Dam and powerhouse operation sustainability is a major concern from the hydraulic engineering perspective. Powerhouse operation is one of the main sources of vibrations in the dam structure and hydropower plant; thus, the evaluation of turbine performance at different water pressures is important for determining the sustainability of the dam body. Draft tube turbines run under high pressure and suffer from connection problems, such as vibrations and pressure fluctuation. Reducing the pressure fluctuation and minimizing the principal stress caused by undesired components of water in the draft tube turbine are ongoing problems that must be resolved. Here, we conducted a comprehensive review of studies performed on dams, powerhouses, and turbine vibration, focusing on the vibration of two turbine units: Kaplan and Francis turbine units. The survey covered several aspects of dam types (e.g., rock and concrete dams), powerhouse analysis, turbine vibrations, and the relationship between dam and hydropower plant sustainability and operation. The current review covers the related research on the fluid mechanism in turbine units of hydropower plants, providing a perspective on better control of vibrations. Thus, the risks and failures can be better managed and reduced, which in turn will reduce hydropower plant operation costs and simultaneously increase the economical sustainability. Several research gaps were found, and the literature was assessed to provide more insightful details on the studies surveyed. Numerous future research directions are recommended.
With increasing population, the need for research ideas on the field of reducing wastage of water can save a big amount of water, money, time, and energy. Water leakage (WL) is an essential problem in the field of water supply field. This research is focused on real water loss in the water distribution system located in Ethiopia. Top-down and bursts and background estimates (BABE) methodology is performed to assess the data and the calibration process of the WL variables. The top-down method assists to quantify the water loss by the record and observation throughout the distribution network. In addition, the BABE approach gives a specific water leakage and burst information. The geometrical mean method is used to forecast the population up to 2023 along with their fiscal value by the uniform tariff method. With respect to the revenue lost, 42575 Br and 42664 Br or in 1562$ and 1566$ were lost in 2017 and 2018, respectively. The next five-year population was forecasted to estimate the possible amount of water to be saved, which was about 549,627 m3 and revenue 65,111$ to make the system more efficient. The results suggested that the majority of losses were due to several components of the distribution system including pipe-joint failure, relatively older age pipes, poor repairing and maintenance of water taps, pipe joints and shower taps, negligence of the consumer and unreliable water supply. As per the research findings, recommendations were proposed on minimizing water leakage.