Fish guidance system for a river water intake - experimental and numerical study

Abstract

Fish guidance systems associated to water intakes represent an important feature, mandatory to prevent fish from being accidentally drawn into artificial hydraulic facilities. Such systems are recommended for a proper integration of the water intake into the surrounding environment and contribute to reducing the impact on the environment. In this paper a prototype of fish guidance system which can be applied to river water intakes is presented and analysed. The fish are guided by means of an air bubbles curtain, which influence the flow of the water. This study was performed numerically in Fluent software and experimentally in laboratory conditions. Velocity distribution maps were achieved using Particle Image Velocimetry technique for two water flowrates. The results presented in the paper are a part of the recorded data, and have the purpose to validate the numerical model for the case without air bubbles curtain. A second purpose is to evaluate the changes caused by the bubbles curtain on the water velocity. The results obtained by numerical simulations are in good correlation with the experimental results performed using PIV technique and demonstrate that the fish guidance systems associated to water intakes can represent an efficient solution for fish protection in their natural environment.