First principle approach to the design of an open sea aquaculture system

ABSTRACT

This paper describes a procedure for designing flexible aquaculture structures at open sea. The procedure is demonstrated through the design of an innovative system for offshore aquaculture. The paper demonstrates how an understanding of the wave kinematics with respect to structural design yields a simple design method, which results with a product that meets the functional requirements and is capable of surviving violent sea conditions. Furthermore, the paper presents a novel and successful concept of an offshore aquaculture structure. The presented aquaculture system functions successfully since 2006, offshore the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea and survives extreme storms where several other concepts failed.

KEYWORDS:

• Flexible submerged structures
• open sea aquaculture
• offshore cages
• single point mooring
• design method

Acknowledgments

The aquaculture system presented in this paper was designed by the author for SUBFLEX Ltd., Israel.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.