PIV on Inclined Cylinder Shaped Fish Cages in a Current and the Resulting Flow Field

The present experimental investigation focuses on the flow structure around short free end cylinders with an aspect ratio of L/D = 3 at a Reynolds number of Re = 5000. Cylinders with varying degrees of inclination and porosity were tested in a towing tank, acting as models for fish farm cages. According to studies of fish cages at commercial Norwegian fish farms, the inclination angle of the structure change up to 25 degrees from the vertical when exposed to a current. Cylinders with porosities of 0% and 75% were tested, the latter representing fish cage netting with fouling. To visualize the flow around the cylinders, 2- and 3-Component (2C and 3C) Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) was used. The effects of inclination and porosity on the three-dimensional flow field will be described and discussed.