Modeling flow through and around a net panel using computational fluid dynamics

Flow through and around nets is computed using computational fluid dynamics implemented using FLUENT software. The presented study is focused on net panels with different angle of attack, but once the approach is validated on net panels, it should be applicable to 3D aquaculture net-pens. The approach is to model the net as a thin sheet of porous material with a pressure drop that is a function of velocity through the porous material. The objective is to find out what porous media model has the best agreement with measured data and how to assess the material constants for the porous media. The results show that a thin sheet of porous media with pressure drop proportional to velocity squared has the best agreement with measured data. Optimal comparisons were achieved when the proportionality coefficient for tangential flow was less than that for the normal direction