ESR07 - Hydrodynamics of fish at hydraulic structures: scale modelling and similarity principles

Host Institution: UNIPD - Università degli Studi di Padova

The research is mainly focused on hydrodynamic variables effecting on fish swimming capabilities and behavior. The study addresses controlled turbulent flows in fishways, like vertical vlot fishways,  to analyze numerically the impact of different configurations on fish swimming cost. At this stage some 2D and 3D simulations have been carried out. The simulations have been validated with experimental data available. The aim of the research in a long term is also to address low head power hydropower plants such as Water Wheels and Archimedean Screws. In this sense and based on the available literature, an Eulerian Lagrangian Agent Based Model (ELAM) was developed to predict the trajectories of a fish particle in a 2D computational domain. The solver uses as input fish swimming performance indicators such as Critical Swimming Speed, and preferred turbulent values such as Turbulent Kinetic Energy. This makes the tool multitargeted species and widely applicable. Once the model is validated, it is expected to assess the energy cost of fish upstream migration in different vertical slot fishway configurations and the decompression that fish experience when choose turbine paths. The main result, the ELAM – CFD solver, will be expected to provide a useful tool for designers to best dimension the structure for good fish passage efficiency. As a second stage of the research, small scale simulations of fish – fluid interaction will be coupled with the ELAM model to address, in larger scales, forces which fish physically experience while swimming upstream.

Secondment period (to be confirmed): Expected duration: 5 months; Hosting institutions: CBAR (Consorzio di Bonifica Acque Risorgive - Venezia, Italy), IGB (Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries - Berlin, Germany)