Jayson J. Martinez

Tunable electrochemical properties of fluorinated graphene

The structural and electrochemical properties of fluorinated graphene have been investigated by using a series of graphene fluorides (CFx, x = 0.47, 0.66, 0.89). Fluorinated graphene exhibited high capacity retentions of 75–81% of theoretical capacity at moderate rates as cathode materials for primary lithium batteries. Specifically, CF0.47 maintained a capacity of 356 mA h g−1 at a 5 C rate, superior to that of traditional fluorinated graphite. The discharged graphene fluorides also provide an electrochemical tool to probe the chemical bonding on the parent graphene substrate.

An injectable acoustic transmitter for juvenile salmon

Salmon recovery and the potential detrimental effects of dams on fish have been attracting national attention due to the environmental and economic implications. In recent years acoustic telemetry has been the primary method for studying salmon passage. However, the size of the existing transmitters limits the minimum size of fish that can be studied, introducing a bias to the study results. We developed the first acoustic fish transmitter that can be implanted by injection instead of surgery. The new injectable transmitter lasts four times longer and weighs 30% less than other transmitters. Because the new transmitter costs significantly less to use and may substantially reduce adverse effects of implantation and tag burden, it will allow for study of migration behavior and survival of species and sizes of fish that have never been studied before. The new technology will lead to critical information needed for salmon recovery and the development of fish-friendly hydroelectric systems.

Design and implementation of a new autonomous sensor fish to support advanced hydropower development

Acceleration in development of additional conventional hydropower requires tools and methods to perform laboratory and in-field validation of turbine performance and fish passage claims. The new-generation Sensor Fish has been developed with more capabilities to accommodate a wider range of users over a broader range of turbine designs and operating environments. It provides in situ measurements of three-dimensional (3D) linear accelerations, 3D rotational velocities, 3D orientation, pressure, and temperature at a sampling frequency of 2048 Hz. It also has an automatic floatation system and built-in radio-frequency transmitter for recovery. The relative errors of the pressure, acceleration, and rotational velocity were within ±2%, ±5%, and ±5%, respectively. The accuracy of orientation was within ±4° and accuracy of temperature was ±2 °C. The new-generation Sensor Fish is becoming a major technology and being deployed for evaluating the conditions for fish passage of turbines or other hydraulic structures in both the United States and several other countries.

Design and Implementation of an Underwater Sound Recording Device

To monitor the underwater sound and pressure waves generated by anthropogenic activities such as underwater blasting and pile driving, an autonomous system was designed to record underwater acoustic signals. The underwater sound recording device (USR) allows for connections of two hydrophones or other dynamic pressure sensors, filters high frequency noise out of the collected signals, has a gain that can be independently set for each sensor, and allows for 2 h of data collection. Two versions of the USR were created: a submersible model deployable to a maximum depth of 300 m, and a watertight but not fully submersible model. Tests were performed on the USR in the laboratory using a data acquisition system to send single-frequency sinusoidal voltages directly to each component. These tests verified that the device operates as designed and performs as well as larger commercially available data acquisition systems, which are not suited for field use. On average, the designed gain values differed from the actual measured gain values by about 0.35 dB. A prototype of the device was used in a case study to measure blast pressures while investigating the effect of underwater rock blasting on juvenile Chinook salmon and rainbow trout. In the case study, maximum positive pressure from the blast was found to be significantly correlated with frequency of injury for individual fish. The case study also demonstrated that the device withstood operation in harsh environments, making it a valuable tool for collecting field measurements.

A 3D approximate maximum likelihood solver for localization of fish implanted with acoustic transmitters

Better understanding of fish behavior is vital for recovery of many endangered species including salmon. The Juvenile Salmon Acoustic Telemetry System (JSATS) was developed to observe the out-migratory behavior of juvenile salmonids tagged by surgical implantation of acoustic micro-transmitters and to estimate the survival when passing through dams on the Snake and Columbia Rivers. A robust three-dimensional solver was needed to accurately and efficiently estimate the time sequence of locations of fish tagged with JSATS acoustic transmitters, to describe in sufficient detail the information needed to assess the function of dam-passage design alternatives. An approximate maximum likelihood solver was developed using measurements of time difference of arrival from all hydrophones in receiving arrays on which a transmission was detected. Field experiments demonstrated that the developed solver performed significantly better in tracking efficiency and accuracy than other solvers described in the literature.

An Energy Harvesting Underwater Acoustic Transmitter for Aquatic Animals

Acoustic telemetry is the primary method to actively track aquatic animals for behavioral studies. However, the small storage capacities of the batteries used in the transmitters limit the time that the implanted animals can be studied. In this research, we developed and implemented a battery-free acoustic transmitter that uses a flexible piezoelectric beam to harvest energy from fish swimming as the power source. The transmitter sends out a unique identification code with a sufficiently strong signal (150 dB, ref: 1 μPa at 1 meter) that has a detection range of up to 100 meters. Two prototypes, 100 mm and 77 mm long, respectively, weighing only about 1 gram or less in air, were sub-dermally implanted in two species of live fish. Transmissions were successfully detected as the fish swam in a natural manner. This represents the first known implanted energy-harvesting transmitter demonstrated in vivo. Successful development of this transmitter greatly expands the potential for long-term studies of the behaviors of aquatic animals and for subsequently developing strategies to mitigate the environmental impacts of renewable energy systems.

A Field Evaluation of an External and Neutrally Buoyant Acoustic Transmitter for Juvenile Salmon: Implications for Estimating Hydroturbine Passage Survival

Turbine-passed fish are exposed to rapid decreases in pressure which can cause barotrauma. The presence of an implanted telemetry tag increases the likelihood of injury or death from exposure to pressure changes, thus potentially biasing studies evaluating survival of turbine-passed fish. Therefore, a neutrally buoyant externally attached tag was developed to eliminate this bias in turbine passage studies. This new tag was designed not to add excess mass in water or take up space in the coelom, having an effective tag burden of zero with the goal of reducing pressure related biases to turbine survival studies. To determine if this new tag affects fish performance or susceptibility to predation, it was evaluated in the field relative to internally implanted acoustic transmitters (JSATS; Juvenile Salmon Acoustic Telemetry System) used widely for survival studies of juvenile salmonids. Survival and travel time through the study reach was compared between fish with either tag type in an area of high predation in the Snake and Columbia rivers, Washington. An additional group of fish affixed with neutrally-buoyant dummy external tags were implanted with passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags and recovered further downstream to assess external tag retention and injury. There were no significant differences in survival to the first detection site, 12 river kilometers (rkm) downstream of release. Travel times were also similar between groups. Conversely, externally-tagged fish had reduced survival (or elevated tag loss) to the second detection site, 65 rkm downstream. In addition, the retention study revealed that tag loss was first observed in fish recaptured approximately 9 days after release. Results suggest that this new tag may be viable for short term (<8 days) single-dam turbine-passage studies and under these situations, may alleviate the turbine passage-related bias encountered when using internal tags, however further research is needed to confirm this.

Migration depth and residence time of juvenile salmonids in the forebays of hydropower dams prior to passage through turbines or juvenile bypass systems: implications for turbine-passage survival

We studied the depth and residence time of migrating juvenile salmonids in the forebays of hydropower dams before their passage through turbines or Juvenile Bypass Systems. This valuable information will increase our understanding of fish passage and help us identify possible management operations or better turbine designs.

Broadband Acoustic Environment at a Tidal Energy Site in Puget Sound

Located near shipping lanes, as a possibly highly variable acoustic environment that is frequented by the endangered Southern Resident killer whale (SRKW), Admiralty Inlet, Puget Sound, Washington, has been selected as a potential tidal energy site. The first step to receiving approval to deploy tidal turbines is resolving environmental impacts. In order to determine the presence of SRKW near the turbines, several monitoring technologies are being considered. Broadband noise level measurements are critical for determining design and operational specifications of these technologies. Using a cabled vertical line array from two cruises during flood and ebb tidal periods in May and June 2011,acoustic environment data at the proposed site were acquired at different depths. The ambient noise level decreases approximately 5 dB re 1 μPa per octave for frequency ranges of 1-70 kHz and increases approximately 5 dB re 1 μPa per octave for the frequency from 70 to 100 kHz. The difference between noise pressure levels in different months varies from 10 to 30 dB re 1 μPa for the frequency range below 70 kHz. The most significant contributors to sound pressure levels for the frequency range of 1-50 kHz were found to be commercial shipping and ferry vessel traffic, and the variation could be as high as 30 dB re 1 μPa. The basic information for designing and evaluating both active and passive monitoring systems proposed for deployment and operation of a tidal power generation alert system are provided by these noise level measurements.

Feasibility of Tracking Fish with Acoustic Transmitters in the Ice Harbor Dam Tailrace

The Juvenile Salmon Acoustic Telemetry System (JSATS) has been used at many dams but has never been deployed in the near-dam tailrace environment. The use of JSATS in the tailrace is of interest to fishery managers to evaluate downstream passage behavior of juvenile salmonids and dam approach behavior of upstream migrating adult salmon and lamprey. The acoustic noise level and detection range of JSATS were studied to determine the feasibility of deploying JSATS in the Ice Harbor Dam tailrace. The noise level measured from the powerhouse deck was less than 104 dB re 1 μPa except for the turbine outlet near the spillway, and 350 m downstream of the dam, the noise level was less than 106 dB. The measured noise levels would allow a theoretical detection range of 100 m to 350 m and 85 m to 320 m, respectively. Validation experiments showed that the detection range is 113 to 184 m using hydrophones deployed from the powerhouse deck and 148 m using hydrophones deployed 500 m downstream of the dam.