Modeling of a novel fish passage-way using coupled spatially varied flow

Abstract

An innovative hydraulic structure was proposed for passage of fish in surface water. The structure consisted of identical ‘cells’ throughout its length and was designed to create coupled spatially varied flow for optimization of depth and velocity of water. The objective of this paper was to simulate the hydraulics of a single cell of this fish passage structure. A numerical model was developed to simulate the water surface profiles and longitudinal variation of 1-D velocity through one cell. The transition in the water surface profile between longitudinally adjacent cells (chamber) was also investigated. It was found that numerical convergence was usually achieved after three iterations with 2% discretization. The difference in depth arising from cell vs. chamber analysis was found to be small. The experimental results indicated turbulence in the water surface. The water surface profile matched the results obtained from numerical results. However, there were errors observed in estimation of flow rate. It is concluded that the mathematical approach used for the numerical simulation is reliable and can be used to analyze coupled spatially varied flow for any hydraulic structures aimed at controlling depth and velocity of water. Innovative approach to the interface between can potentially be used to achieve hydraulic goal of any structure.