Hydropower Engineering Research Articles

Emerging and Innovative Materials for Hydropower Engineering Applications: Turbines, Bearings, Sealing, Dams and Waterways, and Ocean Power

The hydropower sector is currently experiencing several technological developments. New technologies and practices are emerging to make hydropower more flexible and more sustainable. Novel materials have also been recently developed to increase performance, durability, and reliability; however, no systematic discussions can be found in the literature. Therefore, in this paper, novel materials for hydropower applications are presented, and their performance, advantages, and limitations are discussed. For example, composites can reduce the weight of steel equipment by 50% to 80%, polymers and superhydrophobic materials can reduce head losses by 4% to 20%, and novel bearing materials can reduce bearing wear by 6%. These improvements determine higher efficiencies, longer life span, waste reduction, and maintenance needs, although the initial cost of some materials is not yet competitive with respect to the costs of traditional materials. The novel materials are described here based on the following categories: novel materials for turbines, dams and waterways, bearings, seals, and ocean hydropower.

"Student-centered" Teaching Reform and Innovative Practice of Water Conservancy and Hydropower Engineering

"Student-centered" Teaching Reform and Innovative Practice of Water Conservancy and Hydropower Engineering

Review and prospect on key technologies of hydroelectric‐hydrogen energy storage‐fuel cell multi‐main energy system

Hydropower engineering is one of the most developed renewable energy generation techniques, which is characterized by high development concentration, large dispatching scale, many power stations, and long transmission distance. However, the unbalanced distribution of hydropower resources and the difficulty of absorbing hydropower lead to a large amount of abandoned water, which causes a large number of economic losses and energy loss in China. The topological structure and principle of the multi-agent energy system of hydropower, hydrogen storage, and fuel cell are introduced here. The key technologies of the multi-agent energy system are introduced from three parts: hydrogen production method of electrolysis water, hydrogen storage method, and application aspect of power generation system of solid oxide fuel cell. The main research direction of realizing the multi-agent energy system of hydroelectric power, hydrogen energy storage, and fuel cell in the future is put forward, which has enlightenment significance for the construction of new power system and the research of realizing the goal of carbon neutral.

Building Information Modelling Usage in Federal Hydropower Design and Construction Management

The use of Building Information Modeling (BIM) is widespread within the engineering and construction industry, with huge strides in both usage and technological advances in the past two decades. The benefits of design collaboration, communication, visualization, and risk mitigation are untold. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers foresaw the benefits of BIM and began to write policy for its mandatory use across the enterprise in the early 2000s. As BIM technology evolved, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has struggled to keep pace with the speed of industry but continue to make improvements to policy and more widespread usage across the enterprise. The MILCON program sees widespread use in the planning and design phases using BIM for visualization, communication, creation of 2D construction drawings, and rough estimating. BIM usage stops short in two major areas of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers work: hydropower rehabilitation and construction management. Professionals from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in design management, hydropower engineering, and construction management all agreed that BIM, utilized and implemented properly, can have a very strong impact in each major field that would improve efficiencies, aid stakeholders in better understanding of complicated design concepts, and realize a more streamlined construction management process for complicated hydropower work. Through literature review and interviews with construction professionals, this research studied how BIM is being used within the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, specifically within hydropower rehabilitation programs, for design and construction management. This research also focused on how private industry has been and is currently using BIM in construction management, and to correlate how processes used in private industry may be used on hydropower generation unit rehabilitation projects at USACE-owned facilities.

High Slope Reinforcement Technology in Water Conservancy and Hydropower Engineering Construction

High Slope Reinforcement Technology in Water Conservancy and Hydropower Engineering Construction

Inversion Analysis of Seepage Parameters Based on Improved Shuffled Frog Leaping Algorithm

Aiming at overcoming the defects such as slow searching speed and easily trapping into local extremum at anaphase of the shuffled frog leaping algorithm (SFLA), based on the Evolutionary Exploration strategy, a more effective shuffled frog leaping algorithm, Improved Shuffled Frog Leaping Algorithm (ISFLA), which can be applied to the inverse analysis of seepage parameters to dams, is proposed. With the introduction of the threshold value selection in the local search of the original initial population to improve the best frogs in memeplex, the improved algorithm overcomes the shortcomings of traditional SFLA which can easily fall into a local optimum. By comparative analysis between the laboratory test and numerical simulation, the effectiveness and accuracy of ISFLA are demonstrated by the application to the inversion analysis of seepage parameters of earth dams. Furthermore, the inversion analysis of seepage parameters to the earth dam in Lianyungang China is studied by the ISFLA. Moreover, the seepage characteristics of the dam are evaluated; thus, the suggestion that the dam should be reinforced is put forward. All the results show that ISFLA in an inverse analysis of seepage parameters of dams has excellent value to hydropower engineering.

Analysis on Application of Foundation Treatment Construction Technology in Water Conservancy and Hydropower Engineering

Analysis on Application of Foundation Treatment Construction Technology in Water Conservancy and Hydropower Engineering

Numerical simulation of concrete face rockfill dam seepage: case study of Miaojiaba dam, China

Concrete face rockfill dams are widely used in hydropower engineering because of their many advantages. As important structures, if the performance of the concrete face slab and the impervious curtain is weakened, leakages and even serious dam failures can occur. Based on an equivalent quasi-continuum medium model, three-dimensional finite-element numerical simulations of the seepage behaviour of Miaojiaba dam, China, are performed. The seepage field and seepage characteristics, including the phreatic line, maximum hydraulic gradient and seepage discharge, are analysed quantitatively and systematically under various abnormal conditions. The results show that cracks in different areas of the face slab and different degrees of degradation in the impervious curtain influence the seepage field in different ways, with cracks in the lower face slab being the most serious. Ensuring that the face slab and impervious curtain are working as intended is very important for the integrity of the dam. Therefore, the design and construction quality of impervious structures should be strictly controlled. Under abnormal conditions, seepage control should be realised to ensure the safety and stability of concrete face rockfill dams.

Study on the mechanical behaviour of Columnar Jointed Rock Mass under uniaxial compression state

The columnar joint is a special type of primary joints which the cross sections are mostly quadrilateral, pentagonal and hexagonal. Intact rock mass is always cut by columnar joints into regular or irregular rock prisms, resulting in poor properties. With the expansion of large-scale engineering activities, a number of hydropower engineering such as Baihetan hydropower station, Xiluodu hydropower station and Ertan hydropower station, have encountered columnar jointed rock mass. The existence of columnar jointed rock mass poses a challenge to the design, construction and safe operation of these projects. To understand the mechanical behaviour of columnar jointed rock mass, uniaxial compression tests were carried out on artificial specimens made from rock-like materials. In the experiments, a self-designed pouring apparatus was used to prepare the columnar jointed rock-like specimens. Based on the experimental results of axial stress–axial strain curves, the strength and deformation of columnar jointed rock mass were investigated. The effect of columnar joint inclination angle on the mechanical behaviour of columnar jointed rock mass was analysed. It is found that the columnar jointed rock masses are characterized by significant anisotropy. The strength of columnar joint plays a significant role on the mechanical response of columnar jointed rock mass. The study Formatting the text

A novel method for modelling the existence of fault fracture zones within 3D weathered rock slopes

High-steep weathered rock slopes are often encountered in vicinity of the large-scale hydropower engineering projects. A variety of fault fracture zones may exist inside the weathered rock mass due to the complexity of geological activities. However, few publications have considered the state of fault fracture zones within a rock slope in a realistic way. For this goal, this study proposes a new approach to modelling the existence of fault fracture zones inside rock slopes based on 3D Gaussian random field, in which the basic features of fault fracture zones can be well established in terms of the need of site conditions. The results demonstrate that the inclination of week fractured zones has pronounced effects on the development of the failure mode of a rock slope. The degree of connectivity of the resultant irregular slip surfaces at each cross section of the 3D model significantly affects the system stability of a weathered slope. In addition, using a 3D numerical model for the analysis of a fractured slope gives a more reasonable and reliable estimation of the slope stability than the 2D one. The presented results can offer a new insight for the stability investigations of weathered rock slopes with fault fracture zones, aiming to reduce the risk of landslides.

Design method of high slope engineering for hydroelectric power in China based on slope structure characteristics

This paper briefly describes the particularity and design difficulty of hydropower engineering slopes and general situation of hydropower engineering slope design in China. According to the stability property, a slope structure system is established. A systematic design method for high slope engineering based on slope structure characteristics and Chinese engineering experience is proposed; that is, a design process with four stages and 11 steps. Additionally, the research tasks and methods of each design stage and the research content of each step are introduced. It is believed that identifying and determining the slope structure type in the engineering area is a key step in the slope design process, and the key objects of the design are the poorly stable Class III and Class IV slopes and unstable Class V slopes. The design method has a complete system structure, detailed and specific content, and strong operability and guidance.

Kabul River Flow Prediction Using Automated ARIMA Forecasting: A Machine Learning Approach

The water level in a river defines the nature of flow and is fundamental to flood analysis. Extreme fluctuation in water levels in rivers, such as floods and droughts, are catastrophic in every manner; therefore, forecasting at an early stage would prevent possible disasters and relief efforts could be set up on time. This study aims to digitally model the water level in the Kabul River to prevent and alleviate the effects of any change in water level in this river downstream. This study used a machine learning tool known as the automatic autoregressive integrated moving average for statistical methodological analysis for forecasting the river flow. Based on the hydrological data collected from the water level of Kabul River in Swat, the water levels from 2011–2030 were forecasted, which were based on the lowest value of Akaike Information Criterion as 9.216. It was concluded that the water flow started to increase from the year 2011 till it reached its peak value in the year 2019–2020, and then the water level will maintain its maximum level to 250 cumecs and minimum level to 10 cumecs till 2030. The need for this research is justified as it could prove helpful in establishing guidelines for hydrological designers, the planning and management of water, hydropower engineering projects, as an indicator for weather prediction, and for the people who are greatly dependent on the Kabul River for their survival.

Concept of Water and Soil Conservation in the Design of Water Conservancy and Hydropower Engineering

Concept of Water and Soil Conservation in the Design of Water Conservancy and Hydropower Engineering

Statistical analysis of maximum runoff of the Southern Buh River using the method of ‘Indicators of Hydrologic Alteration’

Knowledge of maximum river runoff trends is of great practical importance, especially for design and operation of hydraulic structures. This article presents the results of the research of the Southern Buh River's maximum runoff. The water of the river is widely used for hydropower engineering, industrial and municipal water supply, agriculture, irrigation, shipping, tourism etc.
 The research of the maximum runoff was based on the Indicators of Hydrologic Alteration (IHA) method which is widely used in the whole world. This method enables calculation of quantitative statistical characteristics of rivers', lakes', reservoirs' runoff and determination of the degree of their hydrological regime changes. The IHA is used for water bodies having natural or regulated runoff. However, the IHA method was not widely used in Ukraine before.
 The purpose of this publication is using the Indicators of Hydrologic Alterations method in order to study the characteristics of maximum runoff and their changes along the Southern Buh River.
 The research was carried out based on the data of observations at 5 gauge stations located along the Southern Buh River. The research uses the mean daily discharges that has been recorded since the beginning of observations up to 2018 and 2019 inclusive. The river's runoff at each of gauge stations was divided into five components: "Extremely low runoff", "Low runoff", "High runoff pulses", "Small floods", "Large floods". This made it possible to separate three classes of high (maximum) runoff, for which the IHA statistics were calculated, from the total runoff.
 It was discovered that the long-term high runoff changes differed in each of its three components, although they had general trends. The most significant changes were found for large floods, with no significant changes found for high runoff pulses. General trends of high runoff showed that over time the values of maximum discharges tend to decrease, with the increasing duration of high runoff periods.
 The values of the main statistical indicators of high runoff gradually increase from the river's source to its mouth, which fully corresponds to the physical and geographical conditions of its formation. Nevertheless, some features of high runoff were still found. Thus small floods and high runoff pulses have the largest duration in the upper reach of the river.
 On average, the Southern Buh River experiences large floods once in every 10 years, small floods - once in every 2 years, high runoff pulses - 4-8 times a year in its upper reach and 9-14 times a year in its middle reach.

Basics of systems approach to methodology of assessing waterworks facili-ties on natural environment

According to the regulatory and environmental requirements on operating waterworks facilities referred to as objects of activity, the environmental influence of these facilities must be assessed in terms of water resource utilization, which is exactly the goal of this study. The basics of the methodology of this assessment are developed by the system approach centred around the notion of System. The results of studying the interaction of the object of activity (OA) with the natural environments (NENV) of the basin geosystem are used in developing the basics of the methodology of environmental influence assessment (EIA). The study results have been used in designing and building hydropower engineering facilities in the North Caucasus in the South of Russia.

Research on Construction Technology of Earth-rock Dam in Water Conservancy and Hydropower Engineering

Research on Construction Technology of Earth-rock Dam in Water Conservancy and Hydropower Engineering

Analysis on the Application of Concrete Construction Technology in Water Conservancy and Hydropower Engineering

Analysis on the Application of Concrete Construction Technology in Water Conservancy and Hydropower Engineering

Design of A Micro Hydro Power Plant Based on The Vortex Flow of Water

This research focuses on the gravitational creation of a water vortex stream, which is a novel technique in hydropower engineering. The water enters a wide straight inlet and then through a vertical conical tube, creating a vortex that exits at the shallow basin's centre floor. The blades of the turbine can spin in the vortex, which generates electricity from a generator. The gravitational vortex turbine is the name for this kind of turbine. The turbine is driven by the vortex's dynamic force rather than the pressure differential. Since no discretization of the flow domain is needed, this study relies on simulation to provide the specifics of water vortex creation. The computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models' boundary conditions are added depending on the experiment configuration. Two different hole sizes for water discharge were tested in two different environments. The first condition's effect shows that the vortex heights in the experiment and CFD agree. The final vortex height of the CFD model differs from the experiment outcome in the second condition. More turbulent flow has set in as the discharge hole becomes larger, creating more errors in the CFD model's prediction of water vortex formation.

Influencing Factors and Control Points of Measurement Error in Water Conservancy and Hydropower Engineering

Influencing Factors and Control Points of Measurement Error in Water Conservancy and Hydropower Engineering

Assessment of the sustainability of Gymnocypris eckloni habitat under river damming in the source region of the Yellow River.

The growth of indigenous fish resources in the source region of a river is dependent upon the protection and sustainable development of suitable habitats, and the dual effects of climate change and hydropower generation have a major impact on hydrodynamic conditions and living conditions in these habitats. Against a background of climate warming, an agent-based model was established using MIKE3 software and was applied to the source region of the Yellow River. Within the study area, water depth, flow velocity, water temperature, and fish distribution in fish habitats before and after implementation of an ecological scheduling scheme in the hydropower stations were compared. In this paper, the Weighted Usable Area (WUA) method was used to evaluate the habitat suitability before and after construction of the dam in order to study the impact of changes in the hydrology and water environment in the source area of the Yellow River on the survival of the indigenous fish Gymnocypris eckloni Herzensten, 1891 and its eggs, and appropriate solutions were proposed. The results showed that the spawning period of G. eckloni (Gymnocypris eckloni Herzensten) will be delayed and egg hatching will face higher risks due to the negative -effects of low water temperature caused by hydropower generation. Water warming induced by global warming is expected to eliminate this negative influence, and the inhabitable area for fish is expected to increase. This study can provide a reference for evaluating sustainable development of the whole river ecosystem under conditions of climatic change and hydropower engineering operations.