Hull Shape Design Optimization

The case is about a hull optimization of a large passenger ferry.

The objective is to reduce the required power at 2 different cruise speeds and loading conditions but also to explore the parameters influence to better understand their impact on the objectives.

MOTIVATIONS

• The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has established that all news ships, in 2025, will be 30% more efficient than those built in 2014.
• CFD can provide accurate understanding of ship performances, and the rise of High Performance Computing (HPC) makes the cost of high fidelity simulation cheaper.
• Vessels with varied operational profiles require trade-off analyses that make an engineer work more difficult, due to contradicting objectives.
• Understand which changes in hull form can affect the overall performances and operational expenses.

OPTIMIZATION RESULTS

The design optimization was performed using a Rhinoceros/Grashopper parametric model, that is directly coupled into FINE™/Design3D.

CONCLUSIONS

There is a power reduction of 14,08% and a decrease of 13,53% of the fuel consumption which leads to a saving of 337,000$ per year for two engines (1 boat).

A fully automated design optimization of a ferry is performed to find the global optimum of the weighted power, hence allowing the trade-off studies much easier.

The propeller influence is taken into account by means of an enriched actuator disk model to directly perform self-propulsion simulations.

The data mining leads to decrease the CPU time for the database by validating the accuracy of the surrogate.