Experimental and numerical investigations on hydrodynamic response of vessel-shaped semi-submersible aquacultural platform

The vessel-shaped semi-submersible aquacultural platform gains increasing attention in the aquacultural industry due to the high biomass production and structural strength. Understanding the dynamic characteristics is essential for structural optimization and operational efficiency. This study presents numerical and experimental analyses of the hydrodynamic responses of the vessel-shaped semi-submersible aquacultural platform under wave actions. In the experiments, the vessel-shaped semi-submersible aquacultural platform was modeled with a scale ratio of 1:32. Both regular and random wave tests are carried out in head seas and beam seas. The numerical simulation model of the vessel-shaped semi-submersible aquacultural platform is developed to investigate motion and mooring load characteristics. The time-domain model is formulated based on the potential theory for floating structures, the screen model for nets and the lumped-mass point for mooring lines. The aquacultural platform motions and mooring forces are numerically simulated and compared with the experimental results. The response time-series, spectra, and the statistics are compared, indicating that the proposed numerical model successfully predicts motions and mooring forces. Experimental and numerical results from both regular and random wave tests suggest that the platform experiences slight rotation motions. Different nets with different solidities are utilized to analyze the effect of the nets. The nets have limited influence on the motions of the aquacultural platform.