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- Conventional Hydro
Review of trap-and-haul for managing Pacific salmonids in impounded river systems
Lead Companies
U.S. Geological Survey
Lead Researcher (s)
- Tobias Kock
USGS scientists and partners reviewed 17 trap-and-haul programs regarding Pacific salmon to (1) summarize information about facility design, operation and biological effects; (2) identify critical knowledge gaps; and (3) evaluate trap-and-haul as a current and future management tool.
Technology Application
Conventional Hydro
Research Category
Environmental and Sustainability
Research Sub-Category
Fish and Aquatic Resources
Status
complete
Completion Date
2020
- Marine Energy
Review of WEC-Sim Development and Applications
Lead Companies
NREL
Lead Researcher (s)
- David Ogden
WEC-Sim (Wave Energy Converter Simulator) is an open-source code for simulating wave energy converters that has been actively developed and applied to simulate a wide variety of device archetypes, and has become a popular tool since its release. This paper reviews the development efforts and usage of WEC-Sim. The publications considered in this study have been broken down into six topic areas, namely, feature development, experimental validation, device modelling, control modelling, powertake-off (PTO) and grid modelling, and novel applications, which includes some non-wave energy applications. This review paper also recognizes the contributions of academic researchers and technology developers from around the world toward the broader WEC-Sim development effort. The growing number of external applications of WEC-Sim demonstrates a broader acceptance of the open-source code, and the ways WEC-Sim has been used in certain topic areas also highlight potential future development needs.
Technology Application
Marine Energy
Research Category
Research Sub-Category
Status
complete
Completion Date
2021
- Conventional Hydro
Risk mapping for mussel infestation in the Pacific Northwest
Lead Companies
Bureau of Reclamation
Lead Researcher (s)
- Anthony Prisciandaro
Determining how to best allocate dreissenid mussel early detection monitoring effort across the Columbia River Basin (CRB) to address both inter-jurisdictional and regional priorities has been identified as an immediate need by multiple regional partnerships, including DOI's "Safeguarding the West from Invasive Species" Initiative. An initial step toward optimal allocation of early detection resources across the CRB is to develop a regional strategy for assessing how water quality affects dreissenid mussel establishment risk. We will address issues identified in regional forums surrounding the use of water quality data to assess dreissenid mussel establishment risk. Project deliverables include: (1) Development of criteria for assessing the relevance of water quality data (e.g., based on how, when and where data were collected) for dreissenid mussel risk assessments across the CRB; (2) Development of a ranking scheme for water quality metrics relevant to dreissenid mussel establishment in the CRB; (3) Discussion of the benefits and drawbacks of various strategies currently used to assign dreissenid mussel risk rankings based on water quality across the CRB; and (4) Display the application of water quality relevance criteria and risk assessment rankings to water bodies in the Upper Snake River subbasin (FY19) and the remainder of the Columbia River Basin (FY20) in a georeferenced format that will be accessible by stakeholders.
Technology Application
Conventional Hydro
Research Category
Environmental and Sustainability
Research Sub-Category
Fish and Aquatic Resources
Status
ongoing
Completion Date
2020
- Conventional Hydro
Risk-based decision making in reservoir operations
Lead Companies
Bureau of Reclamation
Lead Researcher (s)
- Jordan Lanini
A significant reservoir operations need in Great Plains Region is to rapidly evaluate a large number of potential reservoir inflow scenarios in order to make short- and mid-term operational decisions. These scenarios are currently created manually by adjusting inflow timing and volume within a daily operations spreadsheet. Risk is then assessed qualitatively to make a final operational decision. GP reservoir operators do not have a systematic, risk-based methodology for operational decisions, nor are we aware of any within Reclamation. This results in operators using professional judgment on an ad-hoc basis to evaluate risk. This research will provide a case study for automating and rapidly evaluating numerous potential inflow scenarios, significantly improving staff efficiency. The project will also provide clarity to the decision-making process. The current lack of operational clarity leaves Reclamation management and staff open to criticism, or in the extreme, to lawsuits, if operations damage water users in some manner.
Technology Application
Conventional Hydro
Research Category
Interconnect Integration and Markets
Research Sub-Category
Hydraulic Optimization
Status
ongoing
Completion Date
2021
- Conventional Hydro
River restoration freeboard design requirements
Lead Companies
Bureau of Reclamation
Lead Researcher (s)
- Bryan Heiner
River restoration projects are complex structures involving a multitude of hydraulic approaches to develop a river ecosystem that is intended improve habitat for targeted species (animal and plant). These designs are often put together with extensive modeling and design efforts. It has been noticed during water up and operation of constructed river restoration projects that water surfaces through the system are often higher than the designs and models predict. The research question this proposal addresses is how different are the water surface elevations between design and actual? It is assumed that these water surface elevations are typically higher than designs and numerical models predict for the low flows and the difference decreases at higher floodplain flows. Little post construction data has been collected and analyzed making selecting an acceptable freeboard for channel and stream design difficult.
Technology Application
Conventional Hydro
Research Category
Environmental and Sustainability
Research Sub-Category
Shoreline and Riparian Resources
Status
ongoing
Completion Date
2020
- Conventional Hydro
River restoration interactive geospatial database to inform future river rehabilitation design
Lead Companies
Bureau of Reclamation
Lead Researcher (s)
- Melissa Shinbein
Each year, a fifth of Reclamation's budget is spent on river restoration projects. River restoration projects can include fisheries and aquatic habitat improvement, river enhancement and improved channel function, river and stream bank protection, fish passage and barrier removal, rearing habitat improvement, gravel augmentation, wetland and riparian habitat creation, water quality enhancement, and fish stocking, among other activities.This research project aims to create a river restoration database to collect information about projects that have already been implemented and to inform future rehabilitation designs for fish and aquatic species recovery under the Endangered Species Act. Past river restoration projects in a variety of programs across all of Reclamation's regions will be evaluated to compare and contrast successes and lessons learned. Project- and program-wide knowledge will be obtained to help inform agency-wide knowledge on river restoration projects.
Technology Application
Conventional Hydro
Research Category
Environmental and Sustainability
Research Sub-Category
Water Resources
Status
ongoing
Completion Date
2022
- Conventional Hydro
Roadmap for Applied Statistical Analysis Techniques for Hydro Generation and Runoff
Lead Companies
CEATI International
Lead Researcher (s)
- #0430
an actionable tool that guides hydro operators to appropriate statistical methods to process the vast amounts of data related to inflow forecasts and runoff determination.
Technology Application
Conventional Hydro
Research Category
Interconnect Integration and Markets
Research Sub-Category
Hydraulic Forecasting
Status
complete
Completion Date
2020
- Conventional Hydro
Robust Eco-Hydraulic 3D Modeling Tools for Rivers with Complex In-Stream Structures
Lead Companies
Bureau of Reclamation
Lead Researcher (s)
- Yong Lai
In-stream features such as fish passages and large woods are widely used by Reclamation for improving river management through enhanced fish passage and habitat restoration. Design methods and guidelines are rare for predicting their effectiveness. It is also difficult to predict the physical response of channels to their placement. The risk and liability of these in-stream features are rarely evaluated quantitatively prior to project implementation. Computer models have the potential to address the above issues. However, a key bottleneck of applying existing 3D models such as U2ARNS is the need for 3D mesh generation. Mesh generation for complex geometries, such as in-stream structures, can easily fail. Even when meshing can be completed, the resulted low quality of the mesh often renders 3D solver unstable. This proposed research aims to develop a novel alternative method which may be implemented into the latest high-accuracy 3D model U2RANS. The end-product is a robust eco-hydraulic 3D modeling tool for rivers with complex in-stream features.
Technology Application
Conventional Hydro
Research Category
Environmental and Sustainability
Research Sub-Category
Water Resources
Status
ongoing
Completion Date
2020
- Conventional Hydro
Rotor Mounted Scanner
Lead Companies
Hydropower Research Institute
Lead Researcher (s)
- HRI Technical Steering Committee
This project is in the planning stage. The proposed initial focus is to design and develop components for a new sensor. Later stage focus will be development and testing of a prototype at an HRI participant hydropower plant.
Technology Application
Conventional Hydro
Research Category
Powerhouse Equipment
Research Sub-Category
Status
ongoing
Completion Date
TBD
Don’t see your waterpower research?
Have questions about WaRP?
Contact Marla Barnes at: marla@hydro.org