Applied hydraulics is a division of engineering that applies principles of liquid mechanics and hydraulics to the fiscal development of water supply. Although problems are associated with the use of other liquids, such as oils – these are at times also included in applied hydraulics.

A number of systems of storage usually must be provided for water supply – these include dams, diversion works, spillways as well as energy dissipaters. Water must be conveyed to its point of use; therefore, systems have to be provided for the drainage of used or excess water, which will always involve the use of hydraulic machinery as well as accurate measuring devices.

South Africa’s water supply:

Water is vital for our survival; that is why every drop needs to be used sparingly. South Africa’s freshwater resources will be exhausted by 2030 unless we make an effort to use water more responsibly; this is according to the Council for Scientific Research’s recent report. We need to start thinking a little outside the box and treat water as a resource that has to be protected.

Some of South Africa’s dams that store water:

  • Because SA has so little water, various water-storage and distribution projects have been created; the Gariep Dam in the Free State can store 5 340 000 megalitres of water ( 1 megalitre = 1 million litres). This water mass is spread over 340 sq km and the dam wall is 88 m high.
  • The Tugela-Vaal Water Scheme which was completed in 1974 supplies Gauteng with water through a series of dams, canals and pipes.
  • In 1986 SA and Lesotho concluded an agreement for a major project to divert water from the Lesotho Maluti Mountain Range to the Vaal River catchment area.
  • The Lesotho Highlands Water Project involved building a series of tunnels and dams to transport water from Lesotho to Gauteng, where most of South Africa’s industries are based.
  • Suffice to say, in each application, hydraulic machinery is used to move the water from one location to the next.
  • The more common uses of water are for domestic, industrial, agricultural (including irrigation), power, sanitation, navigation, flood control, recreation and maintenance of marine life.
  • Any hydraulic project requires machinery. Machinery to control and regulate flow usually consists of gates and valves. Hydraulic pumps are used to add energy to flow while turbines subtract energy from the system by converting it into other forms such as mechanical or electric energy.

Hydraulics and Water machinery plays a vital part in the lives of all South Africans and is used in a multitude of applications.