Abstract: The head angle of baffle and guide plate of vertical slot fishway affects the water flow structure in the pool chamber. Based on the the RNG k-ε equation, we investigated the hydraulic characteristics of vertical slot fishway by altering the head angles of the baffle and guide plate at upstream and downstream faces in numerical simulation. By comparing water flow patterns, flow velocities, and turbulent kinetic energy data in the pool chamber under varying head angles, we obtained a suitable design for the fishway baffle. The results indicate that as the upstream head angle of the baffle and guide plate increase, the main flow gradually approaches the side wall. When the main flow is unaffected by the side wall, the flow velocity decreases in general. Specifically, the upstream angle of guide plate exerts a more pronounced impact on flow structure in the chamber. These findings offer valuable data to support fishway optimization design.

Key words: vertical slot fishway, hydraulic characteristics, baffle, guide plate, pier head angle, numerical simulation, fishway optimization design