Numerical simulation of the hydrodynamics within octagonal tanks in recirculating aquaculture systems

A three-dimensional numerical model was established to simulate the hydrodynamics within an octagonal tank of a recirculating aquaculture system. The realizable k-e turbulence model was applied to describe the flow, the discrete phase model （DPM） was applied to generate particle trajectories, and the governing equations are solved using the finite volume method. To validate this model, the numerical results were compared with data obtained from a full-scale physical model. The results show that： （1） the realizable k-e model applied for turbulence modeling describes well the flow pattern in octagonal tanks, giving an average relative error of velocities between simulated and measured values of 18% from contour maps of velocity magnitudes; （2） the DPM was applied to obtain particle trajectories and to simulate the rate of particle removal from the tank. The average relative error of the removal rates between simulated and measured values was 11%. The DPM can be used to assess the self-cleaning capability of an octagonal tank; （3） a comprehensive account of the hydrodynamics within an octagonal tank can be assessed from simulations. The velocity distribution was uniform with an average velocity of 15 cm/s; the velocity reached 0.8 m/s near the inlet pipe, which can result in energy losses and cause wall abrasion; the velocity in tank corners was more than 15 cm/s, which suggests good water mixing, and there was no particle sedimentation. The percentage of particle removal for octagonal tanks was 90% with the exception of a little accumulation of 〈5 mm particle in the area between the inlet pipe and the wall. This study demonstrated a consistent numerical model of the hydrodynamics within octagonal tanks that can be further used in their design and optimization as well as promote the wide use of computational fluid dynamics in aquaculture engineering.

Effects of spectral composition,photoperiod and light intensity on the gonadal development of Atlantic salmon Salmo salar in recirculating aquaculture systems(RAS)

Artificial lighting regimes have been successfully used to inhibit sexual maturity of Atlantic salmon in confinement.However,when these operations are applied in commercial recirculating aquaculture systems(RAS) using standard lighting technology,sexual maturation is not suppressed.In this study,an L_9(3~3) orthogonal design was used to determine the effects of three factors(spectral composition,photoperiod,and light intensity) on the gonadal development of Atlantic salmon in RAS.We demonstrated that the photoperiod at the tested levels had a much greater effect on the gonadosomatic index and female Fulton condition factor than spectral composition and light intensity.The photoperiod had a significant effect on the secretion of sex steroids and melatonin(P<0.05),and a short photoperiod delayed sex steroid and melatonin level increases.The three test factors had no significant effects on the survival rate,specific growth rate,relative weight gain,and male Fulton condition factor(P>0.05).The optimum lighting levels in female and male Atlantic salmon were LD 8:16,455 nm(or 625 nm),8.60 W/m^2;and LD 8:16,8.60 W/m^2,455 nm respectively.These conditions not only delayed gonadal development,but also had no negative effects on Atlantic salmon growth in RAS.These results demonstrate that a combination of spectral composition,photoperiod and light intensity is effective at delaying the gonadal development of both male and female salmon in RAS.

Dynamic simulation based method for the reduction of complexity in design and control of Recirculating Aquaculture Systems

In this work we introduce the“Extensible Fish-tank Volume Model”that can reduce the complexity in the design and control of the Recirculating Aquaculture Systems.In the developed model we adjust the volume of a single fish-tank to the prescribed values of stocking density,by controlling the necessary volume in each time step.Having developed an advantageous feeding,water exchange and oxygen supply strategy,as well as considering a compromise scheduling for the fingerling input and product fish output,we divide the volume vs.time function into equidistant parts and calculate the average volumes for these parts.Comparing these average values with the volumes of available tanks,we can plan the appropriate grades.The elaborated method is a good example for a case,where computational modeling is used to simulate a‘‘fictitious process model”that cannot be feasibly realized in the practice,but can simplify and accelerate the design and planning of real world processes by reducing the complexity.