Course content

Types of hydro power plants. Need for water reservoirs. Loads and stability of dams, concrete and rockfill dams. Floods and flood diversion. Hydraulic methods for calculation of flow in waterways. Design of waterways and selected hydraulic structures; headworks and tailworks, tunnels, pipelines and surge chambers. Types of turbines and layout of hydro power stations.

Learning outcome

Knowledge:
Students should have knowledge about:
- Energy production, efficacy and efficiency of hydropower.
- Economic structural design conditions for hydropower plants.
- Calculate flow rate loads for dams.
- Structural design and function of the various types of dams.
- Structural design and dimensioning of spillways, slots, hydropower inlets, tunnels for operation and transmission, pipelines and concrete plugs.
- Water hammer pressure surge and mass fluctuations, as well as installations to control them.
- Structural design of hydropower plants.
- Structure and function of the various types of turbines.
- Regulations related to the various elements of a hydropower plant.

Skills:
The student shall know:
- Perform cost-benefit analyses of hydropower plants.
- Calculate flow rate loads of dams.
- Select the right dam type according to local conditions.
- Calculate structural design of dam for stability based on the regulations and accepted methods.
- Calculate structural design of simple spillways, slots, hydropower intakes, tunnels for operation and transmission, pipelines and concrete plugs.
- Select the right type of turbine.
- Perform analysis of water hammer pressure surge and mass fluctuations and design of installations for controlling mass fluctuations.

General competance:
The student can:
- Plan all the elements of a hydropower plant on the basis of regulations, accepted methods and of the consideration for the environment.
- Analyze cost-benefit analyses of various hydropower projects.

Learning methods and activities

Lectures and exercises in class and laboratory. One day field trip. If there is a re-sit examination, the examination form will be oral.

Compulsory assignments

• Exercises

Recommended previous knowledge

Basic hydro mechanics or fluid mechanics. Basic hydrology.

Course materials

Vassdragsteknikk I/II, Odd Guttormsen.