Hydro Quebec Efforts Toward an Integrated Computational Materials Engineering Framework for Hydraulic Turbine Engineering

Fatigue damage mechanisms in hydraulic turbine steels are complex and depend on their underlying microstructure. Unfortunately, the methodology used for designing today’s turbines does not consider micro-mechanisms responsible for their fatigue damage. To circumvent this limitation, ongoing efforts at Hydro Quebec aim to develop Integrated Computational Materials Engineering (ICME) tools for the future development of hydraulic turbine digital twins that incorporate microstructural effects. In the context of the company’s aging assets and the need for increased production of clean energy, there is indeed a great need for better decision-making with respect to the fabrication, use, and repair of hydraulic turbines. This document showcases ongoing initiatives at Hydro Quebec toward the development of an ICME framework for hydraulic turbine engineering.