2022 WPC Woman of Waterpower Award Winner
Christine Monette
Powering Progress in Turbine R&D
Christine Monette graduated in mechanical engineering from Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal in 2002 and obtained a master degree in fluid-structure interaction in 2003 also from Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal.
She worked 2 years as research associate and structure dynamic analyst before joining GE Hydro in 2005 as a mechanical engineer in the analysis group. While performing finite element analysis of all the main turbine components, she also worked with the R&D group to develop the prediction tools for the Francis runner rotor-stator dynamic stress prediction, a destructive phenomenon appearing in modern, high-energy density, hydro turbine. She was then responsible for programming the tool and validating it using prototype strain gauge measurements. After Andritz acquisition of GE Hydro in 2008, she participated to the harmonization of the runner stress prediction method and tool in the new global organization.
From 2012, she continued working in R&D for the dynamic stress prediction while the new challenges rising were related to deep part load conditions with intermittent vortices and the transient dynamic stresses during turbine start-ups. These topics are of great interest for equipment durability while the hydroelectric turbines are required to increase their operating range to act as peaking units to equilibrate intermittent energy supply of new energy sources such as solar and wind. Today these breakthrough research enable integration of additional green energy to the production mixt, playing a key role to global warming challenge.
She contributed to many publications on these subjects with her colleagues and presented in many conferences such as IAHR, CEATI and Waterpower Canada conferences. She also directed some master and PhD thesis through university collaborations.
She was nominated Team Leader of the mechanical analysis group of Montreal office in 2014. Her team has grown in members and in skills through the years and is offering highly advanced analysis services to worldwide Andritz customers. She participated in the elaboration of several internal Andritz design rules and was nominated as one of the 25 Andritz Global Turbine Principal Engineer in 2019. Since 2019, she is also an expert member of the IEC group working on the turbine runner fatigue life prediction.
She wishes to continue her contribution in Hydroelectric Turbine R&D in the years to come to improve the reliability and the durability of our hydroelectric equipment. She lives in Laval, Quebec, with her spouse and their three children.
