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[[de: Ökologische Durchgängigkeit - F+E-Projekte]]
In the BAW’s experimental halls, two physical models have been set up, which are to help in solving open questions on the planning and construction of an upstream fish pass facility regarding both, a particular location and general principles.

The first is a model of the tailwater of a power plant to the scale 1:10, to help determine how easy or difficult it is for fish to locate the upstream fish pass facility. A location that is easily found by the fish is the first step towards the functioning of an upstream fish pass facility, but is probably also the most complex. The flow from the fish pass competes with that of the hydro-electric plant. The objective is to produce a migration corridor that is suitable for a wide range of fish species. This migration corridor should be existent on 300 days of the year under fluctuating tailwater levels. For the “attractiveness” of the corridor flow velocities are a critical factor. The flow must be perceptible for the fish, but must not be too strong for them. The model can be used to study various discharges and different geometries of the entrance structure to find an optimized configuration regarding the migration corridor.

The second is a model of a vertical slot pass, which is intended to help with research into questions of passability of upstream fish pass facilities. Here studies of the hydraulic aspects of passability, such as the relationship between slot geometry, maximum flow velocity and turbulence are the main points under consideration.
The model includes nine successive basins so that the effects of the hydraulic conditions of subsequent basins can be determined.
The size of the basins of the model permit studies for various fish pass facilities on a scale between 1:3 and 1:4.

For interested members of the general public, a 3-D real time simulation was commissioned by the BAW to enable visualisation of the topic of upstream fish migration. This virtual fish pass has already been used successfully at public events.
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