BQCIS

Assuring Safety and Efficiency in Water-Powered Assets

Hydropower infrastructure—including dams, tunnels, penstocks, and turbines—requires continuous assessment to ensure safe, sustainable operation. Structural deterioration, cavitation, and instrumentation faults can severely affect plant reliability and output.

BQCIS Hydropower Projects provides full-scope verification services combining civil, mechanical, and electrical expertise. We conduct structural audits, dam safety inspections, and turbine efficiency testing aligned with IEC 60041 and international dam safety standards.

Our multi-disciplinary teams integrate NDT techniques (ultrasonic, GPR), vibration diagnostics, and instrument calibration to give operators precise insight into asset performance and long-term stability.

Key Verification Activities

Turbine Efficiency & Performance Testing

We measure water flow, head, and power output under IEC 60041 methodology to validate turbine performance. Regular testing detects losses due to cavitation, sediment wear, or hydraulic imbalance, ensuring maximum conversion efficiency and plant uptime.

Dam & Structural Integrity Audits

Using Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) such as ultrasonic pulse velocity and Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR), we assess dam foundations, spillways, and intake gates for voiding, cracking, and corrosion. All safety instrumentation—including piezometers and displacement sensors—is verified and recalibrated to ensure full compliance with national dam safety regulations.

Key Benefits of Hydropower Verification

Reliability

Optimized Turbine Efficiency

Performance testing identifies inefficiencies and flow losses, ensuring every cubic meter of water yields maximum energy output.

Safety

Enhanced Structural Safety

Comprehensive dam audits prevent failures by detecting hidden voids, cracks, or leakage early in the deterioration cycle.

Compliance

Regulatory Compliance

Meets IEC 60041 and national dam authority requirements for relicensing, operational safety, and risk management.

Longevity

Extended Asset Life

Routine verification and NDT allow targeted rehabilitation, extending the operating lifespan of civil and mechanical systems.

Success Story

Structural Audit Detects Foundation Voiding in a 50-Year-Old Dam

The Challenge:

A national hydroelectric authority needed a full-scope safety audit before license renewal for an aging 120 MW dam facility. Decades of service raised concerns about internal concrete degradation and voiding within the dam base.

Our Solution:

BQCIS used ultrasonic pulse velocity and GPR scanning to map concrete density variations and detect subsurface anomalies. Structural analysis was combined with instrument data review to assess stress conditions and seepage potential.

The Result:

Several void zones were located within the gravity section, leading to targeted foundation grouting. The final audit secured government safety re-certification and avoided potential multi-million-dollar reconstruction.

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