Session D4 - EPRI\u27s Program to Develop, Install and Test the Alden Fish-Friendly Hydropower Turbine

In 1996, DOE, EPRI, and industry began a multi-year effort to develop fish-friendly turbines. This arose from concerns over fish mortality caused by existing turbines, high cost and low performance associated with downstream fish screening and bypasses, and lost generation and water quality issues associated with spillage for fish passage. By 2001, the research produced two design concepts. The first or Kaplan minimum gap runner (MGR) turbine, for modernizing large river projects, has been installed and tested at several Columbia River projects. The second, for new units in smaller rivers and fish bypasses, is the Alden turbine which features a helical-shaped runner with only three blades. DOE pilot-scale/laboratory tests with this turbine demonstrated that fish survival, when scaled to a full-size field installation, would be in excess of 98% for many fish species. Following initial proof-of-concept testing, an optimized conceptual design of the Alden turbine with increased power density to be competitive with existing designs was completed. Once the conceptual design was completed, EPRI and DOE funded Alden and Voith Hydro to enhance the turbine\u27s performance through modification of the hydraulic passageways, including the spiral case, distributor, runner and draft tube. Each design modification was also evaluated for fish passage in order to ensure that the original fish-friendly characteristics of the machine were maintained. The final stage of the Alden turbine design effort included a model test at Voith Hydro\u27s hydraulic laboratory in York, PA, in addition to the updated mechanical and balance of plant equipment sizing necessary for actual field installation. Model testing indicated a maximum calculated prototype efficiency of almost 94% at conditions corresponding to a prototype net head and flow of 92.0 ft and 1,504 cfs, respectively. The next stage in developing the Alden turbine is a field demonstration project. EPRI is planning two demonstration projects--one in the U.S. and one in France. Test target species for fish passage survival assessment will include blueback herring, juvenile Atlantic salmon, and American and European eel. The presentation will review the current status of the planned demonstration projects and the schedule for assessing the full-scale deployment of the Alden turbine