Mathematical modelling and experimental validation of the thermal behaviour of an aquacultural pond

This study describes the modelling of the thermal behaviour of aquacultural ponds through nodal discretisation and the use of correlation formulae for exchanges at the water-air interface. The direct resolution of the resulting system was effected by an interconnected numerical method. The experiments carried out on a test pond provided the database necessary for refining the model. The satisfying comparison of experimental and simulated responses for the pond water justify the choice of theoretical approach. A data-processing tool was developed on a PC computer to determine the water temperature of a parallelepiped pond of variable geometry and composition, subjected to different demands and with or without thermal protection covering.