men working on hydraulic dam

What is hydraulic engineering?

engineers reviewing blueprints of construction plan

Hydraulic engineering is a branch of civil engineering that focuses on the flow and conveyance of fluids, principally water. Hydraulic engineers design systems for potable water supply, sewage treatment, irrigation, and hydraulic power. Hydraulic engineers have been instrumental in establishing critical industrial technologies such as large-scale manufacturing, automated high-rise construction, and high-speed ground transportation.

We need hydraulic engineers because hydraulic engineering is all about moving fluids to where they need to be and designing systems that keep them there once we’ve put them there. Hydraulic engineers design transportation systems such as roads, bridges, and pipelines. These hydraulic engineers also engineer water supply systems, including dams, reservoirs, pipelines; hydraulic power systems like hydraulic lifts and elevators; and waste processors.

The infrastructure of every city is built around septic systems and hydraulic engineering; hydraulic engineers are responsible for ensuring that waste is removed from our lives just as quickly as it’s brought into them. Hydraulic engineers are also behind the systems that supply us with drinking water and irrigation for growing our food.

It should not surprise them to learn that hydraulic engineers have built some of the most essential structures in history.

Some of the structures that hydraulic engineers have built are :

  • hydraulic lifts and elevators
  • hydraulic jumps
  • hydraulic hammers, which are used in fracking
  • hydraulic machinery that can be found in almost any building.

Hydraulic engineering is also applied to computer science, robotics, and the internet. Hydraulic engineering may sound like a relatively new field of interest, but it has actually been around.

To become a hydraulic engineer, you need to attend engineering school. However, hydraulic engineering presents many employment opportunities. Hydraulic engineering typically includes three areas of study: hydraulic structures, hydraulic machines, and hydraulic systems. Hydraulic engineering is a highly complex field of interest which means it does take years to master all that you need to know.

So, what does hydraulic engineering entail? What is a hydraulic engineer? These are all outstanding questions.

A hydraulic engineer is someone who has been trained in the design, construction, and maintenance of hydraulic structures, hydraulic machines, and hydraulic systems. A hydraulic engineer works in many different fields such as oil refineries, mining operations, or facilities.
Some other fun facts about hydraulic engineering are, hydraulic engineers are extremely valuable in construction, hydraulic engineering is becoming more prevalent in our everyday lives.

construction crane on top of dam

Now that you know the basics of hydraulic engineering, you will want to learn about some of the different types of hydraulic structures.
The most common type of hydraulic structure is a dam, also known as a hydraulic structure/dam/weir.

A dam is necessary for retaining water. The hydraulic engineers benefit from dams because their hydraulic engineering designs can help store or retrieve necessary water for hydraulic systems.

In some countries, hydraulic engineers are responsible for ensuring the hydraulic aspects of a structured fit with the environmental conditions of an area.

For example, if a hydraulic engineer was working on a dam in an area where floods occurred often, they could make sure that water was channeled correctly and stored.

All hydraulic engineering is essential, but hydraulic engineers working on dams ensure that correctly water and flood management.
Hydraulic engineering has many parts to it, the most basic being hydraulic structures/dams/weirs. In addition, hydraulics can be used in devices such as hydraulic lifts or hydraulic motors.

If you are interested in becoming a hydraulic engineer, then this site is for you! We will be discussing engineering and construction in hydraulic engineering!