Analysis and hydraulic design of dams, with their spillways and associated outlet works, often require a wide range of studies. These may include outlet/spillway capacity and stage-discharge analyses, energy dissipation performance, fish passage, total dissolved gas (TDG) abatement, sediment accumulation and bypass, hydrologic analysis of design and dam safety floods, dam break analysis, and decommissioning of obsolete structures.

NHC’s specialists apply a range of tools to evaluate dams, spillways, and outlet works. Physical models of spillway structures have been developed in our hydraulic laboratories for over 40 years. We often use advanced numerical methods, including 3D Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) models, to provide a preliminary evaluation of spillway capacity and energy dissipation. Studies involving downstream effects, fish passage, and total dissolved gas often rely on NHC’s multidisciplinary expertise in river morphology, sedimentation, and fisheries engineering.

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