Development of a more fish-tolerant turbine runner, advanced hydropower turbine project

Alden Research Laboratory, Inc. (ARL) and Northern Research and Engineering Corporation (NREC) conducted a research program to develop a turbine runner which will minimize fish injury and mortality at hydroelectric projects. ARL?NREC have developed a runner shape which minimizes the number of blade leading edges, reduces the pressure versus time and the velocity versus distance gradients within the runner, minimizes or eliminates the clearance between the runner and runner housing, and maximizes the size of the flow passages, all with minimal penalty on turbine efficiency. An existing pump impeller provided the starting point for developing the fish tolerant turbine runner. The Hidrostal pump is a single bladed combined screw/centrifugal pump which has been proven to transport fish with minimal injury. The focus of the ARL/NREC research project was to develop a new runner geometry which is effective in downstream fish passage and hydroelectric power generation. A flow of 1,000 cfs and a head in the range of 75 ft to 100 ft were selected for conceptual design of the new runner. Conceptual design of the new runner began with a re-evaluation of studies which have been previously conducted to identify probable sources of injury to fish passing through hydraulic turbines. Criteria relative to hydraulic characteristics which are favorable for fish passage were prepared based on a reassessment of the available information. Important criteria used to develop the new runner design included low pressure change rates, minimum absolute pressures, and minimum shear. Other criteria which are reflected in the runner design are a minimum number of blades (only two), minimum total length of leading edges, and large flow passages. 86 figs., 5 tabs

International Conference on Physical Modeling of Transport and Dispersion

Proceedings of the 4th conference organized by IAHR (section on experimental methods and physical modeling) on scale effects. Special keynotes and invited presentations describe the contributions of Dr. Keulegan and their relation to present work in mixing processes, stratified flow and other areas of fluid mechanics. These proceedings contain 123 papers in the following sections: -Jet and plumes; -Coastal and ocean mixing; -Keulegan Centennial Symposium, mixing processes; -Turbulence and interfacial effects; -Keulegan Centennial Symposium, stratified flow; -Estuarine processes; -Coastal and Ocean mixing; -Keulegan Centennial Symposium, waves and tides; -Selective withdrawal and two-layer phenomena; -Physical model studies; -Particle Settling; -Internal mixing processes; -Internal waves and jumps; -Sediment laden flows; -Density currents; -Mixing in channels; -Mixing in ponds, lakes and reservoirs; -Mixing in tanks and channel