Abstract
In Austria, more than a half of all electricity is produced with the help of hydropower plants. To reduce their ecological impact, dams are being equipped with fish passages that support connectivity of habitats of riverine fish species, contributing to hydropower sustainability. The efficiency of fish passages is being constantly monitored and improved. Since the likelihood of fish passages to be discovered by fish depends, inter alia, on flow conditions near their entrances, these conditions have to be monitored as well. In this study, we employ large-scale particle image velocimetry (LSPIV) in seeded flow conditions to analyse images of the area near a fish passage entrance, captured with the help of a ready-to-fly consumer drone. We apply LSPIV to short image sequences and test different LSPIV interrogation area sizes and correlation methods. The study demonstrates that LSPIV based on ensemble correlation yields velocities that are in good agreement with the reference values regarding both magnitude and flow direction. Therefore, this non-intrusive methodology has a potential to be used for flow monitoring near fish passages on a regular basis, enabling timely reaction to undesired changes in flow conditions when possible.
Highlights
As a form of energy, electricity is of strategic importance for industries, businesses and homes
We identified the cells in the exported dense velocity field, which corresponded to the locations of reference measurements: indexes of corresponding rows and columns were calculated by dividing relative coordinates of reference measurements by ground sampling distance (GSD)
River sections near fish passages at hydropower dams are characterised by heterogeneous flow conditions, including varying and sometimes opposite flow directions, presence of circular flow structure and wide velocity ranges
Summary
As a form of energy, electricity is of strategic importance for industries, businesses and homes It is a source of modern conveniences. One of them is the creation of obstacles for migratory fish, since many fish species must travel upstream in order to reach suitable spawning areas This kind of migration can be blocked or delayed by hydropower dams causing habitat fragmentation [1] and leading to fish population decline [2]. At the beginning of 2010, the Federal Ministry of Sustainability and Tourism in Austria released NGP 2009, a national water management plan that targeted the improvement of water condition and aimed at the resolving the problem of habitat defragmentation, while at the same time enabling the use of rivers by the energy industry. In 2012, the “Guideline to the construction of fish passages” [5] set out essential planning and sizing criteria for the fish passages, which enable the upstream fish migration
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
