National Laboratory Team Develops First Model for Hydropower Digital Twin

Building on hydropower R&D cooperation between the United States and Norway, a collaborative project between Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory developed a one-dimensional model of a hydropower digital twin, which is a virtual representation of a test hydropower unit in Norway that provides equipment manufacturers, end users, and utilities with insights into the real system. This newly developed model is the first step in developing a three-dimensional, open-source model that will support in-depth analyses of hydropower plants.  

To create the one-dimensional twin, the project team developed mathematical models to represent the physics of a hydropower system. These models allow the one-dimensional twin to provide information on a system’s major components, such as torques, speeds, and hydrodynamic forces on turbines, generators, and control devices.  

Equipment manufacturers, owners, operators, and other interested stakeholders can use insights from the one-dimensional (and, eventually, the three-dimensional) twin of a hydropower facility to predict and inform future decisions related to hydropower maintenance, modernization and asset management.