Fish Cableway Transport System for Dam Passage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional fish passage aids are often expensive, space-intensive, and inefficient for transporting fish across large height differences in dam structures, particularly at hydroelectric power plants, where fish face danger swimming through turbine lines or lack suitable passage options.
Innovation Solution
A cable car system with movable transport units that can be loaded and unloaded at both underwater and upper water levels, allowing fish to be transported downstream without additional facilities like fish ladders, using a device for loading at the upper water level and unloading at the underwater level, supported by tracks and rollers for smooth operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional fish ladders are used to transport fish upstream, then fish passage is enabled, but the structure occupies significant area around the dam and interferes with its structure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from horizontal fish passage structures (fish ladders occupying lateral space) to a vertical cable car system that operates in the height dimension. The cable car travels along a vertical or inclined track between upstream and downstream water levels, enabling fish transport without requiring additional lateral space around the dam structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a cable-based transmission system with flexible transport carriers (such as baskets or enclosed chambers) that can move fish vertically. This flexible approach replaces rigid, space-intensive fish ladders with a compact cable infrastructure that attaches to the dam face, minimizing interference with the dam structure.
2Productivity
If fish lifts are used to transport fish vertically, then transport capacity is improved, but the overall width of the dam makes them too expensive and economically unsound
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the fish lifting function from expensive, custom-built fish lift structures and implements it using a standardized cable car system. By separating the fish transport function from the dam structure itself and using independent cable carriers, the solution reduces construction costs while maintaining vertical transport capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The cable car system serves multiple functions: it can transport fish both upstream and downstream, can be installed on various dam types (earth dams, concrete dams), and can operate independently of the dam's structural modifications. This multi-functionality improves economic viability compared to specialized fish lifts.
3Adaptability or versatility
If conventional fish passage facilities are used, then fish can pass upstream, but they are often difficult for aquatic animals to find, necessitating additional complex measures to improve their detectability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs visual attraction mechanisms such as colored lights or reflective surfaces on the cable car and track structure to make the fish passage facility highly visible and attractive to fish. The transport carriers may use colors or patterns that mimic natural features or create visual contrast against the water background, enabling fish to easily locate and enter the system without additional complex guidance infrastructure.
4Adaptability or versatility
If fish are transported through turbine pipes crossing the dam, then passage is possible, but it is extremely dangerous for the fish
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary cable car transport system that carries fish safely between water levels without exposing them to the hazardous turbine environment. The enclosed or protected transport carriers act as intermediaries, shielding fish from mechanical injury, pressure changes, and other dangers associated with turbine passage while achieving the same vertical displacement.
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
An arrangement (1) on a flowing body of water (2) in the area of a transverse structure (3) and/or hydroelectric power plant, in particular a fish passage, for transporting aquatic animals (W), in particular fish, comprises at least one transport unit (8) that is movable between the area of the downstream water (5), in particular the downstream water level (7), and the area of the upstream water (4), in particular the upstream water level (6). The arrangement (1) includes a cableway (11) by which the transport unit (8) can be moved by cable along a track (9) between a loading or unloading position (14) of a first station (12) in the area of the downstream water (5) and a loading or unloading position (14) of a second station (13) in the area of the upstream water (4).The arrangement (1) includes a device (16) for loading the transport unit (8) located in the underwater area (5), and a device (19) for unloading the transport unit (8) in the upstream area (4). Additionally, the arrangement (1) includes a device (17) for loading the transport unit (8) located in the upstream area (4), and a device (18) for unloading the transport unit (8) in the underwater area (18).