A tool for simulating collision probabilities of animals with marine renewable energy devices

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DOI

  • Pál Schmitt
    Queen's University, Belfast
  • Ross Culloch
    Queen's University, Belfast
  • Lilian Lieber
    Queen's University, Belfast
  • Sverker Molander
    Chalmers University of Technology
  • Linus Hammar
    Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management
  • Louise Kregting
    Queen's University, Belfast

The mathematical problem of establishing a collision probability distribution is often not trivial. The shape and motion of the animal as well as of the the device must be evaluated in a four-dimensional space (3D motion over time). Earlier work on wind and tidal turbines was limited to a simplified two-dimensional representation, which cannot be applied to many new structures. We present a numerical algorithm to obtain such probability distributions using transient, three-dimensional numerical simulations. The method is demonstrated using a sub-surface tidal kite as an example. Necessary pre- and post-processing of the data created by the model is explained, numerical details and potential issues and limitations in the application of resulting probability distributions are highlighted.

Keywords

  • Algorithms, Animals, Models, Theoretical, Renewable Energy, Seawater
Original languageEnglish
Article numbere0188780
JournalPLoS ONE
Volume12
Issue number11
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 29 Nov 2017
Externally publishedYes
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