Abstract: Fishways are vital passages ensuring fish reproduction and survival and safeguarding migratory aquatic organisms passing through barriers like dams and sluices. The RNG k-ε model is employed for numerical simulations of vertical-slot double-pool fishway and traditional vertical slot fishway (VSF). Hydraulic characteristics are compared and analyzed. Compared to traditional VSF, the vertical-slot double-pool fishway exhibits more mainstream zones and stable backflow zones, and the maximum and average flow velocity at each slot are less than half of those of traditional VSF, with three evenly distributed mainstream zones and a 3% higher integrated velocity decay rate. As an advanced VSF design, the vertical-slot double-pool fishway has optimized hydraulic features, offering valuable insights for fishway engineering.

Key words: vertical-slot double-pool fishway, conventional vertical-slot fishway, hydraulic characteristics, decay rate of flow velocity