An Angles-Based Design of an Island-Type Fishway and Its Hydraulic Properties Inside the Channel

Abstract

With the development of hydraulic and hydroelectric projects, the connectivity of natural rivers has been disrupted, impeding the migration of migratory fish and affecting their reproduction and population sustainability. This study investigates a novel island-type fishway, where combinations of island structures and arc configurations dissipate water flow energy and reduce flow velocity, thereby minimizing resistance to upstream fish migration. The research focuses on the influence of island angles on the hydrodynamic characteristics within the island-type fishway. Experimental results indicate that low-velocity regions downstream of the island exhibit larger areas when the island angle is −60° or 60°. Meanwhile, at an island angle of 0°, the maximum flow velocity and the average flow velocity are reduced. Additionally, turbulence kinetic energy in the fishway chambers is effectively suppressed, with both maximum and average turbulence kinetic energy maintained at low levels. The water level variations caused by changes in island angles are minor, with an advantage observed when the island angle is set to 0°. These findings provide a reference for the further development of island-type fishways.

Keywords

Island-type fishway / Hydraulic characteristics / Island structure / CFD

Acknowledgments

The author is very grateful to the Institute of Fluid Equipment and Inspection Technology, China Jiliang University, for supporting this study.

Author Contributions

Conceptualization, M.X.; methodology and investigation, G.Z.; resources and data curation, B.F.; writing—original draft preparation, G.Z.; writing—review and editing, Y.C.; visualization, R.Y. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Ethics Statement

Not applicable.

Informed Consent Statement

Not applicable.

Data Availability Statement

Data are contained within the article.

Funding

This work was financially supported by the National Training Program of Innovation and Entrepreneurship for Undergraduates (Project No. 202410356044).

Declaration of Competing Interest

The authors declare that they have no competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

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