This report summarizes the results of studies sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy and conducted by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) to evaluate the biological performance of an advanced design turbine installed at Unit 8 of Wanapum Dam on the Columbia River in 2005. In all studies, paired comparisons were made between Unit 8 and a conventional Kaplan turbine, Unit 9. PNNL studies included an evaluation of blade-strike using deterministic and probabilistic models, integrated analysis of the response of the Sensor Fish to severe hydraulic events within the turbine system, and a novel dye technique to measure injury to juvenile salmonids in the field. The first study involved applying deterministic and stochastic blade-strike models to the advanced and existing turbine designs. Modeled probabilities were compared to results of Sensor Fish releases and injury/mortality of balloon-tagged fish under the same operational parameters. The new advanced design turbine had slightly higher modeled injury rates than the existing turbine design; however, there was no statistical evidence that suggested significant differences in blade-strike probabilities. Overall, injury rates predicted by the deterministic model were higher than experimental rates of injury while those predicted by the stochastic model were in close agreement. Fish orientation at the time of entry into the plane of the leading edges of the turbine runner blades is an important factor contributing to uncertainty in modeled results.
PDF
download
878987797
028-85220240
