Design optimization of an axial turbine and study on its fish passing characteristics

Abstract

In this paper, a new type of helical blade is introduced, which is designed to minimize the damage of hydraulic turbine to fish. The experiments test the damage for fish under different pressure and pressure gradients. Also, the parameters of the helical blade turbine are optimized based on the damage thresholds. The consequent axial flow turbine features double-blades with a pitch of 2600 mm and a blade envelope angle of 540°. To assess the turbine's impact on fish, an overlapping mesh method is used to analyze the degree of damage to the fish during operation. The findings show that, compared to traditional designs, the application of helical blade turbine significantly reduced the exposure and duration of negative pressure, high pressure gradient, and high shear force.