Funding body

Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG)

Project coordinator

• Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Markus Aufleger
  Department of Hydraulic Engineering, University of Innsbruck (UIBK)

Project partner

• Institute of Hydrobiology and Water Management (IHG), University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna
• Voith Hydro GmbH & Co. KG
• VERBUND Hydro Power GmbH
• Grenzkraftwerke GmbH

Employees (AB Wasserbau, UIBK)

• Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Markus Aufleger
• DI Dr Barbara Brinkmeier
• DI Dr Wolfgang Dobler
• DI Jonas Haug
• Ing. Jakob Hofer
• DI Daniel Innerhofer
• Matthias Tonnel MSc
• DI Ruben Tutzer
• DI Hannes Zöschg

Project duration

• 03/2018 - 01/2020

Synopsis

The aim of the research project is to further develop and improve effective fish protection and fish guidance systems at hydropower plants with low heads and to optimise the flow to these structures and the turbines.

Project description

Fish protection, i.e. the protection of fish during downstream migration, is of paramount importance in the planning of new hydropower plants and in the ecological retrofitting of existing plants. Technical measures must be taken to ensure that fish find a safe route downstream via suitable bypass systems. However, there are still significant hydraulic knowledge gaps for a professional evaluation of these fish protection concepts. In this research project, these basic principles are to be developed using numerical simulations and physical model experiments and continuously evaluated with regard to the behavioural-biological relationships and the effects on the efficiency of the hydropower plants. In addition, further, scientifically highly relevant aspects relating to fish protection at hydropower plants with low heads are being investigated. From this, it should be possible to derive recommendations for the further environmentally friendly expansion of hydropower in the future.