Modular Fish Ladder with Omega Flow Pattern
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional fish ladders are inflexible, expensive, and require significant terrain intervention, making them costly and unsuitable for local conditions, while modular solutions often have structural defects and fail to meet functional requirements, necessitating a flexible, inexpensive, and easily deployable fishway that optimizes fish ascent and descent with minimal water usage.
Innovation Solution
A single basin fishway design featuring interconnected individual basins with inner and outer wall arrangements creating first and second water receiving spaces connected via flow slots, allowing water to flow from the first to the second space, with transfer slots that change flow direction, creating an omega-shaped flow pattern to guide fish and reduce turbulence, and a permeable floor for macrozoobenthos passage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If conventional fish ladders are built as massive concrete structures, then structural strength and stability are improved, but manufacturing cost and terrain intervention increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The fish ladder is divided into multiple individual basins (first and second basins) that can be manufactured separately and assembled on-site. Each basin functions as an independent module with standardized dimensions, allowing pre-fabrication and reducing overall construction complexity and cost while maintaining structural integrity through modular assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the material parameter from massive concrete to a combination of concrete basins with plastic or metal sheeting for water retention. This parameter change reduces terrain intervention and manufacturing cost while maintaining sufficient structural strength for fish passage functionality.
2Stability of the object's composition
If conventional fish ladders are designed as fixed structures, then structural stability is improved, but adaptability to local conditions deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the fish ladder into standardized but modular basins, the structure achieves both stability (through standardized design) and adaptability (through flexible arrangement of modules). The basins can be configured in different patterns and adjusted to match various terrain conditions while maintaining structural consistency.
Solution Approach 2:
The fish ladder design incorporates dynamic adaptability through the flexible arrangement of modular basins. While each basin has a fixed standardized design for stability, the overall structure can be dynamically configured to adapt to different local conditions, gradients, and site requirements.
3Ease of operation
If modular fish ladder solutions are implemented, then ease of assembly and reconfiguration are improved, but structural defects and functional performance deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The modular basin design enables easy assembly through standardized connection interfaces between individual basins. Each basin is a self-contained module that can be easily connected to others, facilitating quick assembly and reconfiguration while maintaining structural integrity through consistent modular design.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention merges the advantages of modular construction with proven structural designs. The standardized basins combine ease of modular assembly with reliable water retention and flow characteristics, eliminating structural defects by integrating thorough design considerations into each modular unit.
4Ease of operation
If traditional fish ladder designs are used, then fish passage functionality is provided, but water consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
By dividing the water flow path into segmented basins with controlled connections (inlet openings, outlet openings, and transfer openings), the design enables precise water flow management. Each basin receives and releases water in a controlled manner, reducing overall water consumption while maintaining adequate flow for fish passage functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention optimizes water consumption by changing flow parameters through the standardized basin design. The specific dimensions, opening sizes, and basin configurations are designed to minimize water loss while ensuring sufficient flow velocity and volume for effective fish passage, achieving better hydraulic efficiency than traditional designs.
5Adaptability or versatility
If complex fish ladder structures are built, then fish passage capabilities are improved, but construction time and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The standardized modular basins can be manufactured in advance and assembled on-site in a systematic sequence, significantly reducing construction time. The segmentation into identical or similar modules allows for repetitive assembly processes and parallel construction activities, accelerating deployment while maintaining comprehensive fish passage capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The basins are designed as pre-fabricated standardized modules that can be prepared off-site before installation. This preliminary action of pre-manufacturing and pre-configuring the basins reduces on-site construction time and complexity while ensuring that the final structure possesses the required fish passage capabilities.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The design allows for quick assembly and reconfiguration, reduces water consumption, and provides optimal ascent and descent conditions for fish and macrozoobenthos, while being adaptable to various environmental conditions and gradients, ensuring stress-free passage and injury prevention.
Implementation Method 1
The water receiving spaces are connected to one another via a flow slot opening for the flow of water from the first water receiving space into the second water receiving space
Implementation Method 2
each with an outer wall arrangement forming a water receiving space and a transfer slot opening for the flow of water between adjacent individual basins
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~5
Figure 6~17
AI summary
The invention relates to a fish migration aid comprising a plurality of interconnected individual pools (71) which form a flow path and each of which has an outer wall arrangement (72) forming a water holding space (77, 78) as well as a transfer slot (76) for allowing water to flow between adjacent individual pools (71). Each individual pool (71) includes an inner wall arrangement (73) which subdivides the water holding space (77, 78) of the individual pools (71) into first and second water holding spaces (77, 78). The water holding spaces (77, 78) are interconnected via a flow slot (75) to allow water to flow out of the first water holding space (77) into the second water holding space (78).