EGB371 Engineering Hydraulics

Unit Outline: Semester 1 2026, Gardens Point, Internal

Overview

Hydraulic engineering is a prominent field of civil engineering that focuses on design, construction, operation and maintenance of infrastructure including dams, pumping stations, water and wastewater treatment plants, water distribution systems and sewer collection systems. Hydraulic engineers use knowledge and skills bases that you will learn in this unit to meet stakeholders' needs. You will learn about the engineering applications of water and other fluids through pipe flow, energy loss in pipes, pipe systems, water distribution systems and open channel flow hydraulics. You will further develop your professional skills in communication and engineering teamwork. This unit draws upon your learning in EGB123 Civil Engineering Systems and EGB124 Engineering for the Environment. EGH471 Advanced Water Engineering will build upon this unit.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:

1. Solve hydraulic engineering pipe flow and fluid systems problems theoretically at a developed level.
2. Model the behaviour of a hydraulic engineering system using a computational approach including Generative AI at a developed level.
3. Perform a laboratory practical task to analyse the behaviour of a hydraulic engineering system at a developed level.
4. Contribute to a hydraulic engineering assessment, with evidence of working on agreed tasks as a team member, at an introduced level.
5. Compose a technical report of a hydraulic engineering project that adheres to a template at an introduced level.

Content

Learning Approaches

In this unit you can expect to experience the following timetabled activities

• Formal lectures (2h per week) from experienced professional civil engineers to give you insight into knowledge, skills, and attributes. This unit utilizes several design manuals and guidelines, including the Moody charts for pipe designs, industry relevant pump selection manual, pump characteristic charts/manuals. These resources are standard and highly relevant for civil engineering practitioners.  Emphasis will be given to sustainability in civil engineering systems. You have the opportunity to ask questions during these lectures.
• Tutorial classes (2h per week) will give you the opportunity to work collaboratively with your peers to solve problems. They will be facilitated by tutors and will provide an opportunity to test your understanding and gain feedback on your work.
• Two hydraulic laboratories (2h per semester) focused on pipe friction and pump performance. These labs provide students with practical experience operating a full pipe system, strengthening their understanding of fundamental hydraulic processes, measurement techniques, and real-world system behaviour. Working in small groups, students collect data under varied operating conditions, perform calculations, generate graphical analyses, and interpret their results. They then apply this understanding to a real-world problem-solving task and present their work in a group report.
• Computer lab sessions (6h per semester) using EPANET software and Workshops (Assignment Practice Sessions) (3h per semester) to provide preparation for Assessment 2.

These activities will be detailed by week of semester on the unit schedule.

At the beginning of the unit, you will be made aware of the ways in which you can ask questions or seek clarification from the unit coordinator, lecturers, and tutors/ demonstrators.

You are expected to:

• Engage with timetabled learning activities on campus and ask questions.
• Engage with online resources outside of timetabled learning activities. They will be available on the unit Canvas site. You will receive regular email announcements regarding the release of these resources.
• Consult with your group while preparing your individual laboratory report.
• While there will be time during timetabled tutorial classes, you will also need to undertake independent work outside of that time to complete assessment tasks, including for areas of individual responsibility.
• Prepare for learning activities according to the unit schedule, and follow up on any work not completed.
• Complete assessment tasks by working consistently and meeting the due dates that are published via the unit Canvas site.

Feedback on Learning and Assessment

During tutorial classes, you will share your formative ideas for your assessments and you will receive feedback from your tutor. As a member of an effective group you will share the outcomes of your laboratory task with your tutor for marking and feedback. You are encouraged to view your group as a learning community and to share and discuss emergent ideas about hydraulic engineering and your understandings of civil engineering professional practice. Each assessment submission will be graded against criteria and standards that will be shared with you at the beginning of semester through Assessment Task Descriptions and Marking Rubrics. Marked assessment will include feedback given by the markers against the criteria.

Assessment

Overview

Assessment in this unit has been designed to give you the opportunity to show your learning against the unit learning outcomes. You will work as a member of an effective group to prepare and submit a laboratory report and a design project during the semester. In each of these assessments you will deploy work practices that align to civil engineering professional practice (such as project management). You will sit an examination individually during the central examination period at the end of semester, where you will show your overall learning in the unit.

Unit Grading Scheme

7- point scale

Assessment Tasks

Assessment: Laboratory Practical

You will work as a member of an effective group to undertake a laboratory practical that demonstrates your development of knowledge and skills bases in hydraulic engineering. You will communicate your work as a group in a technical report that adheres to a template.  The report must include a one-page individual contribution statement from each group member. 

Attendance for laboratory practicals is compulsory. 

This assignment is eligible for the 48-hour late submission period and assignment extensions.

The ethical and responsible use of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools is authorised in this assessment. See the relevant assessment details in Canvas for specific guidelines.

Assessment: Design Report

You will collaborate as a team to undertake a water distribution network design project for a given community. The project consists of three work plans: WP1 – data collection, WP2 – manual calculation of design parameters, and WP3 – network design and optimisation using EPANET software. The outcomes of these activities will be presented collectively in a group Design Report. The report must also include a one-page individual contribution statement from each group member. 

This assignment is eligible for the 48-hour late submission period and assignment extensions.

The ethical and responsible use of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools is authorised in this assessment. See the relevant assessment details in Canvas for specific guidelines.

Assessment: Invigilated Written Examination

You will be required to solve problems about fundamental principles, design, and analysis of hydraulic engineering systems that covered in lectures, tutorials, and other learning activities.

The use of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools is prohibited during this assessment.

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a commitment to undertaking academic work and assessment in a manner that is ethical, fair, honest, respectful and accountable.

The Academic Integrity Policy sets out the range of conduct that can be a failure to maintain the standards of academic integrity. This includes, cheating in exams, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion and contract cheating. It also includes providing fraudulent or altered documentation in support of an academic concession application, for example an assignment extension or a deferred exam.

You are encouraged to make use of QUT’s learning support services, resources and tools to assure the academic integrity of your assessment. This includes the use of text matching software that may be available to assist with self-assessing your academic integrity as part of the assessment submission process.

Breaching QUT’s Academic Integrity Policy or engaging in conduct that may defeat or compromise the purpose of assessment can lead to a finding of student misconduct (Code of Conduct – Student) and result in the imposition of penalties under the Management of Student Misconduct Policy, ranging from a grade reduction to exclusion from QUT.

Resources

Resource Materials

Reference book(s)

Douglas, J. F., Gasiorek, J. M., Swaffield, J. A., & Jack, L. B. (2011). Fluid mechanics (6th ed.). Pearson.

Stasinopoulos, P., Smith, M., Hargroves, K. and Desha, C. 2008. Whole System Design: An Integrated Approach to Sustainable Engineering, The Natural Edge Project, Earthscan, London. (Freely available online at:http://www.naturaledgeproject.net/Whole_System_Design.aspx)

Software

EPANET is public domain software used throughout the world to model water distribution systems. It can be freely downloaded from the website below:

 https://www.epa.gov/water-research/epanet

Risk Assessment Statement

You will undertake lectures and tutorials in the traditional classrooms and lecture theatres of QUT. You will follow all legitimate instructions of staff in accordance with QUT workplace health and safety requirements. 

You are required to have completed a valid Undergraduate Health, Safety and Environment Induction course. You shall not enter laboratories without the Lab Manager’s or responsible tutor’s approval.  In any laboratory practicals you will be advised of requirements of safe and responsible behaviour and you are required to wear appropriate protective items (e.g. covered shoes or steel capped shoes and eye protection where required).

Course Learning Outcomes

EN01 Bachelor of Engineering (Honours)

1. Engage stakeholders professionally and communicate the outcomes of your work effectively to expert and non-expert audiences using appropriate modes.
   Relates to: ULO5, Laboratory Practical, Design Report
2. Display leadership, creativity, and initiative in both self-directed and collaborative contexts of professional engineering practice.
   Relates to: ULO4, Laboratory Practical, Design Report
3. Engage with and apply regulatory requirements relating to safety, risk management, and sustainability in professional engineering practice.
   Relates to: ULO3, Laboratory Practical, Invigilated Written Examination
4. Demonstrate coherent knowledge and skills of physical, mathematical, statistical, computer, and information sciences that are fundamental to professional engineering practice.
   Relates to: ULO2, Design Report, Invigilated Written Examination
5. Demonstrate a thorough understanding of one engineering discipline, its research directions, and its application in contemporary professional engineering practice.
   Relates to: ULO1, Laboratory Practical, Invigilated Written Examination