Abstract: The UK water industry is entering its most demanding five-year period (2025–2030), tasked with delivering record levels of investment to modernise infrastructure, cut pollution, and secure resilient water supplies under unprecedented scrutiny. Meeting these challenges requires not only engineering solutions but also advanced hydraulic modelling to simulate complex asset behaviour, test solutions/interventions, and optimise investment. From urban drainage and water distribution to transient hydraulics and Computational Fluid Dynamics, hydraulic modelling provides the predictive insight needed to build resilient, efficient, and sustainable systems. This presentation will showcase case studies where different hydraulic modelling approaches are applied to real-world problems, illustrating how fluid mechanics directly underpins solutions to one of the UK’s most pressing infrastructure challenges.
Bio: Miguel Cano, CEng, C.WEM, MCIWEM, is a Principal Hydraulic Engineer with over 15 years’ experience delivering advanced hydraulic modelling and fluid mechanics solutions across the UK water industry. He has led surge analysis, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), and complex hydraulic designs for some of the country’s largest utilities, including Anglian Water and Severn Trent. Miguel is recognised for pioneering data-driven approaches to optimise networks, reduce bursts, and enhance environmental performance. He regularly lectures and mentors on hydraulic modelling, pumping systems, and fluid mechanics.