Flow characteristics of an aquaculture vessel with perforated sideboards at various incidence angles

The transition of the aquaculture industry to offshore locations aims to address concerns related to nearshore environments and spatial limitations. However, this shift introduces intricate hydrodynamic complexities stemming from challenging sea conditions. This paper presents a computational study with a primary focus on aquaculture vessels equipped with perforated sideboards. The study seeks to explore how varying incidence angles impact the hydrodynamic coefficients of these vessels, as well as the flow characteristics within the culture tank. Through our simulations, it was shown that the lateral force coefficient consistently increases as incidence angles rise, reaching its peak at 90°. However, the behaviour of the longitudinal force coefficient in response to incidence angles is intricate, with a predominantly declining trend. Notably, the culture the high-vorticity region in the tank exhibits a distinct dipole pattern behind the perforations on the face flow side. As the flow diffuses, this vorticity pattern gradually diminishes toward the rear of the tank. The average velocity, vorticity, and water exchange rate within the culture tank all escalate with increasing incident angles. However, each parameter eventually reaches a relative saturation point beyond which further changes with the incident angle provide only marginal alterations. The location of this saturation point is closely linked to the incoming flow velocity. This research can provide valuable guidance for enhancing aquaculture operations in terms of both welfare and efficiency.