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Research Library
Stay informed about HRI’s work to advance the hydropower industry.
HRI tested an AI-based bearing degradation model developed by Argonne National Lab using hydropower data from the HRI Platform to evaluate whether it could help members identify early signs of declining bearing health.
To help our members stay on top of their bearing health, HRI has completed an analysis of Bearing Failure Signatures, focused on identifying failure signatures in sensor data prior to the occurrence of bearing failures.
Not all generating units are created equal. Different operating conditions lead to variances in lifespan of units, even within a single powerhouse. With the consistent tracking of operational scenarios through use of weighted hours equations, members will be able to assess the impact of specific operational habits and adjust their actions to improve the lifespan of their units.
Understanding why failures occur and their results help hydropower organizations to make more informed decisions about preventative and corrective maintenance. A Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) is a systematic and proactive risk assessment methodology designed to identify and prevent potential failures before they occur.
HRI conducted a joint-utility FMEA in which members were assessed individually and as a group to maximize insights from the analysis.
Representatives from all HRI utilities attended this year’s 2025 HRI Collaboration Forum where we also had presentations from HRI partners. We talked about various HRI projects such as LLM and the Bearing FMEA and discussed ideas for future projects. The results of last year’s use case studies were presented, and we discussed what next steps might be interesting given the results.
HRI developed its first annual report for the 2024 calendar year. Some highlights include:
Learn more and read HRI's annual report here:
HRI developed its annual report for the 2025 calendar year. Some highlights include:
Learn more and read HRI's annual report here:
An HRI member completed an analysis of wicket gate cycling across HRI members. This use case was the 2nd in a long-term analysis meant to gather information about wicket gate cycles and the impact cycling has on the wear and tear of wicket gate bushings, linkages, and operating mechanisms. The results of their analysis have been published and are available to all HRI members.
HRI completed a Large Language Model Project on assigning GADS Cause Codes to outage events using logs and work order notes. The results of the analysis have been published and are available to all HRI members.
An HRI member completed an analysis of dispatching and ramping and how it correlates to unit health. The objective of the use case was to gain a greater understanding of the impacts ramping may have on a unit and if it is directly related to the number of unit outages. The results of their analysis have been published and are available to all HRI members.
An HRI member completed an analysis of stator bar failures. The objective of the use case was to see if deep learning algorithms could be used to identify stator bar anomalies. The results of their analysis have been published and are available to all HRI members.
An HRI member built a neural network, deep learning model to retroactively look for anomalies in the turbine guide bearing leading up to a known issue. The objective of the use case was to identify the variables which effect the turbine guide bearing and to try and create a model that could be used in the future to predict possible bearing issues. The results of their analysis have been published and are available to all HRI members.
An HRI member completed an analysis of stator winding temperatures to create a comparison of their own temperatures per unit compared to an industry average by unit load. The objective of the use case was to gain further understanding about the stator windings and see if the information gained could be used to maximize stator efficiencies. The results of their analysis have been published and are available to all HRI members.
HRI's sixth annual Collaboration Forum.
HRI developed its first annual report for the 2023 calendar year. 2023 was a big year for HRI as it expanded its mission in data, coaching and collaboration for HRI members. Some highlights include:
Learn more and read HRI's annual report here:
HRI's fifth annual Collaboration Forum.
It was great to see everyone in person again at HRI's annual Collaboration Forum.
HRI is thrilled to announce Ontario Power Generation (OPG) has joined our community.
HRI's second remote conference.
HRI is excited to announce New York Power Association (NYPA) has joined our community and our board.
HRI is excited to welcome five National Labs as our newest researchers. Please join us in welcoming researchers: Argonne National Labs (ANL), Pacific Northwest National Labs (PNNL), Oak Ridge National Labs (ORNL), National Renewable Energy Labs (NREL), Idaho National Labs (INL).
A remote conference for hydropower.
HRI is excited to announce the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has joined our community.
HRI is proud to announce the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has joined our community.
HRI is proud to announce Southern Company has joined our community and our board.
HRI is proud to announce Chelan PUD has joined our community and our board.
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