For further details and to register, please visit the event website.
Please briefly explain your role, involvement, and experience with hydraulic modelling and the water industry
Victor Lira (VL): At Stantec I work in two fronts: I am in charge of the design and assessment of hydraulic structures for the Dams & Hydro group, where we apply varied tools including 1D, 2D and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modelling software, while I also lead the CFD community that delivers CFD studies for different groups in the water sector.
In my 13 years of experience, I have worked on the modelling and design of and hydraulic structures of water, tailings, and hydropower dams, urban drainage systems and structures, river inundation and protections. On the CFD side, I have been involved in the modelling of spillways, intakes, outlets, siphons, fishways, mixing tanks, and storm/sediment tanks.
What is the top challenge facing your industry at present?
VL: I think the global water crisis is the top challenge facing the water industry at present, with the increasing water scarcity and deterioration of quality of the water sources. The water industry is facing a significant challenge in meeting the increasing demand for water while ensuring sustainable water management practices that preserve water resources for future generations.
And as climate change tends to increase reservoir troughs in dry months as well as the peaks of discharge in wet months, the investments in the design of new dams and in the dam safety of old dams have never been so crucial.
How would you say your industry has evolved over the past five years?
VL: I see that there has been a growing focus on water reuse and recycling to address water scarcity and promote sustainable water management practices. Many industries are increasingly turning to recycled water for their operations.
But significant innovation has happened in the adoption of smart water systems, including advanced sensors, data analytics and automation, which allow for more efficient water management, real-time monitoring predictive maintenance and water loss reduction.
What developments are going on in your industry that may have an impact on the development of future approaches to the use of modelling?
VL: The recent advancements in computational power in the recent years gave us the current capacity to build one-dimensional (1D) hydraulic models of very large hydraulic networks under critical long-term scenarios. We can also assess the extreme flood impact or the water quality (or both) in large extents of rivers in 2D transient models. More recently became frequent to apply 3D Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) models to assess in detail for instance the hydrodynamics of complex flows in hydraulic structures under updated extreme conditions or the mixing efficiency of existing reservoirs under new operational scenarios in reasonably short times.
For the future, I foresee a strong convergence between the developments in sensor technology, data communication and these increasingly robust hydraulic models allowing the incorporation of real-time modelling capabilities to enable rapid response to changing water conditions as they monitor and control water systems with an increasing accuracy, efficiency, and effectiveness.
What will you be presenting at the ‘Hydraulic Modelling’ seminar and how will this benefit participants?
VL: I will be presenting about the strengths and limitations of both physical modelling and CFD, and the benefits and challenges of applying the combination of both (composite modelling) in hydraulic engineering.
More than engaging in the common discussion of one tool against the other, my purpose is to encourage a better understanding of each tool and how to apply them in combination to overcome their limitations and deliver a robust engineering approach in a cost-effective way.
Which other speakers and presentations are you looking forward to hearing at the forthcoming seminar?
VL: I am looking forward to the presentations on transient hydraulic assessments given by Matt Mullarkey and Peter Glover, and also interested in the varied CFD applications to be presented.
Why is it important for engineers and industry to come together at this event and share best practice?
VL: Hydraulic modelling helps to identify potential hazards and vulnerabilities in water assets and can assist in designing safe systems that are less likely to fail. It can help optimise the design and operation of water assets, leading to reduced operational costs and capital expenditures, and it can ensure that water is delivered to consumers in a timely and efficient manner, reducing the risk of water shortages. And by applying best practices, engineers can design and operate water assets that are more sustainable, using less water and energy and reducing the environmental impact of water distribution.
Hence the importance of this event, to share advancements and best practices in hydraulic modelling that may help the water industry to ensure safe, efficient, and sustainable water assets.
The Hydraulic Modelling for the Water Industry seminar will take place on 19 June in Midlands.
Presentations will cover the assessments used to ensure water quality and to verify that infrastructure and equipment can deal with the expected design flows. Join to discuss current and novel computational (CFD) and physical modelling techniques, together with a technical review of the assessment criteria involved and significant modelling and experimental methods.
For further details and to register, please visit the event website.