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A study is presented on ship-bank interaction effects in which viscous-flow solvers are used to predict the hydrodynamic forces and moments on the ship. The ship under consideration is the KRISO Very Large Crude Carrier (KVLCC2). For this hull form, Flanders Hydraulics Research (FHR) has conducted shallow water model tests in their towing tank equipped with surface-piercing banks and a vertical quay wall. The forces and moments on the KVLCC2 model were obtained for various water depths and lateral distances to the banks. Additionally, the wave elevation was measured between the quay wall and the ship model. In this study, two different CFD codes are used to predict the loads on the KVLCC2 as a function of the water depth and lateral position in the channel. The effect of propeller suction and free surface modelling on the results is quantified. Furthermore, comparisons will be made with CFD results from literature and potential flow computations to highlight the benefits of each approach. It will be shown that with careful setup of the computations, reliable predictions of the ship-bank interaction effects can be obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The seakeeping ability of ships is one of the aspects that needs to be assessed during the design phase of ships. Traditionally, potential flow calculations and model tests are employed to investigate whether the ship performs according to specified criteria. With the increase of computational power nowadays, advanced computational tools such as Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) become within reach of application during the assessment of ship designs. In the present paper, a detailed validation study of several computational methods for ship dynamics is presented. These methods range from low-fidelity system-based methods, to potential flow methods, to high-fidelity CFD tools. The ability of the methods to predict motions in calm water as well as in waves is investigated. In calm water, the roll decay behavior of a fully appended self-propelled free running 5415M model is investigated first. Subsequently, forced roll motions simulated by oscillating the rudders or stabilizer fins are studied. Lastly, the paper discusses comparisons between experiments and simulations in waves with varying levels of complexity, i.e. regular head waves, regular beam waves and bi-chromatic waves. The predictions for all methods are validated with an extensive experimental data set for ship motions and loads on appendages such as rudders, fins and bilge keels. Comparisons between the different methods and with the experiments are made for the relevant motions and the high fidelity CFD results are used to explain some of the complex physics. The course keeping and seakeeping of the model, the reduction rate of the roll motion, the effectiveness of the fin stabilizers as roll reduction device and the interaction of the roll motion with other motions are investigated as well. The paper shows that only high-fidelity CFD is able to accurately predict all the relevant physics during roll decay, forced oscillation and sailing in waves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The aim of this research is to develop hydrodynamic models to enhance the knowledge of the propulsion efficiency in rowing. The flow around a rowing blade is a complex phenomenon characterised by an unsteady 3D behaviour, with violent free surface deformation including breakup and with a flexible shaft driven by a 6-DOF movement. The study uses experimental results obtained on an instrumented boat to perform CFD computations. All parameters are considered except the minor role played by the spin rotation of the shaft. The numerical results fit fairly well with experimental data given a high number of uncertainties. Once CFD computations fully validated, more accurate parametric models could be built and integrated in a rowing simulator which will help coaching staff in analysing and improving performance and training of athletes. Another considered possibility is the direct coupling between the rowing simulator and the CFD code. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Flow around a rowing blade is a very complex phenomenon, involving unsteady three-dimensional flow with violent motion of the free surface. However, in the literature, forces acting on blades are modelled using extreme and dubious simplifications. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the influence of free surface and unsteadiness (two physical characteristics that are commonly neglected when modelling loads on blades) as well as viscous effects. In fact, quasi-static approaches are often used, with no influence of the free surface effects. To conduct this study, computational fluid dynamics is used, supported by experimental results performed with a dedicated device reproducing a simplified rowing stroke in the towing tank. Comparisons show that both free surface flow and unsteadiness must be considered to capture the whole physics of the phenomenon accurately. In contrast, the viscous effects have a very limited influence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]