One of the most cost-effective and environmentally sound methods of developing hydropower is through the uprating of hydroelectric turbines. In many countries hydroelectric dams have turbines that ...are approaching their expected service life, with plans underway to install replacement turbines that are expected to improve fish passage survival. To validate these improvements, there is a need to develop a baseline hydraulic characterization of existing Kaplan turbines. An autonomous sensor device known as the Sensor Fish was deployed at Ice Harbor Dam to characterize the hydraulics under different operating conditions. Nadir pressures varied by operating condition, with values decreasing with operating power (144–106 kPaA). Pressure changes during turbine passage varied by operating condition, with values increasing with operating power (311–344 kPa). There were slightly more significant events (acceleration ≥95G) in the stay vane/wicket gate region than the runner region. Rotational velocity data were similar between operating conditions. Sensor Fish data amassed during field studies in similar turbines were used for comparison. This study offers critical insights into the biological performance of large Kaplan turbines and provides vital information that can be used to make informed decisions that lead to additional design or operational improvements.
•Sensor Fish data collected in a large Kaplan turbine at Ice Harbor Dam.•Nadir pressure and rotational velocity were lowest among turbines compared.•Severe acceleration events were similar among the turbines compared.•Data provides insight into the biological performance of large Kaplan turbines.•Data provides information that can lead to further design/operational improvements.
To acquire 3-D tracking data on juvenile salmonids, Juvenile Salmon Acoustic Telemetry System (JSATS) cabled hydrophone arrays were deployed in the forebays of two dams on the Snake River and at a ...mid-reach reservoir between the dams. The depth distributions of fish were estimated by statistical analyses performed on large 3-D tracking data sets from ~33,500 individual acoustic tagged yearling and subyearling Chinook salmon and juvenile steelhead at the two dams in 2012 and subyearling Chinook salmon at the two dams and the mid-reach reservoir in 2013. This research investigated the correlation between vertical migration behavior and passage routes. The depth distributions of fish within the forebays of the dams were significantly different from fish passing the mid-reach reservoir. Fish residing deeper in the forebay tended to pass the dam using deeper powerhouse routes. This difference in depth distributions indicated that the depth distribution of fish at the mid-reach reservoir was not related to behaviors of fish passing through certain routes of the adjacent dams. For fish that were detected deeper than 17.5 m in the forebays, the probability of powerhouse passage (i.e., turbine) increased significantly. Another important finding was the variation in depth distributions during dam passage associated with the diel period, especially the crepuscular periods.
Evaluating fish behavior and migration in response to environmental changes is a fundamental component of fisheries research and recovery of freshwater ecosystems. While spatial distribution and ...behavior of fishes has been well studied around hydropower facilities, little research has been conducted at a mid-reach location between two dams. The Juvenile Salmon Acoustic Telemetry System (JSATS) cabled receiver system was developed and employed as a reference sensor network for detecting and tracking juvenile salmon in the Columbia River Basin. To supplement acquisition of detection and three-dimensional (3-D) tracking data to estimate survival and fish behavior in the forebays of Little Goose and Lower Monumental dams on the Snake River in eastern Washington State, a mid-reach location was needed to investigate the spatial distribution of migrating juvenile salmon in open-water conditions between the two dams. Lyons Ferry Bridge on State Route 261 at the confluence of the Snake and Palouse Rivers was chosen as the mid-reach location. A JSATS-cabled receiver system configuration was successfully designed and deployed from the bridge's pier structure. Theoretical analysis confirmed the functionality and precision of the deployment design. Validation tests demonstrated sub-meter accuracy of 3-D tracking up to a horizontal distance of 50m upstream and downstream from the Lyons Ferry Bridge piers. Detection and tracking probabilities of the LFB cabled array were estimated to be 99.98% from field application. This research provided a detailed description of acoustic telemetry system deployment and 3-D tracking as guidance for better understanding of fish migration behavior as they pass through dams and continue downstream through the river between dams.
Little is known about the three-dimensional depth distributions in rivers of individually marked fish that are in close proximity to hydropower facilities. Knowledge of the depth distributions of ...fish approaching dams can be used to understand how vulnerable fish are to injuries such as barotrauma as they pass through dams. To predict the possibility of barotrauma injury caused by pressure changes during turbine passage, it is necessary to understand fish behaviour relative to acclimation depth in dam forebays as they approach turbines. A guiding study was conducted using high-resolution three-dimensional tracking results of salmonids implanted with Juvenile Salmon Acoustic Telemetry System transmitters to investigate the depth distributions of subyearling and yearling Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) and juvenile steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) passing two dams on the Snake River in Washington State. Multiple approaches were evaluated to describe the depth at which fish were acclimated, and statistical analyses were performed on large data sets extracted from ∼28 000 individually tagged fish during 2012 and 2013. Our study identified patterns of depth distributions of juvenile salmonids in forebays prior to passage through turbines or juvenile bypass systems. This research indicates that the median depth at which juvenile salmonids approached turbines ranged from 2.8 to 12.2 m, with the depths varying by species/life history, year, location (which dam) and diel period (between day and night). One of the most enlightening findings was the difference in dam passage associated with the diel period. The amount of time that turbine-passed fish spent in the immediate forebay prior to entering the powerhouse was much lower during the night than during the day. This research will allow scientists to understand turbine-passage survival better and enable them to assess more accurately the effects of dam passage on juvenile salmon survival.
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