About

Dr. Christophe Nicolet is Chairman and CEO of Hydropower Dynamics Engineering SA, HDE, in St-Sulpice, Switzerland. He is also external lecturer at Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, EPFL, in the field of “Hydroacoustic for Hydropower Plants” for Mechanical Engineering at Master Degree. He obtained a Bachelor of Science from University of Applied Science in Geneva in 1997, and then he obtained Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering EPFL in 2001 and obtained his PhD degree in 2007 at the EPFL Laboratory for Hydraulic Machines in the field of hydroelectric transients modeling. In 2007 he founded HDE and since then, he provides consulting and expertise in the fields of hydraulic and electric transient analysis, power plant system stability, control system optimization, ancillary services capability optimization. With more than 25 years of experience in the field of hydraulic machinery and transients, he was involved in more than 20 Pumped Storage projects ranging from feasibility study, detailed design, commissioning to troubleshooting in Switzerland and abroad. He is also working group member of IEC-TC4-WG33 on pressure fluctuations transposition, of WG42 on waterway safety devices and co-convenor of WG36 on hydraulic transient analysis and which elaborated the IEC TS63111, Ed1, 2025, “Hydraulic turbines, storage pumps and pump-turbines – Hydraulic transient analysis, design considerations and testing”.

Career Type:

Manager/Administrator

Organization Type:

Companies and Enterprises

Expertise Fields/Interests:

- Hydroacoustic modelling - Water hammer and hydraulic transient calculation - SIMSEN simulation software distribution, training, support and maintenance - Transient phenomena in hydroelectric power plants - Hydro unit grid code compliance - Hydraulic machines dynamic behavior and pressure fluctuations - Turbine governor parameter optimisation for primary, secondary control - Stability analysis for isolated grid operation - Power generation optimization - Didactic hydropower plant simulators - Hydraulic transient and hydropower plant dynamics teaching

Major Achievements: