Quantification of Aquaculture Farm Drag Based on the Momentum Sink Method

The demand of aquaculture will increase in the future, which presents an economic opportunity for farm expansion. In order to ensure sustainable growth for both the industry and the ecosystem, an important consideration is the flow response from larger farms. This work aims to quantify the friction caused by oyster farms using a computational fluid dynamic (CFD) method. A Large Eddy Simulation (LES) model predicted the flow response of a case study oyster farm in the Damariscotta River. The simulation provided the flow reduction and turbulence induced by the farm. A drag coefficient was derived based on the momentum sink induced by the oyster farm and will be used in the future to predict the impact of larger farms through theoretical and regional scale numerical model techniques. The outcome of these combined efforts will provide guidance for sustainable farm expansion in the future.

Faculty Mentor: Kimberly Huguenard