HYDROELASTIC ANALYSIS OF A NOVEL SUBMERSIBLE SEAWEED CULTIVATION PLATFORM

Abstract

Abstract Seaweed is increasingly being adopted across a wide range of applications, driving rapid growth in large-scale cultivation. As nearshore waters become progressively constrained by competing coastal uses, future seaweed farms are expected to move toward more exposed sites, where environmental conditions are considerably harsher, with stronger waves and currents. Seaweed cultivation systems are typically composed of flexible components, such as ropes and tubular nets, which can undergo large deformations and strongly interact with the surrounding flow field. Consequently, hydroelastic behaviour becomes a critical consideration, particularly under extreme sea states. To mitigate the risk of collision between flexible lines in more exposed site operations, a herringbone-shaped layout is proposed. Hydroelastic responses are analysed using AquaSim, a commercial finite-element-based software for the dynamic analysis of flexible offshore and aquaculture structures. Numerical results demonstrate that, compared with a conventional square configuration, the herringbone layout exhibits reduced deformation, as well as lower and more uniformly distributed peak axial forces and mooring tensions. These findings indicate that the herringbone infrastructure system is a more robust and efficient configuration for offshore seaweed cultivation.

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