The Emerson Cavitation Tunnel consists of a water circuit which flows in the vertical plane, within which propellers and other propulsion devices can be tested. The system is powered by a  pump, with a four-bladed impeller and can produce a maximum water velocity of . The test area has a cross sectional area of  allowing model propellers of up to  in diameter to be tested. The pressure range of the tunnel can vary from a minimum of 7.6 kN/m to a maximum of 106 kN/m. Cavitation numbers of 0.5 (minimum) to 23 (maximum) can be accommodated for. Measurements can be taken using a 3 Watt, water-cooled, Argon-ion laser, a hydrophone, and two dynamometers. A high-speed video camera is also attached with an imaging frequency of 1–10,000 frames per second.
Funding for the tunnel's equipment is raised by numerous organisations, including the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and the Scottish Universities of Glasgow and Strathclyde.