China’s 8th National Hydraulics and Hydroinformatics Conference was kicked off in Xichang, southwest China’s Sichuan Province, on August 24, 2017, attracting 274 delegates from 62 scientific research and design entities, universities and colleges, consultative and management departments and enterprises across China; 84 of them had made technical reports on topics of engineering hydraulics, hydroinformatics, environmental hydraulics and ecological hydraulics.
First held in 2003, the conference is held every other year jointly by the Hydraulic Engineering Committee of China Society for Hydropower Engineering (CSHE), which is hosted at IWHR, the Hydraulics Committee of Chinese Hydraulic Engineering Society (CHES), and International Association of Hydro-Environment Research and Engineering (IAHR) China Chapter, which is also hosted at IWHR. This year, the conference is organized by IWHR together with Yalong River Hydropower Development Company, Ltd., Sichuan University and Southwest University of Science and Technology.
The opening ceremony was presided over by Vice President Peng Jing. Chen Yunhua (General Manager Assistant of State Development & Investment Corp., General Manager of Yalong River Hydropower Development Company, Ltd.), Yuan Baisong (Vice Executive Chairman and Secretary General of CSHE), Liu Yongfeng (Deputy Secretary General of CHES) and Liu Zhiping (Vice President of IWHR, Chairman of the Hydraulic Engineering Committee of CSHE, Chairman of IAHR China Chapter) attended and addressed the opening ceremony.
Vice President Liu Zhiping indicated in his address that the conference served as a platform where those engaged in hydraulic research could exchange achievements and experience and conduct discussions for future development. It had received a warm response and extensive support from Chinese scientists, engineers, teachers and students in the water conservancy and hydropower sector, and helped to facilitate the development of the disciplines of hydraulics and hydroinformatics.
General Manager Chen Yunhua elaborated on the strategic position of hydropower in China’s national energy development, briefed on the current status of hydropower development of the Yalong River Basin and the technical difficulties and innovations in the process of the construction of Jinping I and II hydropower stations, and pointed out the recent work focus and future development direction of Yalong River Hydropower Development Company, Ltd.
Secretary General Yuan Baisong said China had attained world-leading level for the comprehensive strength of hydropower, especially in the construction of 200m-300m high dams, the development and construction of gigawatt-level hydropower generating units and the construction of underground powerhouse complexes. These achievements couldn’t have been obtained without the research and hard work of water resources and hydropower engineers.
Deputy Secretary General Liu Yongfeng affirmed highly the effort of the Hydraulic Engineering Committee, indicating that it has helped evidently to promote the development of the discipline by organizing high-level, comprehensive academic activities, and the conference was an excellent and brand event of CHES. He hoped all people would strengthen exchange, achieve progress jointly, and make new contributions to accelerating the reform of water conservancy.
Present at the opening ceremony also included Deputy Secretary General Chen Dongping of CSHE, Deputy General Manager Wu Shiyong of Yalong River Hydropower Development Company, Ltd. and other officials and experts. In addition, 6 deputy directors of the special committee, including Chen Yongcan, Su Xianglin, Zhang Yongliang, Li Kefeng, Huang Guobing and Sun Shuangke, also attended the conference.
The keynote report was presided over by President Chen Yongcan of Southwest University of Science and Technology. Deputy General Manager Wu Shiyong of Yalong River Hydropower Development Company, Ltd., Deputy Chief Engineer Zhou Zhong of Chengdu Engineering Corporation Limited and Director Chen Qiuwen of Eco-Environmental Research Center of Nanjing Hydraulic Research Institute were invited to give a keynote lecture respectively, introducing the clean energy development in the Yalong River Basin and the construction of Jinping project, the key technologies for the flood-releasing and energy dissipation and protection of the complex of Jinping I hydropower station, and the cellular automaton method of eco-hydraulic simulation. Subsequently, exchanges were conducted in the parallel sessions of engineering hydraulics, hydroinformatics, environmental hydraulics and ecological hydraulics. Totally 35 technical staff and postgraduates of IWHR’s Department of Hydraulics, Department of Water Environment, Department of Water Resources, Research Center on Flood and Drought Disaster Reduction and Department of Irrigation and Drainage took part in the exchanges, and 2 experts presided over the parallel sessions. An English session was arranged in particular for young scholars, presided over by IWHR expert.
During the conference, Hydraulic Engineering Committee held an annual meeting to summarize their work over the past year and propose work focus for next year and future development direction. IAHR China Chapter held the 4th Meeting of the 4th Executive Committee and the Student Chapter Meeting.
The conference received 172 papers and abstracts, 99 of which were included into the officially published proceedings “Advance in Hydraulics and Hydroinformatics in China 2017”, and another 50 papers were recommended to such academic periodicals as Journal of Hydraulic Engineering, Water Resources and Hydropower Engineering, Journal of China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, South-to-North Water Transfers and Water Science & Technology, and China Flood & Drought Management.
Representatives present at the conference had heated discussions on the latest research progress in hydraulics and hydroinformatics over the past two years, forming a good academic atmosphere and achieving satisfying results of communication. IWHR experts participated in the report and talked in every session.
Besides, representatives also investigated the construction and operation of the world’s highest arch dam -- Jinping I Hydropower Station during the congress.
