CFD
simulation of Spillways

Contribute to the generation of new knowledge in one of the most complex scientific/technical challenges in the design of hydroelectric power plants (HPP), the design of hydrodynamic structures such as spillway that allow for the safe and reliable discharge of flows.

In this sense, COBA’s R&D team aims, through the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) method, to develop new numerical analysis models for the simulation and characterisation of the hydrodynamic behaviour of flow in spillways, taking into consideration the wide range of settings (geometrical, geotechnical, flow, water levels and sediment transport).

The R&D projects will also have multiple experimental applications that aim to enhance the numerical model, in order to make it applicable to various application contexts (e.g. different watershed layouts or flow typologies) and, as well as, to different hydropower developments.

CFD
simulation of Water / Wastewater Treatment Plants

Using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), investigate and develop new numerical models for simulation, modelling and predictive optimisation of the hydrodynamic behaviour in water/wastewater treatment plants (WTP and WWTP) which, previously, would have been dimensioned/optimised based on standard solutions and therefore not checked for the specific hydraulic conditions.

In fact, the design of these plants is considered as one of the most relevant projects for society (domestic and industrial water supply) and for the environment (discharge into the environment after treatment), however it presents itself as a highly complex structure due to (i) the various processes/systems that interact with each other (e. g. from water transport, to the mixing of reagents with the water to be treated and, consequently, settling, filtering, among others) and, also, (ii) the amount of parameters and layouts that these structures may assume (e.g. geometrical, flow, equipment typologies, water levels, particle sediments, oxygenation).

As such, the COBA R&D team will undoubtedly contribute to the generation of new knowledge in one of the biggest challenges in the design of these structures, the accurate and predictive analysis of the hydrodynamic behaviour of these plants, taking into account the multiple interactions between all systems, parameters and layouts of the water treatment process, thus increasing the quality and efficiency levels of the design/optimisation process of these complex structures.