About

The Waterpower Laboratory at NTNU combines 100 years of experience with state-of-the-art facilities that are unique in Europe. It has played a leading role in the development of global hydropower, including efficient design of hydro turbines. One of the university’s oldest laboratories, it was built in 1917 on NTNU’s Gløshaugen campus in Trondheim, Norway, for research and development of mechanical equipment in the hydropower industry. Its modern facilities include test rigs for Francis, Pelton and pump turbines. The laboratory offers a high pressure pumping system, a long conduit to investigate discharge measurement techniques and several other test facilities for basic research in fluid mechanics. The Francis, Pelton and pump turbine test rigs enable model tests according to the standards of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). A unique flexibility of the Francis turbine test rig is that it can produce flow characteristics identical to a prototype for the transient measurements, such as load variation (both variable speed and discharge), start-stop, total load rejection, emergency shutdown and speed-no-load. The pumping system can discharge up to one cubic metre per second in parallel connection. Running the pumps in series enables pressure of up to 100 metre water column. The laboratory has its own workshop where models intended for education as well as research can be built. The two storage overhead tanks with the interconnecting flow rate measurement make the Waterpower Laboratory unique in both a national and a European context. The free fall is up to 16 metres and the reservoir enables flow-dynamics studies and research. The tailrace and sump are under the floor of the laboratory. The walls and the bottom are reinforced concrete, and the capacity of the sump and tailrace is 450 cubic metres. This is the main storage facility for water in the laboratory.

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Organisation Activities

The laboratory offers research for master’s degree, PhD, postdoctoral and international researchers. Experimental, numerical (CFD and FSI) and analytical studies are conducted. The laboratory also provides a unique opportunity for PhD and postdoctoral researchers to design and develop a turbine their own way using in-house codes. The laboratory is responsible for providing knowledge for education related to hydropower and turbomachinery. Professors at the Waterpower Laboratory teach courses for undergraduate, graduate and PhD students. The laboratory is actively involved in international collaboration with several universities and industries globally.

Committee on Hydraulic Machinery and Systems

Committee on Fluid Mechanics

Committee on Hydraulic Structures

Committee on Fluvial Hydraulics

Committee on Water Resources Management

Working Group on Reservoir Sedimentation

Working Group on Transient Flows