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FishSafe™ design & feasibility studies
Natel develops detailed hydraulic designs to install new and upgrade existing hydropower plants with high-performance, FishSafe™ turbine runners. Our designs preserve or enhance turbine performance, ensure effective fish passage, and support environmental compliance. We offer:
- Hydraulic modeling to meet desired cavitation and efficiency targets at rated and part flow
- Fish passage survival estimates based on proprietary simulation tools and experimental data
- Barotrauma risk assessment
- Analysis of how FishSafe™ runners integrate with or compare to alternative mitigations
- Consultation & stakeholder engagement support
- Grant application assistance
Our process begins with understanding client goals, followed by developing and analyzing preliminary designs, collaborating with clients to discuss findings, and delivering a concise report summarizing results and recommendations. Initial feasibility studies can be completed in 3-6 months.
Design testing and validation
Natel’s pumped hydraulic test facility in Alameda, California enables physical testing to complement our CFD modeling and analysis. The facility supports:
- Comprehensive testing with scale (55 cm (22-inch) diameter) axial turbine runner models to optimize hydraulic designs to meet fish passage requirements—validating critical design criteria efficiently and cost-effectively.
- Long-duration tests at up to 1 cms (35 cfs) of flow and varying head setpoints, with precise pump and turbine control systems to manage test conditions and record data.
- Through-turbine fish passage testing, with fish introduced into the pressurized pipeline upstream of the turbine and recaptured and evaluated after passage. A transparent runner housing enables high-speed video capture of fish passing through the runner, contributing to a detailed understanding of passage impacts on fish.
Design execution & project commissioning
After assessing runner manufacturability in an initial feasibility study, we work with our OEM partners to finalize all perspectives of turbine hydraulic design including design for manufacturing, operation, maintenance, etc.
We work with our manufacturing partners to support commissioning by participating in the confirmation of compliance with design specifications and confirmation of hydraulic performance. We will also support any required validation tests of fish passage performance.
