Physical Impact and Performance of Otterboard: Comparison Between Model Testing and Full-Scale Sea Trials

A new door has been designed to reduce hydrodynamic drag coefficient and increase spread of door commonly used in the Mediterranean commercial demersal trawl fisheries. Flume tank testing and engineering sea trials provide data which allow us to illustrate the performance and impact on the seabed of an existing door and a new door design. In the flume tank, each model was tested over a range of attack angles and for a limited range of otterboard heels. Curves of spreading-, drag- and down-force coefficients have been calculated. In the case of sea trials in order to extract the hydrodynamic coefficients an analysis has been applied and a mathematical model was used to calculate attack angle functions. From analysing the differences between engineering sea trials and flume tank tests we have deduced some conclusions about additional ground contact forces on sea trials that affect the performance of the doors. Moreover, a comparison between reaction forces of the flume tank and the estimation of reaction forces at sea has been given. Finally, this study allowed us to notice important differences between traditional and experimental otterboards