Author(s): Ruben Tutzer, barbara brinkmeier, Markus Aufleger, bernhard zeiringer, Simon Führer, Gunther Unfer

Linked Author(s): barbara brinkmeier, Markus Aufleger, bernhard zeiringer, Günther Unfer

Keywords: Sustainable Hydropower; Fish Protection; Fish Migration; Fish Behavior; Ethohydraulic Experiments;

Abstract: A new, integral fish protection system for medium to large sized hydropower plants, which combines the advantages of a physical and a behavioral barrier, is introduced in this paper. The FishProtector is based on horizontally arranged steel cables. These are installed in front of the turbine inlet in a way that fish are protected and guided to a bypass system. At the same time, the cables are used as electrodes to create an electric field in the adjacent waterbody. The fish protection efficiency as well as the guiding efficiency of the system were quantified and assessed in ethohydraulic experiments for various potamodromous species. Further, the behavior of fish in close proximity to the FishProtector was observed and classified using underwater cameras. The results of the ethohydraulic experiments show, that the electric field around the steel cables acts as a behavioral barrier causing very high fish protection rates and enables a larger spacing between individual cables while maintaining the fish protection rates. Further, fish are guided along the FishProtector, showing a typical behavior pattern in close proximity to the hybrid barrier. Verified by a huge number of empirical data, the knowledge stock in terms of downstream fish migration and fish behavior in close proximity to a barrier could be increased.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3850/38WC092019-0230

Year: 2019