Detailed experimental study of hydrodynamic turbulent flows generated in vertical slot fishways

Abstract

The kinematics of hydrodynamic turbulent flows developed in vertical slot fishways (VSF) was studied in detail in flow patterns not yet published to date for the purposes of modifying existing devices and to allow for the passage of all fishes, particularly the smaller species. A transparent device based on the typical prototype dimensions of VSF in France was constructed for the experiment. The velocity measurements were carried out by Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV). These measurements were used to determine the various kinematics parameters characterizing the flow. From the dimensions and slope of the fishway, two flow topologies highlighting the swirling pattern were proposed. The method of Proper Orthogonal Decomposition (POD) was used to undertake unsteady and energetic analyses to characterize the main phases of flow evolution that fish passing through the passage may encounter.