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A small Savonius wind turbine of helical type was tested in an open jet wind facility for identifying the optimum position of the rotor blades aiming the maximization of static torque. The two blades of the wind turbine of U shape were twisted up to 1800 from bottom to top and three values for blade overlap were considered i.e. 0.35, 0.2 and 0.0. The turbine torque was measured for no load conditions and wind velocities between 2-8 m/s. In the same time the air flow through Savonius rotor was observed by using a visualization setup aiming to identify the correlation between the torque and the flow pattern inside the returning blade at rotating angles where the torque has highest values. Best results for the torque coefficient of 0.72 and power coefficient of 0.265 were obtained at a wind velocity of 5.8 m/s and low overlap ratio of 0.2. By measuring the overall torque of the rotor for each case study, the positive effect of pressure recovery was explained as a result of air flow through the blade overlap from the concave side of the advancing blade to concave side of the returning blade for a certain interval of the rotating angle a = 50-60°.

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This paper describes the experimental study of a behavioural barrier consisting of a bubble curtain placed near an ecological river water intake, aiming to assess the bubble curtain’s influence on the velocity field of water flowing in the water intake proximity. The scientific novelty is given by the water intake solution operating in tandem with the dedicated bubble curtain generator used for avoiding fish entrapment. The water intake solution used in the present research is based on a run-of-river intake without a dam in the riverbed, maintaining the mountain rivers longitudinal connectivity. An experimental setup was designed and built to study the behavioural barrier for ecological water intakes in different operating conditions. Thus, tests were performed for two water velocities (0.33 m/s and 0.535 m/s) in the experimental setup, two water depths (92 mm and 119 mm) and two air flow rates (10.5 LPM and 15 LPM). The results were compared with the case when no air is injected through the bubble curtain generator. The assessment of the bubble curtain influence on the water flow inside the channel was made by measuring and analysing the velocity variation in vertical and horizontal direction. The results showed a significant velocity gradient in the bubble curtain proximity, which can contribute to influencing the behaviour of the fish by deterring them from the water intake area.