Course content

The course aimes at letting the student go in depth in hydraulic engineering, combining technical/economical analysis, studies of environmental effects and measures to reduce unwanted effects, and studies of selected hydraulic structures like dams, intakes, tunnel systems or spillway structures. Some topics to be covered: Design and optimization of hydraulic structures. Cost/benefit analysis and system optimization. Environmental effects of river regulation and measures to reduce negative effects. Design of intake structures in sediment carrying rivers. Multi-purpose projects with hydropower, irrigation and flood control. Planning og small hydropower. Dam safety.

Learning outcome

Knowledge:
The student will have knowledge of:
- Technical-economic planning and calculations of large and small hydropower plants.
- Legislations, regulations, and directives for the construction and operation of dams and power plants.
- Challenges and arrangements of closed spillways and spillway channels.
- Problems with sediments, calculation of sediments dreation and handling of the same.
- Design and calculation of hydraulic capacity of culverts and channels.
- Erosion and erosion problems, as well as construction and structural design of erosion control.
- Special problems associated with small hydropower intake.
- Laboratory technical skills including different model principles, design and modeling.

Skills:
Students will be able to:
- Select type and calculate capacity and water load lines throughout the spillway systems.
- Perform exact hydraulic capacity calculations for various culverts and channels.
- Dimension the physical model tests and conduct experiments in the laboratory.
- Dimension erosion control, and assess the risk of erosion.
- Calculate sediment transport in rivers and calculate sedimentation and effects of using sedimentation basins.
- Consider the operation lifetime and conduct economic structural design regarding sedimentation.
- Implement classification assessments of waterways systems.

General competence:
Student can:
- Perform structural design of dams, hydropower plants, erosion control and sedimentation basins according to the current regulations and research-based methods.

Learning methods and activities

Lectures, seminars, excursions, study groups, self studies and project work. All will be linked to a major ongoing hydropower scheme which will be used as a case and where professional engineers working on the project will be invited to attend lectures and seminars and give feedback to the students. The lectures and exercises are in English when students who do not speak Norwegian take the course.

Compulsory assignments

• Exercises

Recommended previous knowledge

The topics TVM4105 Hydrology and TVM4165 Hydropower Engineering or similar.

Course materials

Various books, reports, papers, web-based publications

Credit reductions