Drone-Based Optical Measurements of Heterogeneous Surface Velocity Fields around Fish Passages at Hydropower Dams

In Austria, more than a half of all electricity is produced with the help of hydropower plants. To reduce their ecological impact, dams are being equipped with fish passages that support connectivity of habitats of riverine fish species, contributing to hydropower sustainability. The efficiency of fish passages is being constantly monitored and improved. Since the likelihood of fish passages to be discovered by fish depends, inter alia, on flow conditions near their entrances, these conditions have to be monitored as well. In this study, we employ large-scale particle image velocimetry (LSPIV) in seeded flow conditions to analyse images of the area near a fish passage entrance, captured with the help of a ready-to-fly consumer drone. We apply LSPIV to short image sequences and test different LSPIV interrogation area sizes and correlation methods. The study demonstrates that LSPIV based on ensemble correlation yields velocities that are in good agreement with the reference values regarding both magnitude and flow direction. Therefore, this non-intrusive methodology has a potential to be used for flow monitoring near fish passages on a regular basis, enabling timely reaction to undesired changes in flow conditions when possible.