Hydraulic sector
OXAND’s expertise in the assessment of the ageing of civil engineering infrastructure, our experience concerning the issues at stake for hydraulic and hydroelectric structures, and our tried and tested risk management methods enable us to ensure our clients’ operational targets are met in terms of the safety, availability, longevity and conformity with regulations of their structures.
In the role of consultant to owners and operators, OXAND provides independent and neutral assistance on questions such as:
OXAND supports owners and operators in the risk management of hydraulic and hydroelectric structures.
Hazard assessment and maintenance strategies
The safety of their installations is a major concern for owners and operators. The ageing of structures is of course an important safety consideration, but other factors must also be taken into account, such as specific components (eg: flood vanes, overspills) and the environment. Hazard assessments and risk analyses must provide an operator with a clear vision of hazards and threats to their installations (flooding for example), in order to maintain the best levels of performance and to define a risk control strategy specific to their requirements.
Oxand offers:
- Reports detailing the operational risks for a structure or installation of structures
- Action plans for the control and management of risks
- Monitoring and reporting of risks and preventative actions
Value added for our clients:
- Knowledge of the vulnerable components and operational risks of an installation
- Guaranteed long-term performance by the prevention of operational risks
- Promotion of the case for the renewing of operational concessions
- Advice on investments to make in the short, medium and long-term
- Transparency and communicability of risk control over time
Example projects:
- Risk analysis associated with spillway functions of dams
- Risk analysis associated with flood overflow pathway for an entire hydroelectric installation
- Risk mapping for the reliability of a flood evacuator system of a dam
- Preventative maintenance of underground waterways by risk analysis
Assessment and forecast of the ageing of infrastructure
Ageing mechanisms represent an inevitable risk for the civil engineering of a hydraulic or hydroelectric installation. Reinforced or prestressed concrete structures, for example, are subject to numerous ageing phenomena linked to the concrete (creep, shrinkage…), the reinforcing steel (corrosion, loss of section…) and the prestressing tendons (loss of tension…). The effective management of these complex and interdependent mechanisms requires a comprehensive expertise based on experience feedback.
Oxand offers:
- Study of the impacts of ageing mechanisms on the availability of a structure
- Identification of key phenomena in terms of impact on the lifespan of a structure
- Diagnosis and forecasting of a structure’s condition and the associated risks
Value added for our clients:
- Optimisation of maintenance and monitoring concerning risks, using a cost/benefit analysis
- Decision-making support to plan and prioritise actions
- Decision-making support on the question: maintain, repair or rebuild?
Example projects:
- Expertise and strategy for the maintenance of water networks