of sand and dust;
• The diversity of scales and equipment, for a full scale 1 or slightly reduced range of tests, specifically meeting the needs of the markets for:
  • Construction: buildings and components, civil engineering works, urban planning, construction sites, mines and quarries;
  • New energies: marine and onshore wind;
  • Transport: cars, rail and sea transport, cable transport, aeronautics and aerospace.
• The convergence of the experimental and numerical approach for a coupled analysis, exploiting the best of each tool in an intelligent way;
• CSTB's multidisciplinary expertise, organized around complementary activities (Research & Development, testing and evaluation); based on a global approach of sectors, technologies and markets; covering the fields of Energy-Environment, Health-Comfort, Digital, Urban planning, Major works and Transport and the development challenges of the actors, in connection with environmental and energy transitions.

New developments in progress

Once again operational for the French and international markets, after this phase of modernization, the Jules Verne climate wind tunnel is today continuing to renew its scientific and technical instrumentation and the deployment of experimental and digital convergence:

“Research and innovation are at the heart of the Jules Verne wind tunnel that we are inaugurating today and the Region of which has funded the modernization and expansion project by 50%, in equity and by mobilizing ERDF funds . I salute the technological prowess achieved by CSTB and am delighted that the Pays de la Loire has test equipment that is unique in the world, the fields of application of which meet the challenges of the industry of tomorrow and of the ecological and digital transition. This ambitious equipment will make it possible to support the emergence of new vehicles, intelligent buildings or alternative energy, essential for the future of our territories. Research and innovation are also essential to the competitiveness of businesses, to the economic dynamism of our region and to its international influence. "
- Christelle Morance, President of the Pays de la Loire Region

"We are happy to have been able, thanks to the support of the city and Metropolis of Nantes, the Pays de la Loire Region and FEDER funds, to initiate this vast program of modernization of the Jules Verne wind tunnel, which allows us today today to provide stakeholders with more relevant and adapted responses to new scientific and technical challenges, in connection with environmental and digital transitions. Supporting construction and territorial actors in climate change, the development of new energies, the ramp-up of electric and hybrid vehicles, are all examples that illustrate our ambitions with this new major equipment. This transformation was possible thanks to our partners whom I thank, and it will allow us, I hope, to provide all of our customers with the expected and adapted responses. CSTB will continue in this dynamic of modernization by soon enriching the scientific and technical instrumentation implemented, with new virtual and augmented reality tools, currently in the experimentation phase. "
- Etienne Crépon, President of CSTB