The Department of Hydraulics was established in 1958, and it was one of the earliest established Department in IWHR. Over the past decades , the Department of Hydraulics has now developed into a comprehensive research center of hydraulics, characterized by energering hydraulics, thermal/nuclear energering hydraulics, hydraulic control and river ice, estuarine/coastal dynamics and environmental hydraulics, ecology hydraulics, etc.

The Department consists of 7 divisions, namely, the High Speed Flow and Flow-Induced Vibration Research, General Layout of Hydroprojects Reaserch, Hydraulic Control Reaserch, Cooling Water Reasearch, Cooling Tower Research, Hydraulic Field Observation and Instrument Development Research, City River Research. The Department has totally 52 engineers, including 39 Professors and 18 Senior Engineers. Among them, there are 35 with doctor degree and 14 with master degree. Another 6 engineers are reading for doctor degree.

The main research fields are as follows:

(1) Energering Hydraulics, covering the general layout of hydro projects, energy dissipation and river bed or bank erosions, flow induced vibration, cavitation and air entrainment, new dissipaters and their applications, numerical simulations of 3D flows, dam break, hydraulic field observation for existing projects, dam safety evaluation, etc.

The Energering Hydraulics is a traditional superior subject of the Department . In recent years, we have been responsible for the research on hydraulic problems arising from hundreds of large scale hydro projects. A series of high level research results were proposed, such as the flaring pier gate combined with stilling basin, the slit bucket, and the application of aeration, etc. Many research findings have been awarded the state Prizes of Progress in Science and Technology, Innovation in Science, and the Prizes from Ministries or Provinces during the last 25 years.

(2) Thermal/Nuclear Energering Hydraulics, covering the hydraulic and thermodynamic study of industrial cooling systems, study on intake/offtake water safety in the industrial/agricultural/city domestic water use, hydraulic modeling tests and numerical simulation study for thermal/nuclear plant problems, basic theory research on cooling towers, thermodynamic and resistant characteristic study of cooling towers, field testing on civil/industrial cooling towers, etc.

Through long-time efforts, we brought up a professional team with high quality and reasonable structure. The team is bravely to undertake innovation and full of energy. Research strength and results are both at the leading position in the vocation, and the bushiness scope is extend all over most provinces of China and even some other developing countries. At the same time, the Department is one of few organizations that can apply legally effective testing data of cooling towers in China.

(3)Hydraulic Control and River Ice Study, covering the modeling tests on hydraulic control, numerical model study and water transfer way study, 3D visual simulation theory and its applications, safety and risk analysis theory and application study, study on water transfer in winter, decision-making support system study of hydraulic control, etc.

Hydraulic Control and River Ice Study is a new interdisciplinarity. The develop direction in the long term is integrating some relating interdisciplinarities and establishing an international first-level institute characterized by the combination of numerical simulation, modeling tests, and 3D visual simulation.

(4) Estuarine/Coastal Dynamics And Environmental Hydraulics, covering the basic theory study of surface cooling, comprehensive technology study on environmental hydraulics and structure layout, study on tide and wave, evaluation on thermal effect and low radioactive effect of the receiving environment, density flow with temperature difference, theory and coefficient study of heat dissipation on water surface, etc.

(5) Ecology Hydraulics, covering modeling test study on urban river integrated control considering the city flood control, water supply, water resources protect, landscape construction, and ecological remediation; hydraulic landscape design theory and water culture study; modeling test and numerical simulation study on hydraulic parameter in urban river hydraulics and river network harnessing.

The integrated study of urban river is a new research subject, and it will become an important research direction that helps the Department to achieve sustainable development.

There are five large laboratories in the Department embracing a total area of 20,000 m 2 and providing maximum water circulation system of about 10 m 3 /s. There is a hydraulic laboratory, being the biggest one in China, has an area of 7,100 m 2 and maximum water circulation system of 1.7 m 3 /s. The new Estuarine and Environment Laboratory is the only large experimental base for esrarine and environmental hydraulic problems study in china, with an area of 8,400 m 2 and maximum water circulation system of 1.3 m 3 /s. The Elementary Laboratory, Simulating Cooling Tower and Industrial Water Saving Laboratory, Environmental Wind Tunnel and Water Flume Laboratory, and Parametric Calibration Laboratory, are provided. The large scale vacuum tank, being the biggest testing facilities for cavitation research in China, are furnished. Furthermore, the Department equips many international advanced measurement facilities, such as PIV, LDV, ADV, Easy-carried Flowmeter, Dynamic Strain Indicator and so on.

At the same time, the Department has developed a consummate managerial system. Unified management provides reliable safeguard to the research results, and it is helpful to realize resource sharing. The effect apply of ISO9001 makes the experiment data and research report more credible.

Since established, the Department has been responsible for hundreds of projects. A huge amount of technology problems, arising from Three Gorges Project, Xiaolangdi Project, Ertan Project, Xiaowan Project, Xiluodu Project, South to North Water Transfer Project, Xiangjiaba Project and many other hydro projects, as well as from Dayawan Nuclear Plant, Qinshan Nuclear Plant, Hongkong Nanya Plant and many other thermal/nuclear plants, were solved. Many research results have been applied in the projects. Dozens of research papers and technical reports are published annually, and 6 research findings have been awarded the state Prizes of Progress in Science and Technology, Innovation in Science and 70 achievements on the Prizes from Ministries or Provinces.

The international cooperation activities and consultation services in diversified fields or circles are also carried out in full swing such as the studies on the general layout and energy dissipation for LIWAGU Hydro Project in Malaysia, consultation on high speed flow and gate vibration for KARUN III in Iran, water transfer project from Biliuhe River to Dalian City in China funded by Asian Development Bank, Sino-Finish cooperation research program of numerical simulation on dam break and river ice, consultation on water supply project in Bangladesh, hydraulic analysis on water supply system and nuclear power plant in Pakistan, hydraulic transient control and simulation on water transfer project from Yellow River to Taiyuan City funded by World Bank (WB), etc.

Contact us

Address: Fuxinglu Road 1#, Beijing, China, 100038
The Department of Hydraulics, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research
Tel: 8610-68781055
Fax: 8610-68538685
E-mail: mah@iwhr.com