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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
Once a feasibility study confirms the design path, Natel works with our manufacturing partners to finalize turbine specifications, coordinate commissioning, and validate hydraulic performance and fish passage outcomes at the installed project.
