Thesis Work – Overcoming hydraulic barriers Design, construction, and hydraulic evaluation of a tube-fishway for juvenile eel trap-and-transport
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Job Location:
Any - Sweden
Monthly Salary:
Not Disclosed
Posted on:
30+ days ago
Vacancies:
1 Vacancy
Job Summary
About the Thesis Work
To comply with the European Water Framework Directive which aims to achieve a good ecological status of all rivers the national ongoing hydropower relicensing process (NAP) in Sweden works towards mitigating the environmental impacts of hydropower production. This for example includes the preservation and reinstatement of upstream and downstream river connectivity necessary for many fish species to complete their life cycles including the critical endangered European eel (Anguilla Anguilla).
After a long transoceanic journey from the Sargasso Sea juvenile eels known as elver - enter European rivers in search of feeding and nursing habitat where they can grow and mature. During their upstream migration they often encounter multiple barriers including hydraulic structures like dams and hydropower plants which can severely hinder their passage. To support elver migration past these obstacles trap-and-transport methods may be employed. This approach involves capturing and collecting elver at the base of such structures and manually relocating them to upstream habitats.
While trap-and-transport can be an effective method to support upstream migration it is often labour-intensive and can cause stress to fish due to frequent handling. This highlights the need to streamline the process by reducing manual intervention and minimizing fish handling. One proposed solution is to integrate a tube fishway system with an existing floating elver collector creating a more automated and less intrusive means of transferring elvers. Tube fishways are closed conduit systems with dual pipes and valves designed to surge fish over barriers. While tube fishways have shown promising results in laboratory and field trials their suitability for European species and their integration into trap-and-transport systems have yet to be explored.
The following tasks shall be completed as part of the thesis:
- Literature review on tube fishways include operational concept system components hydraulic and hydrodynamic characterization of the surge phase and fish behavioral response
- Design and construction of a laboratory prototype tube fishway adapted specifically for elver trap and transport
- Experimental evaluation of the hydraulic and hydrodynamic conditions within the prototype under controlled conditions
- Adaptation and expansion of an existing numerical model to simulate flow conditions transport time and capacity inside the tube fishway
- Development of recommendations for system improvement and potential installation of the prototype in a field setting
Qualifications :
Your Profile
We are looking for a student or students who want to work towards fossil freedom and who are about to graduate from their academic studies. You are also someone who identifies with our principles: Active Open Positive and Safety.
The applicant should have a background in environmental hydraulic or civil engineering (or similar) with a foundational understanding of hydraulics and fluid mechanics and a keen interest in applying engineering solutions to ecological challenges such as fish migration. The applicant should enjoy hands-on experimental work and interdisciplinary approaches that bridge aquatic ecology and hydraulic design.
English language is a requirement.
The thesis is designed for one student and 30 credit points (approx. 6 months).
Please check with your course or module advisor for suitability before applying for this thesis.
Additional Information :
- Start date: January/February 2026 or by agreement.
- Location: Älvkarleby Sweden; a hybrid solution can be discussed
- Application one file containing your CV and a copy of your transcripts.
- Application deadline:.
- Contact person and supervisor at Vattenfall: Stephanie Mueller 46
Diversity and Inclusion In Everything We Do
We are convinced that heterogeneous teams can outperform homogeneous ones. But we can only unlock the power of diversity when everyone feels included. Read more about our important work on diversity and inclusion at Vattenfall
At Vattenfall we are determined to enable fossil freedom. To succeed we must first become fully fossil-free ourselves as one of Europes largest energy companies. But that is not enough. To contribute to a fossil-free society we need to do more than just focus on sustainable energy production.
We believe that enabling fossil freedom requires us to address the challenge from a broader perspective than merely producing energy sustainably.
Join us on the journey towards fossil freedom.
As Vattenfall is part of Swedens critical infrastructure many of our roles are security-classified. This means that if this position is security-classified final candidates may be subject to a special security clearance in accordance with the Security Protection Act.
Remote Work :
Yes
Employment Type :
Full-time
Key Skills
- GIS
- Microstation
- System Design
- ASME Codes & Standards
- CAD
- HEC
- SolidWorks
- Mechanical Engineering
- Project Engineering
- Autocad
- Hydraulics
- Swmm
About Company
A brand that was created to be different, with truly global appeal. Our name and logo symbol are universal, recognised instantly in any geographical location regardless of language. Today were known as Three in the UK and Ireland, Drei in Austria, Tre in Sweden and Tri in Indonesia.
