Voith and DLR Deploy AI-Driven AutoOpti to Boost Water Turbine Efficiency and Cut Development Time

Voith and DLR Deploy AI-Driven AutoOpti to Boost Water Turbine Efficiency and Cut Development Time

(IN BRIEF) Voith and the DLR Institute of Propulsion Technology have teamed up to apply AI-driven optimization to water turbine design using DLR’s AutoOpti platform. By coupling real turbine geometries with automated CFD, surrogate modeling, and design evaluation, the project slashes development time while improving hydraulic efficiency and mechanical resilience. Early results on a Francis turbine show significant performance gains. Next steps include scaling optimization to more components, exploring other Voith lines, and integrating advanced DNN surrogates like FlowFormer. This collaboration underscores a shift toward digital, multidisciplinary workflows in hydropower R&D.

(PRESS RELEASE) HEIDENHEIM/KÖLN, 11-Jul-2025 — /EuropaWire/ — Voith, a global leader in hydropower plant manufacturing, has partnered with the DLR Institute of Propulsion Technology to revolutionize water turbine design through advanced AI-assisted optimization. This collaboration harnesses DLR’s AutoOpti multidisciplinary optimization platform to accelerate development of turbine runners, guide vanes, and other flow components—boosting efficiency, reducing hydraulic losses, and lowering mechanical stress far more rapidly than traditional methods.

Hydropower operators increasingly demand turbines that deliver peak performance, extended lifespans, and uncompromising safety under tighter economic and regulatory constraints. By embedding real Voith geometries and operating conditions into AutoOpti, engineers automate design generation, CFD simulation, and evaluation against targets such as hydraulic efficiency and structural robustness. Gaussian Process surrogates dramatically cut the number of costly flow simulations, enabling systematic exploration of the design space at unprecedented speed.

Early trials on a Francis turbine demonstrated notable efficiency gains across multiple operating points at constant flow rates, while surrogate models trained on high-fidelity CFD data were seamlessly integrated into the workflow. Building on these successes, the partners plan to extend AutoOpti to additional turbine components and explore its application to other Voith product lines. DLR supports Voith through technical workshops, bespoke training, and integration guidance, with long-term aims to establish a sustained development partnership.

DLR is also pioneering deep neural network methods—such as its transformer-based FlowFormer—to directly approximate 3D flow behavior and further accelerate surrogate modeling. Together, Voith and DLR are setting a new standard for digital, data-driven turbine innovation that meets the evolving demands of sustainable energy production.

About the Voith Group
The Voith Group is a global technology company. With its broad portfolio of systems, products, services and digital applications, Voith sets standards in the markets of energy, paper, raw materials and transport & automotive. Founded in 1867, the company today has around 22,000 employees, sales of € 5.2 billion and locations in over 60 countries worldwide and is thus one of the larger family-owned companies in Europe.

About Voith Hydro
The Group Division Voith Hydro is part of the Voith Group and a leading full-line supplier as well as trusted partner for equipping hydropower plants. Voith develops customized, long-term solutions and services for large and small hydro plants all over the world. Its portfolio of products and services covers the entire life cycle and all major components for large and small hydro plants, from generators, turbines, pumps and automation systems, right through to spare parts, maintenance and training services, and digital solutions for intelligent hydropower.

Media Contact:

Mirjam Sander & Julia Schäfer
Head of Communications Voith Hydro
Tel: +49 7321 37-9751

SOURCE: Voith