Expert Details
Hydropower, Hydraulic Turbines, Fluid Mechanics, Hydraulics, Index Testing
ID: 108330
Oregon, USA
Expert has extensive experience with hydraulic turbine design. He has been involved with site development and optimization studies, water hammer analysis, preparing equipment specifications, and procuring turbines, pumps, valves, and related mechanical equipment. He is familiar with the Francis, Kaplan, and fixed-blade propeller type reaction hydraulic turbines as well as the Pelton and cross-flow impulse type turbines. He is knowledgeable of model testing, field testing, and optimizing the efficiency of hydraulic turbines and can answer questions regarding the performance differences between turbine models and full-scale prototypes.
With a master's degree that concentrated on fluid mechanics and having worked as a research engineer in a hydraulic laboratory, Expert has considerable knowledge of hydraulic delivery systems. He has worked with both closed conduit and hydraulic pressure systems such as pipes, tunnels, and penstocks as well as open channel systems such as rivers, canals, diversions, and regulating outlets.
With 47 years of turbine-related experience, Expert has detailed knowledge of field testing, both absolute efficiency testing and relative efficiency testing of all types of hydraulic turbines. This type of testing may be done to verify the prototype performance compared with the model prediction, to assure compliance with procurement specifications, to optimize the efficiency of an individual hydraulic turbine, or to optimize the energy output of a complete hydroelectric plant.
Expert is well versed in the design, procurement, installation, and testing of all types of hydraulic turbines for electric energy generation. These machines, most commonly referred to by their types of runners, include the Pelton and cross-flow type of impulse turbines and the Francis, Kaplan, and fixed-blade propellor type reaction turbines (single and double regulated).
Expert authored a feature paper chronicling the history of the Bernoulli theorem's development, analytically deriving Bernoulli's equation from Newton's Second Law, and providing a recent equation developed by the author to calculate the velocity head correction factor.
As a field test engineer, Expert has conducted numerous field efficiency tests of hydraulic turbines. Expert has conducted several diagnostic and forensic evaluations of hydraulic turbine failures.
Education
Year | Degree | Subject | Institution |
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Year: 1969 | Degree: MS | Subject: Mechanical Engineering | Institution: California State College at Los Angeles |
Year: 1963 | Degree: BS | Subject: General Engineering | Institution: University of California at Los Angeles |
Work History
Years | Employer | Title | Department |
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Years: 2008 to Present | Employer: Undisclosed | Title: Adjunct Professor of Hydropower Engineering | Department: Hydropower Engineering |
Responsibilities:This also includes private practice. |
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Years | Employer | Title | Department |
Years: 2002 to 2008 | Employer: US Army Corps of Engineers | Title: Engineer | Department: Hydroelectric Design Center |
Responsibilities:Reemployed on a term basis as a senior hydro mechanical engineer in the Hydroelectric Design Center of the US Army Corps of Engineers to evaluate and test new methods of measuring flow rate in hydraulic turbines and to develop new computer software programs to maximize the combined generating efficiency of multi-unit powerhouses |
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Years | Employer | Title | Department |
Years: 1999 to 2004 | Employer: ENRON | Title: Hydropower Engineering Specialist | Department: Construction |
Responsibilities:In charge if the technical evaluation of hydroelectric projects. |
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Years | Employer | Title | Department |
Years: 1994 to 1999 | Employer: Kleinschmidt Associates | Title: Senior Hydropower Engineer | Department: Hydromechanical |
Responsibilities:Resposible for the design of hydromechanical equipment installations, especially hydraulic turbines and conducting their field tests. Presented technical training seminars. |
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Years | Employer | Title | Department |
Years: 1982 to 1994 | Employer: Bonneville Power Administration | Title: Senior Hydropower Engineer | Department: |
Responsibilities:Responsible for the Research, Development, and Demonstration Program in Hydropower Generating Technologies. |
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Years | Employer | Title | Department |
Years: 1979 to 1982 | Employer: US Department of Energy | Title: Hydropower Specialist | Department: |
Responsibilities:Project Manager for the construction of 22 hydroelectric demonstration projects. |
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Years | Employer | Title | Department |
Years: 1971 to 1979 | Employer: US Army Corp of Engineers | Title: Chief, Hydraulic Turbine Design Section | Department: |
Responsibilities:Chief of the Hydraulic Turbine Design Section of the Corps' Hydroelectric Design Center. |
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Years | Employer | Title | Department |
Years: 1969 to 1971 | Employer: US Army Corp of Engineers | Title: Hydraulic Research Engineer | Department: |
Responsibilities:Research Engineer for the Hydraulic Model Laboratory of the Corps' North Pacific Divsion. |
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Years | Employer | Title | Department |
Years: 1965 to 1969 | Employer: Naval Ordinance Test Station | Title: Naval Underwater Weapons Design Engineer | Department: |
Responsibilities:Design engineer on naval torpedoes. |
Career Accomplishments
Associations / Societies |
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Expert is a member of the Publisher's Advisory Board for "Hydro Review," and a member of the US Department of Energy's Advanced Hydraulic Turbine System Program Technical Committee. |
Licenses / Certifications |
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Expert is a Registered Professional Engineer (Mechanical: Oregon, Washington). |
Awards / Recognition |
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Expert is a member of Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society and member of Phi Kappa Phi Scholastic Honor Society. |
Publications and Patents Summary |
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Expert has published 33 technical papers and coauthored a college-level textbook on hydropower. |
Additional Experience
Expert Witness Experience |
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Expert has been deposed by a federal court in New York as an expert witness relative to his forensic analysis report of a hydraulic turbine failure. He has also prepared other expert reports involving hydroelectric project matters under litigation, which resulted in settlements before trail. In addition, he has served as the owner's witness engineer for the model tests of hydraulic turbines. |
Training / Seminars |
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Expert is presently an Adjunct Professor, where he teaches hydropower engineering, fluid mechanics, hydraulic laboratory, and freshman engineering orientation. He has conducted a number of training seminars in the hydropower field. He is available to conduct training seminars in the mechanical and hydraulic aspects of hydropower engineering. He has been a Guest Lecturer on hydropower technology and has numerous publications in this area. |
Vendor Selection |
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Expert has experience locating vendors of hydraulic turbines, pumps, valves, governors, gates, and related equipment. |
Fields of Expertise
hydroelectric energy system, energy-efficient pumped hydro storage, hydroelectric energy, pumped-hydro energy storage, hydraulic turbine, hydraulics design, turbomachinery, water hammer, hydraulic pressure, penstock, fluid flow measurement, fluid mechanics, hydraulic conduit, hydrostatic pressure, pipe flow, pipe pressure, pressure drop, water pipeline, hydraulic engineering, energy-efficient turbine, energy-efficient turbomachinery, Kaplan hydraulic turbine, electric energy generation, turbomachinery flow, Bernoulli equation, Bernoulli theorem, site development, fluid management, hydraulic pulsation, operational testing, hydraulic fitting, load (force), tension testing, hydroelectric turbine bearing, Electric Power Research Institute, peak shaving, critical speed, alternative energy, Froude number, hydraulic leakage, fluid channel, plant operations management, mechanical stress test, electric power generation equipment, hydraulic actuator, mass flow quantity, mechanical reliability, stratified flow, hydraulic system maintenance, turbulent boundary layer drag reduction, perturbed turbulent boundary layer, turbulent boundary layer, environmental management, plant equipment life evaluation, water supply, fluid flow transient, interfacial fluid mechanics, power generation system, fluid boundary layer, equipment design, electric power utility, mechanical stress, mechanical property testing, licensing, hydraulic test equipment, mechanical test, lake, mixed flow, internal fluid mechanics, construction, generating station, hydraulic structure, mechanical property, fluid flow, water resource, mechanical valve, turbulent flow, surface water, surface tension, river, pipe, pipeline, liquid flow measurement, internal flow, hydromechanics, hydrology, hydraulics, hydraulic valve, hydraulic pump, hydraulic motor, hydraulic jet, friction, flume, fluid power, fluid dynamics, energy engineering, electric power plant, hydraulic cylinder, hydraulic accumulator