Limitations and alternatives to the salmonid mortality formulae for Francis turbines proposed by Tomanova et al. (2023)
Abstract
Based on data from 73 in situ mortality tests available in both peer-reviewed and grey literature, we developed in 2023 two new formulae for estimating salmonid mortality rates in Francis turbines. The first formula uses turbine peripheral speed, diameter, and fish size, while the second is based on more commonly available parameters, allowing broader applicability: turbine discharge, water head, and fish size. Application of these formulae to several existing facilities revealed some inconsistencies for certain turbine runners. Using data from 355 Francis turbines installed in France, we identified machines for which the new formulae cannot be applied. This short note complements the initial publication by Tomanova et al. (2023), characterises the problematic cases, and presents an alternative mortality formula that was initially tested but not selected because of its lower predictive power.
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BibTeX
@article{tomanova2026limitations,
title = {{Limitations and alternatives to the salmonid mortality formulae for Francis turbines proposed by Tomanova et al. (2023)}},
author = {Sylvie Tomanova and Dominique Courret and Sylvain Richard and Pierre Sagnes},
journal = {Knowledge and Management of Aquatic Ecosystems},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1051/kmae/2026014},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05804469v1},
note = {CC BY-ND 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Limitations and alternatives to the salmonid mortality formulae for Francis turbines proposed by Tomanova et al. (2023)
AU - Sylvie Tomanova
AU - Dominique Courret
AU - Sylvain Richard
AU - Pierre Sagnes
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/18
JO - Knowledge and Management of Aquatic Ecosystems
DO - 10.1051/kmae/2026014
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05804469v1
AB - Based on data from 73 in situ mortality tests available in both peer-reviewed and grey literature, we developed in 2023 two new formulae for estimating salmonid mortality rates in Francis turbines. The first formula uses turbine peripheral speed, diameter, and fish size, while the second is based on more commonly available parameters, allowing broader applicability: turbine discharge, water head, and fish size. Application of these formulae to several existing facilities revealed some inconsistencies for certain turbine runners. Using data from 355 Francis turbines installed in France, we identified machines for which the new formulae cannot be applied. This short note complements the initial publication by Tomanova et al. (2023), characterises the problematic cases, and presents an alternative mortality formula that was initially tested but not selected because of its lower predictive power.
SN - 1961-9502
SN - 1961-9502
ER -