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"Fatou" baffle fiwhway

Geometrical characteristics

Characteristics of a Fatou baffle fishway

Excerpt fromLarinier, 20021

Hydraulic laws given by abacuses

Experiments conducted by Larinier, 20021 allowed to establish abacuses that link adimensional flow Q:

Q=QgL2,5

to upstream head ha and the average water level in the pass h :

Abacuses of a Fatou baffle fishway for a slope of 10%

Abacuses of a Fatou baffle fishway for a slope of 10% (Excerpt fromLarinier, 20021)

Abacuses of a Fatou baffle fishway for a slope of 15%

Abacuses of a Fatou baffle fishway for a slope of 15% (Excerpt fromLarinier, 20021)

Abacuses of a Fatou baffle fishway for a slope of 20%

Abacuses of a Fatou baffle fishway for a slope of 20% (Excerpt fromLarinier, 20021)

To run calculations for all slopes between 8% and 22%, polynomes coefficients of abacuses above are themelves adjusted in the form of slope S depending polynomes.

We thus have:

ha/L=a2(S)Q2+a1(S)Q+a0(S)
a2(S)=783.592S2+269.991S25.2637
a1(S)=302.623S2106.203S+13.2957
a0(S)=15.8096S25.19282S+0.465827

And:

h/L=b2(S)Q2+b1(S)Q+b0
b2(S)=73.4829S2+54.6733S14.0622
b1(S)=42.4113S224.4941S+8.84146
b0(S)=3.56494S2+0.450262S+0.0407576

Calculation of ha, h and Q

We can then use those coefficients to calculate ha, h and Q:

ha=L(a2(Q)2+a1Q+a0)
h=L(b2(Q)2+b1Q+b0)

Using the positive inverse function, depending on ha/L, we get:

Q=a1+a124a2(a0ha/L)2a2

And we finally have:

Q=QgL2,5

Calculation limitations of Q, ha/L and h/L are determined based on the extremities of the abacuses curves.

Flow velocity

Flow velocity V corresponds to the minimum flow speed given the flow section Aw at the perpendicular of the baffle :

V=QAw

for Fatou baffle fishways using the notation of the schema above, we have:

Aw=B×h

Which gives with standard proportions:

Aw=0.6hL

Upstream apron elevation Zr1

Zr1=Zd1+0.3S0.21+S2

Minimal rake height of upstream side walls Zm

Zm=Zr1+4L31+S2

  1. Larinier, M. 2002. “BAFFLE FISHWAYS.” Bulletin Français de La Pêche et de La Pisciculture, no. 364: 83–101. doi:10.1051/kmae/2002109