The Division of Hydraulic Structures is the pioneer technical group of Hydraulic and Water Environment Research Department. More than 210 applied research
projects have been completed within this Division since the establishment of Water Research Institute. These projects mainly focus on investigating and optimizing the
hydraulic performance of dam-related structures, such as spillways, chutes, energy dissipaters, bottom outlet Conduits, diversion tunnels, valves and gates, microhydropower, and dam water intakes and outlets. This division has extensive laboratory facilities, including two industrial steel buildings with a total area of 7,200 m2, with a capacity of 1,000 m3 water storage and 1,000 L/s water circulation. This capacity enables the research team to work in two fields of applied and basic research in various fields of hydraulic tasks. In addition to the above infrastructures, technical workshops feature specialized facilities such as Plexiglas and carpentry, blacksmithing, turning, mechanical andelectrical tools as well as painting, and construction. These workshops support the construction and operation of physical models. The hydraulic structures division houses unique facilities and equipment for recording and measuring dynamic pressure, flow velocity in open and closed conduits, flow discharge, longitudinal and transverse scouring profiles, and water level fluctuations that make it capable of accurately studying hydraulic parameters.
The main activities and projects carried out in this group are:
• Comprehensive Hydraulic Models: Comprehensive hydraulic models including flood outlet system, bottom outlet conduit, power plant intaketotal number of 6 projects) and Physical model of flood outlet systems
(including spillways and energy dissipation systems – a total number of 80 projects).
• Flow Regulators and Control Valves: Several hydraulic model studies of flow regulators and control valves, including high pressure Butterfly valves, Howell-Bunger valves, etc. for outlet dams in free and submerged condition have been constructed and verified (total number of 6 projects) within our hydraulic laboratory.
• Diversion Tunnels and Bottom Outlet Systems: Water Research Institute has accumulated significant expertise in developing physical models of diversion tunnels and bottom outlet systems (total number of 36 projects) and power plant intakes (total number of 14 projects).