Computational Towing Tank Procedures for Single Run Curves of Resistance and Propulsion

A procedure is proposed to perform ship hydrodynamics computations for a wide range of velocities in a single run, herein called the computational towing tank. The method is based on solving the fluid flow equations using an inertial earth-fixed reference frame, and ramping up the ship speed slowly such that the time derivatives become negligible and the local solution corresponds to a quasi steady-state. The procedure is used for the computation of resistance and propulsion curves, in both cases allowing for dynamic calculation of the sinkage and trim. Computational tests are performed for the Athena R/V model DTMB 5365, in both bare hull with skeg and fully appended configurations, including two speed ramps and extensive comparison with experimental data. Comparison is also performed against steady-state points, demonstrating that the quasisteady solutions obtained match well the single-velocity computations. A verification study using seven systematically refined grids was performed for one Froude number, and grid convergence for resistance coefficient, sinkage, and trim were analyzed. The verification study concluded that finer grids are needed to reach the asymptotic range, though validation was achieved for resistance coefficient and sinkage but not for trim. Overall results prove that for medium and high Froude numbers the computational towing tank is an efficient and accurate tool to predict curves of resistance and propulsion for ship flows using a single run. The procedure is not possible or highly difficult using a physical towing tank suggesting a potential of using the computational towing tank to aid the design process.