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Design And Construction Of A Recirculating Flume For Lumpfish Adhesion Strength Testing
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2022
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[PDF-488.29 KB]
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Description:In the aquaculture industry, lumpfish are used as a sustainable way to mitigate sea lice infestations on salmon and steelhead trout farms. However, the current and wave conditions on these farms are energetic, potentially jeopardizing the lumpfish viability as a form of pest control. If presented with strong currents, lumpfish have a suction disc on their ventral side that allows them to adhere strongly to various objects and resist being swept away. To assess the suction disc adhesion strength of lumpfish of the appropriate size/weight (25-75g) for deployment on salmonid farms, a small, recirculating flume was designed and constructed. The flume was required to have a compact form factor and a test section viewable from above by camera. The flow driving mechanism was required to achieve water velocities between 4 to 60 cm/s and be capable of producing gradual acceleration and steady flow. The body of the flume was constructed using salvaged plexiglass and additional spare materials. A submersible thruster system was wired and integrated into the flume body via a 3D printed flow duct. The flume was intentionally designed to be modular and allow for testing probes to be added in consideration of additional research being performed using the flume. Flow tests of the preliminary model suggested that the design can reach the desired water velocities. During tests, the thruster could not exceed 30% power without ventilating. Methods to reduce ventilation and increase useable power include duct redesign, filling with more water, and including a lid. The inclusion of flow vanes and a honeycomb insert are anticipated to alleviate flow turbulence in the fish testing chamber.
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Sea Grant Document Number:UNHMP-TR-SG-22-15
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Rights Information:CC0 Public Domain
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Compliance:Submitted
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