Hydraulic machinery such as turbines and pumps is widely used around the world. Related topics concerning design, operation and maintenance are of relevant interest. In this context, cavitation is a phenomenon to be taken into account, and this was treated in the XVIII IAHR Symposium on Hydraulic Machinery and Cavitation which took place in Valencia, Spain, 16th-19th September, 1996 and which was hosted by the Polytechnic University of Valencia.
The proceedings of the Symposium have been published in two volumes. In this first volume, the papers included cover the following topics:

• Hydraulic Turbines, Analysis and Design
• Hydraulic Pumps
• Hydraulic Elements, Dynamic Characterization and Hydraulic Behaviour
• Cavitation and Sand Erosion
  In the second volume, the papers included cover the following topics:
• Hydraulic Transients and Control Systems Related to Hydraulic Machinery and Plants
• Oscillatory and Vibration Problems in Hydraulic Machinery and Power Stations
• Experimental Investigations related to Hydraulic Machinery and its Applications
• Practical Applications of the Hydraulic Machinery
• Monitoring, Predictive Maintenance and Refurbishment

The 119 papers presented at the Symposium, from research groups, consulting companies and manufacturers, constitute an important collection for investigators, engineers and technicians who are interested in updated information on hydraulic machinery. This book is intended to be a reference text comprising the latest innovations on this subject.