Mooring tension and motion characteristics of a submerged fish reef with net in waves and currents using numerical analysis

Abstract

A numerical model was used to analyze the motion response and mooring tension of a submerged fish reef system. The system included a net attached to a rigid structure suspended up from the bottom with a single, high tension mooring by fixed flotation. The analysis was performed by using a Morison equation type finite element model configured with truss elements. Input forcing parameters into the model consisted of both regular and irregular waves, with and without a steady current. Heave, surge and pitch dynamic calculations of the reef structure were made. Tension response results of the attached mooring line were also computed. Results were analyzed in both the time and frequency domain in which appropriate, linear transfer functions were calculated. The influence of the current was more evident in the tension and heave motion response data. This is most likely the result of the large buoyancy characteristics of the reef structure and the length of the mooring cable. Maximum mooring component tension was found to be 13.9 kN and occurred when the reef was subjected to irregular waves with a co-linear current of 1.0 m/s velocity. The results also showed that the system had little damping (in heave) with damped natural periods of 2.8 s. This combination of system characteristics promotes a possible resonating situation in typical open sea conditions with similar wave periods.