Concept & Challenges
Di-Hydro’s innovative concept involves introducing a Decision-Making Platform and Digital Twin technology to the hydropower sector. Our primary goal is to address the digital divide among hydropower plants and clusters while enhancing their operational performance and environmental sustainability.
Approach
Di-Hydro’s approach centres on the following key areas:
Structural Health Monitoring
Development of a real-time, low-cost monitoring system for assessing the structural health of hydropower structures. It provides Damage Tolerance assessments and supports automatic decision-making.
Condition Monitoring
The solution proposed will use wireless sensors for vibration, pressure, temperature, and oil conditions. It issues intelligent reports and early maintenance warnings, enabling continuous updates in condition monitoring of critical HP machinery.
Biofouling Prevention
Di-Hydro will introduce a novel solution using ultrasonic technology to prevent and clean biofouling in hydropower heat exchangers, reducing economic impact and downtime.
Unmanned Underwater Inspection
Advanced unmanned underwater vehicles visually inspect water reservoirs and pipelines, enhancing maintenance and safety.
Environmental and biodiversity monitoring, modelling and forecasting
Di-Hydro will develop water quality sensors for monitoring environmental and biodiversity parameters for upstream and downstream locations of the HPP catchment. Parameters such as pH, dissolved oxygen, oxidation reduction potential (ORP), total dissolved solids (TDS), salinity, turbidity, electrical conductivity (EC), ammonium, nitrate, residual chlorine, temperature, concentration of including pathogens and toxins. The monitoring data will be combined with historical data to monitor provide biodiversity and environmental forecasting.
Water and flow monitoring / Forecasting models
Weather and water flow monitoring will be combined with historical and satellite data to develop AI prediction models for short, medium and long forecasting to assist HPPs in decision-making.
Expected results
Innovative sensors for hydropower machinery operation
Hydropower structural health monitoring and prediction
Hydropower inspection and automatic defect detection using underwater unmanned vehicle
Monitoring and predictive models for biodiversity and environmental effects of hydropower operations and maintenance
Forecasting models for weather and water flow of hydropower plants
Digital twin of hydropower plants and cluster connectivity
AI-based decision support platform for hydropower plants and clusters
Advanced encryption algorithms for hydropower
data collection, exchange and storage
Sister projects
Discover Di-Hydro’s sister projects →
Sister projects
Discover Di-HYDRO’s sister projects:
D-HYDROFLEX develops digital technologies for increasing plant flexibility and sustainability. Hydropower is vital for providing water supply, irrigation, drought mitigation, and flood control while supporting the transition to a greener energy system.
iAMP-Hydro aims to improve the digital operation of existing hydropower plants through the development of iAMP, a novel intelligent Asset Management Platform encompassing secure open and transparent data sharing protocols.
Sister projects
Discover Di-HYDRO’s sister projects:
ReHydro project, led by SINTEF, aim at demonstrating how EU hydropower can be refurbished and modernised to play a leading role in the future power system. By implementing a suite of monitoring and digital tools (performance, cavitation, machine health) at demonstration sites, ReHydro aims to improve hydropower efficiency. Innovative concepts such as retrofitting with pumped hydro and hybridization will prepare hydropower for future markets.
