Numerical simulation of oxygen transport in land-based aquaculture tank

Abstract

Dissolved oxygen is an important indicator of the water quality and important for fish survival in aquaculture. The distribution of the dissolved oxygen is highly dependent on the flow motions, the pressure and the temperature of the water. With the development of computational fluid dynamics, the spatial and temporal distribution of dissolved oxygen in water can be predicted to evaluate and maintain the water quality. In the present study, a three-dimensional numerical model for predicting the dissolved oxygen and the water flow motions is developed. Oxygen transport in land-based aquaculture tanks is investigated by solving the Unsteady Reynolds-Averaged Navier–Stokes (URANS) equations combined with an additional species transport equation of the dissolved oxygen concentration. The volume of fluid (VOF) method is used to simulate the evolution of two-phase immiscible flows of the water and the air with an interface. The predicted dissolved oxygen concentrations (DOC) are in agreement with the experimental measurement which validate the present numerical model. The evolution of the DOC in the water and the water velocities are discussed based on the numerical simulations.