Experimental and numerical studies of a bottom-fixed aquaculture platform with different net configurations under wave loading

This study presents a combined experimental and numerical investigation of the wave attenuation performance of a bottom-fixed aquaculture cage equipped with double-layer side nets. A porous media model is adopted to simulate the hydrodynamic effect of nets, and the numerical method is validated through scaled-down model experiments. A series of simulations is conducted to investigate the effects of net layering, net solidity, differential inner-outer net arrangements and draft depth on wave attenuation. The results show that, compared with the single-layer side net, a double-layer net arrangement can more effectively attenuate wave propagation. Several net cage configurations with different solidity values between the inner and outer side nets are studied. Wave attenuation is affected not only by overall solidity but also by the location of the denser net layer. Moderate drafts achieve greater attenuation than excessively shallow or deep configurations, with the best performance observed between 1.1 m and 1.3 m for this study. The findings suggest that a well-designed set of side netting layers and an adjustment of net solidity are relatively feasible ways to control wave propagation and attenuation. The results provide some references for optimising the hydrodynamics of cages deployed in wave-exposed regions.