Typical Barrier Equipment

This illustration shows a typical large stream electric fish barrier system installation. The example system includes standard BP-1.5 Programmable Output Waveform (POW) pulsers. The pulsers are connected to a group of electrodes submerged in the waterway. The pulsers store energy in a large capacitor bank and then quickly discharge the energy through the water, much like a camera flash. Pulse width and repetition are adjustable to create the waveform required to halt the movement of fish. The number of pulsers required in a barrier system depends on several factors and will be determined by Smith-Root during the project evaluation phase. All Smith-Root barrier systems include our custom-developed Fish Barrier Telemetry & Control System (FBTCS) for system setup and monitoring.

BP-1.5 POW Pulser

The BP-1.5 POW is our most popular pulser and outputs up to 1.5 kilowatts. Pulsed waveforms and frequencies can be programmed for optimum fish blocking or repelling. The BP-1.5 POW can produce a wide range of DC pulse outputs to give more stopping power while causing less stress to fish. Pulsers with larger output capacities can be custom designed to meet the needs of your project.

Each BP-1.5 pulser includes a microprocessor to control width, frequency, and period of the output. A variety of waveforms can be generated: standard pulses, sweeping pulse widths, sweeping frequencies, and gated bursts. This allows generation of optimum waveforms that are effective with a wide range of species. Use of the FBTCS is required to setup, monitor, and control the pulsers.