DEVELOPING THE NEXT-GENERATION OF HYDROPOWER TECHNOLOGY
CONTENTS 
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Background
Fluid structure interaction is an important research group located at the Waterpower laboratory (NTNU). The research group is headed by Chirag Trivedi (Associate Professor) since July 2020. Our research group, dedicated to advancing the field of hydropower, is driven by a mission "clean energy for all". Our activities are aimed to contribute United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, specifically, goals 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 11, 13 and 17. Among these, goals 4, 7, and 13 are critical and highly relevant to the research we conduct in the Waterpower laboratory. We focus on hydraulic turbines and pumps, addressing critical challenges and contributing to the body of knowledge through rigorous experimental and numerical analysis. Our interdisciplinary team, composed of experts in mechanical engineering, sustainability, environmental science and biodiversity, collaborates with leading academic institutions and industry partners to translate our findings into practical applications. Our interdisciplinary approach leverages cutting-edge technologies and methodologies, fostering a dynamic environment where ideas flourish and breakthroughs are achieved. By engaging with both academic and industry partners, we strive to translate our findings into practical applications that benefit society and drive progress in hydropower. With a track record of securing highly competitive research grants, we are committed to pushing the boundaries of fluid structure interaction and exploring new frontiers in energy flexibility, storage and sustainability.
The group aims to advance understanding and predictive capabilities in FSI, developing the next-generation of hydropower technology for sustainable future. |
Objectives
- Educational Outreach: Provide state-of-the-art education and training in FSI for turbomachinery, equipping students and researchers with the knowledge needed to support the hydropower industry in Norway and globally.
- Knowledge Dissemination: Publish research findings in reputable journals and present at international conferences, contributing to the global scientific community and advancing the field of FSI.
- Sustainable Solutions: Develop sustainable and environmentally friendly solutions through FSI research, focusing on reducing losses in hydraulic turbines, minimizing CAPEX and OPEX, and creating sustainable technology for future hydropower with minimal environmental impact.
- Interdisciplinary Applications: Apply FSI research to various fields, including hydropower, mechanical engineering, marine engineering, and environmental studies, to solve real-world problems and enhance the design and performance of fluid-interacting structures.
- Advance Theoretical Understanding: Refine theoretical models to deepen the understanding of fluid-structure interactions, exploring the underlying physics and mechanics to predict and explain complex behaviors.
- Innovate Computational Methods: Enhance numerical methods and algorithms for simulating fluid-structure interactions, improving the accuracy, efficiency, and scalability of computational tools for large-scale and high-fidelity simulations.
- Experimental Validation: Conduct experimental studies to validate theoretical models and computational simulations, ensuring the reliability and accuracy of research through data collection and comparison.
- Collaborative Research: Foster collaborations with academic institutions, industry partners, and research organizations to leverage diverse expertise and resources, addressing complex FSI challenges together.
- Francis turbine
- Start-stop
- Speed-no-load
- Total load rejection
- Pump-turbine
- Performance analysis
- Rim driven thruster design and optimization
- Draft tube flow (pump mode)
- Hydrofoil
- Boundary layer interaction
- Hydrodynamic damping
- Vibrations and natural frequencies
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United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
The research group, dedicated to the field of hydropower, is driven by a mission "clean energy for all", and the activities are aimed to contribute United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 11, 13 and 17. However, three goals are directly associated with the research group.
Goal 4: Quality education"Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all." The research group is involved in education and teaching several students at NTNU through different courses. The courses are in the field of renewable energy and sustainability. Moreover, the research group uses state-of-the-art research cases for the exercises in the courses, and also allows students to join the research group and work in the Waterpower laboratory. Thus, students will have access to the new research technology and knowledge. |
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Goal 7: Affordable and clean energy"Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all." Around 675 million people still live in the dark! Main research field for the research group is hydropower, where this goal is highly relevant and directly associated. The research group focuses on conducting research that enables sustainable and affordable technological solution for the hydropower. The group conducts both experimental and numerical research on hydraulic turbines that provides clean and low cost energy to all. |
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Goal 13: Climate action"Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts." Hydropower has critical role in both reducing the climate impact and providing secured and stable energy. The turbine efficiency is high that means the losses are minimum. However, the current efforts are aimed to provide solutions that has minimum impact on the environment and enhance sustainability. The additional effort is also put up on reducing the carbon footprint for upcoming hydropower projects providing alternative approaches and technological solutions through research and development. |
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Collaboration
Our research group is dedicated to fostering collaborative partnerships with academic institutions, industry leaders, and research organizations worldwide, specifically in the field of Fluid Structure Interaction (FSI). By leveraging diverse expertise and resources, we aim to tackle complex challenges related to fluid dynamics and structural mechanics, driving innovation in areas such as hydropower, marine engineering, and turbomachinery. Our collaborative efforts focus on advancing cutting-edge research, sharing knowledge, and translating findings into practical applications that enhance the design and performance of fluid-interacting structures. We believe that through strong, interdisciplinary collaborations, we can achieve greater impact and contribute significantly to the global scientific community in FSI.
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Teaching
Education and knowledge sharing are fundamental aspects of our research group, aligning with UN SDG 4: Quality Education. We incorporate real-time research cases into our courses, enabling students to engage with state-of-the-art knowledge in their respective fields. This approach not only enhances their learning experience but also supports their career development. Our research group is actively involved in teaching the following courses:
- TEP4111: Energy and Sustainability. This course is one of the benchmark courses of the research group. The course is designed for the first semester students of the Mechanical Engineering study program in NTNU. There are around 180 students in the course. Following broad topics are covered in this course.
- Energy sources, classifications, and historical developments
- Renewable energy (Wind, Solar, Hydro, Biomass, Hydrogen)
- Energy conversion and storage (thermal storage and electricity)
- Energy demand and focus on energy efficiency in the food- and process sector
- Life cycle analysis, environmental impact, sustainability, carbon footprint
- Societal perspectives on energy, green transition, including United Nation Sustainable Development Goals
- TEP4280: Introduction to Computational Fluid Dynamics. This is introductory course for the students, who are interested to continue career in numerical modeling and programming. This course provides fundamental knowledge on numerical methods and modeling using OpenFOAM. Following broad topics are covered in this course.
- Conservation of mass, momentum and energy equations with discretization techniques.
- Introduction of CFD to solve engineering problems.
- Basics of partial differential equations (PDEs) in fluid dynamics, spatial discretization methods, time discretization methods, stability related methods, solution verification and validation.
- Introduction to turbulence modelling.
- Selected cases in the field fluid dynamics, thermodynamics, heat transfer and turbomachinery.
- Use of numerical tools to simulate the problems (software learning, OpenFOAM).
- TEP4506: Sustainable Energy Systems, Specialization Course. This course allows the students advancing in both experimental techniques and numerical modelling for hydraulic turbines. This course is specifically designed for the students who are aiming career in the field of hydropower.
- TEP4521: Sustainable Energy Systems, Specialization Project. This is small project before writing master thesis in this group. Students usually take small project work and gain knowledge related to hydraulic turbine in this group, including numerical modeling and fluid structure interactions.
- TEP4906: Sustainable energy systems, master thesis. After successfully completing the project work (TEP4521), students continue their research for an entire semester and write a master thesis. They are involved in a large research project with dedicated milestones and tasks, and are clearly expected to deliver on these defined tasks before finalizing their master thesis. Previous master theses from this research group are presented on the Publication page.
