Computational fluid dynamic's simulation of a trawl door, using the k-ε turbulence model

This paper presents a two dimensional finite element simulation of a turbulent flow around a trawl door. The Reynolds averaged Navier Stokes equations are solved with a commercial code using the k-epsilon turbulence model. The lift and drag coefficients obtained by this simulation for various angles of attack are compared with coefficients obtained experimentally in a flume tank on a scaled model. The influence of the numerical precision of the simulation is also discussed. The comparison shows that a two dimensional CFD model can be used to compare design alternatives.