Design and implementation of a new autonomous sensor fish to support advanced hydropower development

Area of Science:

• Environmental Engineering
• Hydropower Technology
• Aquatic Ecology

Background:

• Conventional hydropower development necessitates robust validation tools for turbine performance and fish passage.
• Existing methods often lack the comprehensive in-situ capabilities required for diverse turbine designs and operating conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and detail the capabilities of the new-generation Sensor Fish.
• To highlight its utility in assessing turbine performance and fish passage conditions.

Main Methods:

• The Sensor Fish device measures in situ three-dimensional (3D) linear accelerations, 3D rotational velocities, 3D orientation, pressure, and temperature at 2048 Hz.
• It incorporates an automatic flotation system and a radio-frequency transmitter for device recovery.
• Validation involved assessing relative errors for pressure (±2%), acceleration (±5%), and rotational velocity (±5%), with orientation accuracy within ±4° and temperature accuracy within ±2°C.

Main Results:

• The new-generation Sensor Fish demonstrates high accuracy in measuring key environmental and operational parameters.
• Relative errors for pressure, acceleration, and rotational velocity were within acceptable limits (±2% to ±5%).
• Orientation and temperature measurements also achieved high accuracy (±4° and ±2°C, respectively).

Conclusions:

• The enhanced Sensor Fish is a significant technological advancement for hydropower research and environmental monitoring.
• Its deployment facilitates reliable in-situ evaluation of fish passage conditions at turbines and hydraulic structures.
• The technology is actively being adopted internationally for hydropower assessments.