MARHY 2014 Conference Proceedings

ADVANCES IN COMPUTATIONAL AND
EXPERIMENTAL MARINE HYDRODYNAMICS

VOL. 2 CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS
(ISBN: 978-93-80689-22-7)
OF
International Conference On Computational and Experimental

Marine Hydrodynamics (MARHY 2014)
DECEMBER 3 - 4, 2014 AT IIT MADRAS, CHENNAI, INDIA
Editors
P. Krishnankutty, Rajiv Sharma, V. Anantha Subramanian and S. K. Bhattacharyya
ORGANISED BY
Department of Ocean Engineering

INDIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY MADRAS
&
The Royal Institution of Naval Architects
ORGANISING COMMITTEE
PATRONS
Prof. Bhaskar Ramamurthi, Director, IIT Madras

Mr. Trevor Blakeley, Cheif Executive, Royal Institution of Naval Architects
Prof. V. Anantha Subramanian, Head, Department of Ocean Engineering, IIT Madras (Chairman)
Prof. S.K. Bhattacharyya, Department of Ocean Engineering, IIT Madras (Secretary)
Prof. P. Krishnankutty, Department of Ocean Engineering, IIT Madras (Secretary)
Prof. S.A. Sannasiraj, , Department of Ocean Engineering, IIT Madras
Dr. R. Panneer Selvam, , Department of Ocean Engineering, IIT Madras
Dr. Rajiv Sharma, , Department of Ocean Engineering, IIT Madras
Dr. V. Sriram, , Department of Ocean Engineering, IIT Madras
TECHNICAL COMMITTEE
Prof. Manhar Dhanak, Florida Atlantic University, USA

Prof. Raju Datla, Stevens Institute of Technology, USA
Prof. Pierre Ferrant, Ecole Centrale de Nantes, France
Prof. Kostas Belibassakis, National University of Athens (NTUA), Greece
Prof. P. Ananthakrishnan, Florida Atalntic University, USA
Prof. D. Sen, IIT Kharagpur, India
Prof. C.P. Vendhan, IIT Madras, India
Prof. Shekar Majumdar, Nitte Meenakshi Institute of Technology, Bangalore, India
About the Conference

Marine hydrodynamics deals with flow around marine vehicles, such as surface ships, submarines, AUVs
and ROVs, and offshore structures, both fixed and floating ones. Some of the important topics are
marine vehicle resistance and propulsion, controllability, wave loads, wave induced motions, and energy
and ecology considerations. Correct understanding and application of hydrodynamics on marine vehicles
and structures are vital in their design and operation.
Computational methods in marine hydrodynamic problems are applied to solve a wide range of
maritime applications. Significant progress has been made over the recent past towards the
development of the 'numerical towing tank' and 'virtual basin or cavitation tunnel'. Research and
development work is still ongoing to enhance their stability, accuracy, computational speed and its
integration into the overall design process. While the computational hydrodynamics can provide
important insights into physical flow characteristics and offers an economic way to investigate a range of
design options, it may still lack the accuracy to match results obtained in real-life experiments. This
obviously points to the fact that the computational methods do not replace the experiments completely.
The development of non-invasive flow measurement and visualization techniques such as particle image
velocimetry (PIV) has resulted in better understanding and quantifying the complex hydrodynamic
behavior such as wake in ship propeller region, flow around appendages and vortex shedding from
risers.
The aim of the conference and the pre-conference workshop is to provide a venue for disseminating
advances made in computational and experimental marine hydrodynamics and explore outstanding and
frontier problems in marine hydrodynamics for further research and applications.
ii
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON COMPUTATIONAL AND EXPERIMENTAL

MARINE HYDRODYNAMICS
(MARHY 2014)
PAPER INDEX
iii
Paper No.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
Title/Authors
Effect of Structural Deformation on Performance of Different Marine Propellers
HN Das, ChSuryanarayana , B TejoNagalakshmi, P VeerabhadraRao
CFD Simulation Of Ship Maneuvering
K RavindraBabu, VF Saji, HN Das
Spatial-Spectral Hamiltonian Boussinesq Wave Simulations
E. van Groesen, R Kurnia
Validation Studies for the Scaling of Ducted Propeller Open Water Characteristics
A. Bhattacharyya, V. Krasilnikov
Hydrodynamic Analysis Of Podded Propeller Using CFD
NishantVerma , Om PrakashSha
Predicting the Impact of Hull Roughness on the Frictional Resistance of Ships
PA Stenson, B Kidd, HL Chen, AA Finnie, R Ramsden
Numerical Wave Tank Studies for Floating Wind Turbines
ShivajiGanesan, DebabrataSen
Sea Trials of a Water Jet Propelled High Speed Craft
K.O.S.R. Ravisekhar Radhakrishna, R. Panneer Selvam
Biomimetically Inspired Autonomous Ocean Observation System AquaBot
Prasad Punna,JagadeeshKadiyam, D.Gowthaman, R.Venkatesan
Numerical Study of Self-Propulsion andManeuvering Characteristics of 90t AHTS
Vessel, Praveen Kachhawaha,P Krishnankutty
Investigation on Effect of Skew on Natural Frequency for a MarinePropeller Blade in
Water Using F.E.M;Md. Ayaz J. Khan, Sanjay D. Pohekar, Ravindra B. Ingle
Effect of Environmental Loads on the Maneuverability of a Tanker
Deepti B. Poojari,Saj A.V, Sheeja Janardhanan, A R Kar
Heave Damping Characteristics of a Buoy Form Spar by CFD Simulation and
Experimental Studies; N. senthilkumar, S. Nallayarasu
CFD simulation and experimental studies on frequency andamplitude dependency of
heave damping of Spar hull with andwithout heave plate;
J. Mahesh, S. Nallayarasu, S. K. Bhattacharyya
Reduction in Ship's Resistance by Dimples on the Hull? A Complementary CFD
Investigation, S. C. Sindagi, Md. A. J. Khan, A.S. Shinde
Hydrodynamic Analysis Of Flapping Foils For Near Surface Vehicles
P.Ananthakrishnan
Application of Direct Hydrodynamic Loads in Structural Analysis
YogendraParihar, S. K. Satsangi, A. R. Kar
Ship scale CFD self-propulsion simulation and its direct comparison with sea trials
results, Dmitriy Ponkratov, ConstantinosZegos
Wake Estimation: A Comparative Study Between Different Solvers
Jai Ram Saripilli, Prasada Naidu Dabbi, Ram Kumar , Sharad S Dhavalikar, ApurbaRKar
Experimental and CFD Simulation of Roll Motion of Ship with Bilge Keel
IrkalMohsin A.R. , S. Nallayarasu , S.K. Bhattacharya
Pitch and Heave Control of Swath using Passive Fins
AzaruddinMomin, V. Anantha Subramanian.
Numerical Evaluation of Sloshing Pressure in a Rectangular Tank Fitted in a Barge
Subjected to Regular Wave Excitation;Jermie J Stephen, S.A Sannasiraj, V Sundar
iv
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
Numerical Investigation of Ship Airwake over Helodeck for Different Configurations of

Hangar Shapes of a Generic Frigate;B Praveen, RVijayakumar, SN Singh,VSeshadri
CFD Analysis for the Configuration of the Hydrodynamic Depressor
SenthilPrakash M N , Jithin P N
Numerical & Experimental Investigation on Semi-submersible Platform for Offshore
Desalination Plant; AshwaniVishwanath, PurnimaJalihal
Behaviour Of Ship Under Sloshing, AbhijeetSajjan,A.P.Shashikala
Estimation of Submarine Hydrodynamic Coefficients from Sea Trials Data using EKF
Amit Ray, DebabrataSen
Assessment of Slamming Dynamics on High Speed Vessel
Deepak Bansal, V. Anantha Subramanian
Estimation of Hull - Propeller System Performance for Variation in Pitch- Diameter
(P/D) RatiosMd.Kareem Khan, Amit Kumar, PC Praveen, Manu Korulla , PK Panigrahi.
The Effect of Moonpool and Damping Plate on Damping Characteristics of Spar Hulls
Using CFD Simulation;Tom P.M. , S. Nallayarasu
Hydrodynamic Analysis of Self Installing Mono Column Wind Float During Transition
Phase, UtkarshRamayan, R. PanneerSelvam, NaganSrinivasan
Experimental and Computational Study of Lift - Based Flapping Foil Propulsion System
for Ships;Naga Praveen BabuMannam, Krishnankutty P
Investigation on the Effect of Fineness Ratio on the Hydrodynamic Forces on an
Axisymmetric Underwater Body at Inclined Flow;Praveen PC , Krishnankutty P,
Panigrahi PK
Flapping Flexible Foil Propulsion
Sachin Y. Shinde,Jaywant H. Arakeri
Estimating Manoeuvring Coefficients of a Container Ship in Shallow Water Using CFD
AnkushKulshrestha , P Krishnankutty
Analysis and Design of Geotube Saline Embankment
S. SherlinPremNisholdR. Sundaravadivelu , NilanjanSaha
Numerical and Experimental Determination of Velocity Dependent Hydrodynamic
Derivatives of an Underwater Towed Body; Roni Francis , K sudarshan , P Krishnankutty
& V. Anantha Subramanian
Advances in Computational and Experimental Marine Hydrodynamics (ACEMH 2014)

Proc. of Conf. MARHY-2014 held onInternational
3&4 Dec. , 2014
at IIT Madras,
- Vol.2 (ISBN:and
978-93-80689-22-7)
Conference
onIndia
Computational
Experimental
Editors: P. Krishnankutty, R. Sharma, V. Anantha Subramanian and S. K. Bhattacharyya
Marine Hydrodynamics
MARHY 2014
3-4 December 2014, Chennai, India.
EFFECT OF STRUCTURAL DEFORMATION ON PERFORMANCE OF DIFFERENT

MARINE PROPELLERS
HN Das, NSTL, Defence Research and Development Organisation, India
Ch Suryanarayana, NSTL, Defence Research and Development Organisation, India
B Tejo Nagalakshmi, NSTL, Defence Research and Development Organisation, India
P Veerabhadra Rao, NSTL, Defence Research and Development Organisation, India
ABSTRACT
Propeller geometry is very crucial for its performance and a little deviation in shape can cause changes in its
hydrodynamic performance. Hydrodynamic loading causes deformation to the propeller blades, which leads to
change in shape. The change in shape is particularly of concern when new designs use different composite materials
instead of conventional metals. Effect of this change of shape on hydrodynamic performance of a propeller is being
studied in the present paper. A five bladed bronze propeller from an existing ship is analysed to examine effects in
conventional propeller. Its open water efficiency was estimated for original and deformed shape. Pressure based
RANS equation was solved for steady, incompressible, turbulent flow through the propeller. Numerical solution was
obtained using Finite Volume Method within ANSYS Fluent software. FEM based solver of ANSYS Mechanical
APDL was used to make the structural calculations. Fluid-structure interaction was incorporated in an iterative
manner.
Additionally a five bladed composite propeller was analysed for hydrodynamic performance. Its deformation was
estimated under hydrodynamic loading for different fibre orientations. Hydrodynamic performance of the deformed
propeller was compared with that of the original one.
NOMENCLATURE
1.
C
D
E1,E2,E3
G12, G31, G23
J
Kt
Kq
k
n
p
Q
S
T
U
Xt
Yt
Geometry of propeller is very crucial for its

performance. A little deviation in its geometry may
largely influence the performance of a propeller. A
previous study reveals that some deviation in geometry
of a propeller during fitting into a ship caused variation
in its performance from its original design [9]. This
raised curiosity about performance of any propeller
when it is deformed under hydrodynamic loading.
Composite materials being more flexible, deformation
of composite propeller becomes more crucial and
hence its performance will be more interesting. The
present study concentrates on open water performance
of a metallic propeller vis--vis a composite one. At
first stage a five bladed metallic propeller was
analysed. CFD analysis was carried out for predeformed geometry of the propeller to obtain
hydrodynamic pressure. This pressure was then applied
to the propeller to estimate its deformations. A FEM
code ANSYS Mechanical APDL was used for this. A
further CFD analysis was carried out with this
deformed shape to get the hydrodynamic performance
of the deformed propeller. This process was repeated
for few times to arrive at hydrodynamic load and a
compatible deformed shape of the propeller. At second
stage analysis of a five bladed composite
Xc
Yc
12, 13, 23
Coefficient in k- turbulence model

Diameter of Propeller
Youngs Modulus
Modulus of Rigidity
Advance Ratio
Coefficients of thrust
Coefficients of torque
Kinetic Energy of Turbulence
Revolution per second for
propeller Pitch
Torque of Propeller
Shear Strength
Thrust of Propeller
Free-stream Velocity
Tensile Strength in direction of fibre
Tensile Strength in direction normal
to the fibre
Compressive Strength in direction of
fibre
Compressive Strength in direction
normal to fibre
Dissipation rate of Turbulence
Kinetic Energy
Efficiency
Coefficient of Viscosity
Poissons Ratio
Density of Water.
INTRODUCTION
propeller is carried out in similar way.

2.
LITERATURE REVIEW
Computation of viscous flow through propeller was

demonstrated in 22nd ITTC conference in Grenoble,
France in 1998[10, 11 etc.]. In the last decade, Das et.
al. has carried out CFD analysis of contra-rotating
All Dimensions are in SI Units
Copyright 2014 by IIT Madras, Chennai, India and the RINA, UK
2014: The Royal Institution of Naval Architects and IIT Madras
International Conference on Computational and Experimental Marine Hydrodynamics

MARHY 2014
propeller [3], hull-propeller interaction [4] and study of
propeller noise [5]. Many studies on static analysis of
propeller blades are available in literature. Stress
analysis for isotropic material by Sudhakar M [7] and
study for composite propeller by Y. Seetharama Rao
et. al. [8] is few examples.
Towards the end of last century, analysis of
composite propeller was started to exploit the
advantage of its flexibility [13]. In recent times,
Blasques et al. [14], Mulcahya et al. [15], Motley et al.
[16] and Liu and Young [17] reported study of
composite marine propeller for static deformation,
dynamic analysis and hydrodynamic performance.
3.
GEOMETRY OF THE PROPELLER
3.1 METAL PROPELLER

A five bladed propeller is considered for the present
study (Fig. 1). Considering its diameter to be as D,
other geometrical parameters are expressed. The hub
diameter is 0.313D. Pitch ratio (p/D) of its blades at
radial section of 0.7D is 1.547. The propeller was
modelled using Catia V5 software.
3.2 COMPOSITE PROPELLER
Geometry of marine propeller is very
complex. An actual ship propeller, for which
experimental results are already available, is already
described in para 3.1. However, to ascertain the effect
of fibre orientation in a composite propeller, study is
done for a propeller with simple geometry which is
specially designed for this purpose.
A wing of uniform aerofoil section is chosen
to be propeller blade. This wing is placed over a hub of
1.314 m diameter. The length of wing is taken as
1.443m, which makes the diameter of the propeller as
4.2m. A constant pitch is maintained throughout the
blade. Pitch ratio (p/D) becomes 1.547 which was the
pitch ratio at a radial section of 0.7R of the actual
metallic propeller-blade. Blade thickness, thus, varies
in only one direction, from leading edge to trailing
edge and does not vary from root to tip. The maximum
thickness of blade is so decided that stress remains
within the allowable limit. This simple blade becomes
a wing with uniform cross-section. For analysis, the
blade is modelled in XY plane and its thickness run in
Z direction.
The geometrical description of the simple
propeller is given in Fig. 2. Surface model of the
propellers were made in CATIA V5, R9 software.
4.
GRID GENERATION
4.1 GRID FOR FLUID STUDY

The surface model of propeller was imported from
Catia to ANSYS ICEM CFD 12.0. A suitable domain
size was considered around the propeller to simulate
ambient condition. A sector of a circular cylindrical
domain of diameter ~4D and length of ~7D was used
for flow solution. The sector of 72 was so chosen that

only one blade is modelled in the domain. Periodic
repetition of this sector simulates the whole problem. A
multi-block structured grid was generated for the full
domain using ICEM CFD Hexa module. The grid thus
generated was exported from ICEMCFD to ANSYS
Fluent 12.0 solver. Extent of domain and grid over the
blade is shown in Figs. 3 and 4. A grid with total 0.268
million cells were employed to descritise the flow
field.
4.2 GRID FOR STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS
The grid from only the blade surface was imported to
ANSYS mechanical APDL software. A view of
imported mesh is shown in Fig 5. Total 361 elements
(around 400 Nodes) were used over the blade. Fig. 6
shows grid and boundary condition for composite
propeller.
5.
SETTINGS UP THE PROBLEM
5.1 FLOW SOLUTION

The problem was solved using the segregated solver of
ANSYS Fluent 12.0. In brief the code uses a finite
volume method for discretization of the flow domain.
The Reynolds Time Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS)
Equations were framed for each control volume in the
discretised form.
For the present solution,
STANDARD scheme is used for pressure and a
SIMPLE (Strongly Implicit Pressure Link Equations)
procedure is used for linking pressure field to the
continuity equation. The detailed formulation of
numerical process is given in Ref [6]. The
computations were carried out on an Eight Core Dell
Precision T7500 Workstation (64bit Xeon E5640
Processor @2.67 GHz, 4GB RAM, 64 Bit Windows
XP OS). The flow is treated as incompressible and
fully turbulent. Standard K- model has been used for
modelling turbulence. The near wall turbulence was
modelled using standard wall functions and the free
stream turbulence has been prescribed as follows
K = 10-4* U2
C K 2
5
The continuum was chosen as fluid and the properties

of water were assigned to it. A moving reference frame
is assigned to fluid with different rotational velocities
to simulate appropriate advance ratio. The wall
forming the propeller blade and hub were assigned a
relative rotational velocity of zero with respect to
adjacent cell zone. A constant uniform velocity was
prescribed at inlet. At outlet outflow boundary
condition was set. The farfield boundary was taken as
inviscid wall.
The following boundary conditions are used in this
analysis [Fig. 2]:

MARHY 2014
(i) Velocity Inlet, (ii) Outflow, (iii) Moving Wall
(iv) Inviscid Wall, (v) Periodic
5.2 DEFORMATION STUDY

Metal Propeller
The deformation of the metal propeller blade was
estimated using ANSYS Mechanical APDL 12.0
software. The solver used Finite Element Method
(FEM) for descritisation. For structural analysis, only
one surface of the blade was modelled. The pressure,
estimated from flow solution, was applied to this blade
surface. Fluents output of pressure distribution over
two surfaces of blade, face and back, was written to a
file. A program picked up the pressure values from this
file and put to the nearest node points over the single
surface of the blade, to be used in Mechanical APDL
software. An four nodded shell elements i.e., SHELL
181, available with ANSYS solver were chosen for the
analysis. Propeller blade was considered as cantilever.
The root of the blade was considered as fixed,
restraining all degrees of freedoms there.
The blade was made of Aluminium Nickel Bronze,
which has Youngs Modulus 1011 N/m2 and Poissons
Ratio of 0.34. A constant thickness of 0.1 m was
applied for the blade. This makes the volume of the
blade approximately same to the actual blade. Mesh
and boundary condition for FE solver is shown in Fig
5.
Composite Propeller
The deformation of the propeller blade was estimated
using ANSYS Mechanical APDL 12.0 software. One
surface of the blade was considered for analysis.
Geometry with mesh was imported from ANSYS
Fluent software (where CFD study was done). The
pressure over both face and back was written to a .cdb
file from ANSYS Fluent. The same .cdb file was read
in ANSYS Mechanical APDL 12.0 software to get the
loading over the blade. Properties of Graphite Epoxy
Composite Lamina with volume fraction 0.3 were
obtained from Jones [18]. Properties are given below.
Stiffness:
E1=207 GPa
E2=E3=5.0 GPa
G12=G31=2.6 GPa
G23=2.87 GPa
12= 13=0.25
23=0.33
Strength:
Xt= 1035 GPa
Yt= 41 GPa
Xc= 689GPa
Yc= 117 GPa
S = 69GPa
Mesh and boundary condition for FE solver is shown

in Fig 6.
5.3 FLUID-STRUCTURE INTERACTION
The deformed shape of the propeller blade under each
operating condition was transferred to ICEM-CFD
software. After developing the actual blade around this
deformed surface, mesh was again generated. This
mesh was exported to Fluent and corresponding
operational conditions in terms of propeller rpm and

linear velocity was assigned in the solver. The
hydrodynamic results obtained from flow solution
represent the behaviour of the deformed propeller. A
new pressure distribution now develops over the blade
due to the change in geometry. The new load is again
exported to ANSYS APDL software for deformation
analysis. The original blade geometry is considered for
this. The process is repeated iteratively till the time
when pressure distribution does not change any further
between two successive iterations.
6.
RESULTS
6.1 METAL PROPELLER

Analysis is carried out for the hydrodynamic
performance of the propeller. Open water
characteristics i.e., thrust (Kt) and torque coefficients
(Kq) as well as efficiency () were computed at
different advance ratios (J), defined as
KT =
=
T
,
n 2 D 4
J KT
,
2 K Q
KQ =
Q
n 2 D 5
U
nD
(1)
According to the convention, thrust and torque are

expressed as non-dimensional quantities which remain
same under similar operating condition.
The propeller was analysed under a constant linear
velocity of inflow (U). Its rpm was varied to obtain
different values of the advance ratio. Analysis was
done for five advance ratios, ranging between 0.6 and
1.3. Pressure distribution over the propeller blade for J
= 0.6 is plotted in Fig 7.
Von-Mises stress over propeller blade for operating
condition J=0.6 is shown in Fig 8. The deformed shape
of the blade is shown in Fig. 9 and 10. The maximum
deformation is observed as 0.006428D. This
deformation is corresponding to an Advance Ratio of
0.6.
The open water characteristics for original and
deformed propeller geometry are shown in Fig 11.
Experimental results were available for a scaled down
propeller model [12]; so CFD results could be
compared with observations from experiment. From
Table 1, it is observed that change in hydrodynamic
efficiency due to deformation is very small (around
0.01).
6.2 COMPOSITE PROPELLER
Analysis was made for composite propeller to
get the deformed shape of the propeller blade with
different Laminates. Strength was checked from Tsai-

MARHY 2014
Hill Criteria. Deformation and stress levels of the
propeller blade for different composite materials are
given in Table 4 to 6.
Propeller was run at different rpm and
advance velocities to produce advance ratio in the
range of 0.6 to 1.3. Amongst all the conditions, case
corresponding to 200 rpm and 30 Knots velocity of
advance gave the maximum structural loading. So all
the structural results corresponding to this case are
only reported here. Different thicknesses were tried out
and table 2 shows the deformation and stresses
developed within the propeller-blade. The minimum
required thickness is found out to be 80mm, where
stresses are within allowable limits and maximum twist
angle is 0.448. Table 2 shows that 80mm thick
laminate with 90/0/0/90/90 stacking satisfies the failure
criteria.
Final stacking sequence of composite layers is
arrived to 90/0/0/90/90 to avoid failure. Results for
other stacking sequences are given in Table 3. It is
observed that fibres need to be oriented at 90 at least
at the outermost layers to get the stress within
allowable limits. Other orientations of fibre lead to
higher deformation and stress which causes failure.
Table 4 shows that a suitably designed graphite- epoxy
composite laminate (90/0/0/90/90) could withstand all
the load cases with 80mm thickness. Maximum
deformation of such propeller blade is observed to be
32mm with twist in blade as 0.4 (Table 2).
To keep the volume of the paper short,
hydrodynamic performance for only 80mm thick
propeller blade with graphite epoxy is reported. Open
water characteristics of deformed and pre-deformed
propeller with blade thickness 80mm are shown in Fig.
12. It is observed that its hydrodynamic performance
remains almost unchanged before and after
deformation. However, a meagre 0.85% improvement
is obtained after deformation for operation at J= 0.6.
The change in pressure distribution due to deformation
of blade marginally alters the stress level.
7.
CONCLUSIONS
The present study indicates that capability of

computational methods to solve complex engineering
problem like fluid-structure interaction for a propellerflow.
CFD results agreed well with experimental
observations (Fig. 11) giving good validation of this
study.
Study shows that a bronze propeller is rigid
enough to hold its shape under operational conditions,
so that its hydrodynamic performance is not affected
due to structural deformations.
Shape change in composite propeller alters its
hydrodynamic performance. Further studies may be
carried out to examine if this can be used for

improvement of design.
8.
REFERENCES
1. Edward V. Lewis, Principles of Naval
Architecture Volume II, Published by The
Society of Naval Architects and Marine
Engineers, Jersey City, NJ, 1988
2. JP Ghosh and RP Gokarn, Basic Ship
Propulsion, Allied Publishers Pvt Ltd., 2004
3. H.N.Das
and
Lt.Cdr.P.Jayakumar,
Computational Prediction and Experimental
Validation of the Characteristics of a ContraRotating Propeller", NRB seminar on Marine
Hydrodynamics, Feb 2002
4. Commodore N Banerjee, HN Das and B
Srisudha Computational Analysis And
Experimental Validation of Hull Propulsor
Interaction For An Autonomous Underwater
Vehicle (AUV) Seventh Asian CFD
Conference 2007, Bangalore, India, November
26-30, 2007
5. GV Krishna Kumar, VF Saji, HN Das and PK
Panigrahi Acoustic Characterization of a
Benchmark Marine Propeller Using CFD
National Symposium on Acoustics (NSA2008), NSTL, Visakhapatnam, 22 - 24 Dec
2008.
6. ANSYS FLUENT 12.0 Documentation
7. Sudhakar M, Static & Dynamic Analysis of
Propeller Blade M Tech Thesis submitted to
Andhra University, 2010.
8. Y.seetharama Rao, K. Mallikarjuna Rao, B.
Sridhar Reddy, Stress Analysis of Composite
Propeller by Using Finite Element Analysis,
International Journal of Engineering Science
and Technology (IJEST), Vol. 4 No.08 August
2012
9. HN Das CFD Analysis for Cavitation of a
Marine Propeller 8th Symposium on High
Speed Marine Vehicles, HSMV 2008, Naples,
Italy, 22-23 May 2008
10. KN Chung, Fedric Stern and KS Min, Steady
Viscous Flow Field Around Propeller P4119,
Propeller RANS/ Panel Method Workshop,
22nd ITTC Conference in Grenoble, France,
1998
11. A Sanchez Caja, P 4119 RANS Calculations at
VTT, 22nd ITTC Conference in Grenoble,
France, 1998
12. NSTL Internal Report on Hydrodynamic
Model Tests For New Design Frigate (Open
Water, Self Propulsion & 3d Wake Survey
Tests);
Report
Number
NSTL/HR/HSTT/221/2 November 2010
13. Lin
G.
Comparative
Stress-Deflection
Analyses of a Thick-Shell Composite Propeller

MARHY 2014
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
Blade. Technical Report, David Taylor

Research Center, DTRC/SHD-1373-01, 1991
Blasques JP, Christian B, Andersen P. Hydroelastic analysis and optimization of a
composite marine propeller, Marine Structures
2010; 23: 22-38.
Mulcahya NL, Prustyb BG, Gardinerc CP.
Hydroelastic Tailoring of Flexible Composite
Propellers. Ships and Offshore Structures
2010; 5/4: 359-370.
Motley MR, Liu Z, Young YL. Utilizing FluidStructure Interactions to Improve Energy
Efficiency of Composite Marine Propellers in
Spatially Varying Wake. Composite Structures
2009; 90: 304-313.
Liu Z, Young YL., Utilization of Bend-Twist
Coupling for Performance Enhancement of
Composite Marine Propellers, Journal of Fluids
and Structures 2009; 25: 1102-1116.
Jones R M, Mechanics of Composite Materials,
Scripta Book Company, 1975
Fig 1
Solid Model of Metal Propeller
Fig 2 Geometry & Solid Model of Composite Propeller

MARHY 2014
Fig 3. Extent of Domain and Boundary Conditions

for Flow Analysis
Fig 4. Surface Grid over Metallic and

composite Propeller
Fig 5. Grid, Boundary Conditions with Applied

Pressure for Structural Analysis (Metal propeller)
Fig. 6 Mesh and Boundary Conditions with Loading for

Structural Analysis over Composite Propeller
(SHELL 181 Element)

MARHY 2014
(a) Face
Fig. 9 Deformed Shape at J=0.6
(b) Back
Fig. 7 Pressure Distribution over Face & Back J=0.6
Fig. 10 Deformed Shape at J=1.2
Fig. 8 Von Mises Stress(N/m2) over

Propeller Blade, J=0.6

MARHY 2014

MARHY 2014
Co-efficient of Thrust , Torque and Efficiency
0.6
0.5
0.4
Kt After Deformation
Kq After Deformation
efficinecy After Deformation
Kt
Kq
efficiency
0.3
0.2
0.1
0
0.5
0.6
0.7
0.8
0.9
1
Advance Ratio, J
1.1
1.2
1.3
1.4
Fig. 12Open Water Charateristics : Before & After Deformation
Table 1 Open Water Characteristics for Metal Propeller : Before and after Deformation
Before Deformation
Deformed
Difference
Kq
(%)
kt
kq
kq
Kt
(%)
0.6
0.471
0.097
0.4649
0.463
0.097
0.4562
-1.71
0.16
-0.00867
0.8
0.368
0.079
0.5905
0.366
0.081
0.5800
-0.54
1.24
-0.01039
0.268
0.063
0.6803
0.269
0.063
0.6835
0.66
0.19
0.003251
1.2
0.162
0.043
0.7139
0.164
0.044
0.7004
0.90
2.86
-0.0135
1.3
0.105
0.033
0.6692
kt

MARHY 2014
Thickness
(mm)
t
100
90
88
85
80
Table 2: Stress Level & Deformation for Composite Propeller Blade with different thicknesses
Propeller rpm=200; Material: GRAPHITE EPOXY, Laminate (90,0,0,90)
Maximum Twist
Extreme
Deformati Angle
Shear
Failure Condition
Extreme Normal Stress (MPa)
on
()
Stress
(mm)
(MPa)
x
x
y
y
z
z
xy
Layer
Tsai-Hill
(min)
(max)
(min) (max)
(min)
(max)
Index (Max)
90
0.066
0
0.014
16.30
0.240
-32.3
30.1
-328
316
-0.47
0.861
83.3
0
0.0844
90
0.554
90
0.098
21.78
0.315
-39.8
37.2
-405
386
-0.638
0.945
103
0
0.025
0
0.141
90
0.851
90
0.107
23.17
0.33
-41.6
39
-424
403
-0.679
0.966
107
0
0.028
0
0.157
90
0.932
90
0.123
25.51
0.3628
-44.6
41.8
-454
430
-0.748
0.1
115
0
0.034
0
0.187
90
1.073
90
0.3465
0
0.0399
31.96
0.448
-54.6
40.4
-613
454
-1.07
0.845
146
0
0.365
90
0.277
90
1.00
10

MARHY 2014
Laminate
(90/0/0/90)
(45/45/45/-45)
(120/30/75
/30/
-15/30)
(302/902/30
2/902/302)
Table 3: Stress &Deformation for Composite Propeller Blade with different fibre orientation
Plate Thickness=80mm; Propeller rpm=200
Maximum
Twist
Extreme
Failure Criteria
Deformation Angle
Shear
(mm)
()
Stress
(MPa)
x
x
y
y
z
z
xy
Layer
Tsai-Hill
(min) (max) (min) (max) (min) (max)
(Max)
90
0.157
0
0.0485
30.19
0.4126 -50.3
47.2
-513
482
1.07
129
0.883
0
0.251
90
1.369
45
1.2918
-45
0.159
54.41
0.355
-99.2
159
-422
332
-1.26
4.15
-182
45
33.0611
-45
6.076
120
1.69144
30
5.985
75
97.741
100.55
0.709
-174
105
-776
1110 -43.8
20.9
288
30
62.224
-15
16.597
30
237.402
30
1.6964
30
1.0175
90
0.708
90
0.2454
30
12.581
67.28
0.6322
-106
71.2
-302
803
-6.4
9.02
233
30
24.437
90
2.663
90
5.9468
30
83.732
30
111.250
11

MARHY 2014
Table 4: Stress & Deformation for Composite Propeller Blade , rpm 200
Laminate
Maximum
Thickness Deformation
(mm)
(mm)
(90/0/0/90/90)
(90/0/0/90/90)
50
40
Twist
Angle
()

x
(min)
119.68
1.58
(+)
-139
221.582
2.904
(+)
-215
x
(max)
104
162
y
(min)
y
(max)
z
(min)
z
(max)
Max
Shear
Stress
(MPa)
xy
-1550
1090
-3.27
1.78
370
-2380
1620
-5.53
3.11
571
Failure Criteria
Layer
90
0
0
90
90
90
0
0
90
90
12
TsaiHill
(Max)
2.2733
0.613
3.574
1.9814
6.678
5.524
2.209
11.274
5.092
16.093
International
Conference(ACEMH
on Computational
Experimental Marine Hydrodynamics
Advances in Computational and Experimental
2014)
MARHY 2014
Proc. of Conf. MARHY-2014 held on 3&4 Dec. , 2014 at IIT Madras, India - Vol.2 (ISBN: 978-93-80689-22-7)
CFD SIMULATION OF SHIP MANEUVERING

K Ravindra Babu, NSTL, Defence Research and Development Organisation, India
VF Saji, NSTL, Defence Research and Development Organisation, India
HN Das, NSTL, Defence Research and Development Organisation, India
ABSTRACT
International Maritime Organization (IMO) sets the standard for ship maneuverability. Naval ships needs even better
maneuverability. Accurate prediction of ships maneuverability is very important even at the early stage of design.
Basic step towards finding the maneuvering characteristic of any vessel is to find the hydrodynamic derivatives. There
are many methods available for hydrodynamic derivatives prediction such as free running model test, captive model test
etc. However these methods are expensive and time consuming. Predictions based on semi-empirical or empirical
methods are not accurate. Whereas, accurate estimation of hydrodynamic derivatives is essential for evaluation of
maneuverability and directional stability.
RANS based CFD code are becoming popular as an alternative method to determine hydrodynamic derivatives. This
paper presents prediction of hydrodynamic derivative for static maneuvers using SHIPFLOW software. CFD results in
terms of hydrodynamic forces, moments and derivatives are compared with experimental results for a naval vessel and
showed good agreement.
1. INTRODUCTION
Predictions of ship-maneuvering performance have
been one of t he most challenging topics in ship
hydrodynamics. Due to the lack of analytical methods
for predicting ship maneuverability, maneuvering
predictions have traditionally relied on either empirical
method or experimental model tests.
Recently, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) based
methods have shown promise in computing complex
hydrodynamic forces for steady and unsteady
maneuvers. Significant progress has been made
towards this goal by applying Reynolds-averaged
Navier-Stokes (RANS) based CFD codes to static
maneuvers and dynamic maneuvers with generally
good agreements with experimental data.
The CFD simulations provide more insight into the
entire flow structure around the hull, and the
simulation results can be used to compute the forces
and moment acting on the hull and also to determine
hydrodynamic derivatives of the ship hull. Although
RANS methods are considered promising, many
difficulties associated with time accurate schemes, 6
DOF ship motions, implementations of complex hull
appendages, propulsors and environmental effects such
as wind, waves, and shallow water remain challenges.
set up and are time consuming, whereas in practices,

both time and cost are limited. Thus the execution of
extensive model tests for every ship is practically
beyond possibility. Results of semi-empirical or
empirical methods are not very accurate. RANS based
CFD are hence becoming popular for calculation of
derivatives. Present work employs a RANS based CFD
tool (SHIPFLOW 5.1) for the calculation of
hydrodynamic derivatives.
2. SIMULATION OF SHIP MANEUVERS
Two simulations corresponding to straight line test and
rotating arm test have been performed using the
SHIPFLOW software for finding derivatives. An actual
ship has been considered for this purpose. Fig 1 shows
the model of the ship. Total length of the ship is 151.5m
with beam 17.71m. For this analysis 4.9m of draft was
used. Derivatives calculated using forces and moments
obtained by SHIPFLOW are compared with
experimental results.
Captive model test and free running test require large
Fig 1 Ship model
Copyright
2014
by IIT
Madras, Chennai,
and theand
RINA,
2014: The
Royal
Institution
of NavalIndia
Architects
IITUK
Madras
13
International Conference on Computational Experimental Marine Hydrodynamics

MARHY 2014
For a bare model without propellers or rudders, the
Abkowitzs mathematical models for hydrodynamic
forces and moment can be reduced to eqn (2.1) and
(2.2) by dropping the terms related to rudder angle ( ).
For the straight line test (static drift):
X X X vv 2
Y Yv Yvvv 3
N N v N vvv 3
(2.1)
For the rotating arm test (steady pure yaw):
X X X rr r 2
Y Yr r Yrrr rv 3
N N r r N rrr r 3
(2.2)
3. CFD MODELING
To solve the flow around the hull two different
approaches, i.e. global and zonal approaches are
available in SHIPFLOW. A global approach means
that the Navier-Stokes equations are solved in the
whole flow domain. A zonal approach means that the
flow domain is divided into different zones based on
the flow characteristics inside. Global approach has
been used here. Experimental results are already
available for a model scale of 1:19.2 [5]. The present
simulations are also carried out for same model
scale, so that the results can be compared and
validated.
3.1
FLOW SOLUTION
The potential flow analysis was carried out under the
XPAN module of SHIPFLOW. This estimates the
wave resistance. However flow near the stern end is
completely viscous. Therefore a RANS solver
XCHAP is used to resolve viscous effects. XCHAP
has been used in the analysis. It is a finite volume
code that solves the Reynolds Averaged Navier
Stokes equations.
3.2
MESH GENERATION
The total number of elements generated was 858400.
The total number of panels generated was 2834 and
nodes generated were 3086. For potential flow
calculations, required mesh was generated by
XMESH module and for RANS calculations, grids
were created by XGRID module. The mesh was
generated automatically by giving XMAUTO in
XMESH. The type of the mesh used in XGRID was
medium. Figure 2 & 3 shows generated mesh on ship
hull body.
Fig 2 Grids of domain

around the ship hull
Fig 3 Mesh
4 RESULTS
4.1
POST PROCESSING OF RESULTS
USING SHIPFLOW
Pressure distribution for Froude number of 0.23 is
shown in fig 4. The wave height variation along the
length of the ship is plotted. This is obtained from
the potential flow analysis done in SHIPFLOW.
The variation in the wave height at Froude number
14

MARHY 2014
V = -V sin
(Fn) =0.23 can be clearly visualized from the fig 5

and 6 shown below.
Where the negative sign arises because of the sign

convention adopted.
A straight line test was carried out in a towing
tank to determine the sway velocity dependent
derivative. The test condition is simulated for a naval
ship model using SHIPFLOW software at different
drift angles. Hydrodynamic derivatives are
calculated using the forces and moments obtained by
SHIPFLOW.
Fig 4 Pressure Distribution
Fig 7 Straight line test

Hydrodynamic Derivatives
Hydrodynamic derivatives are calculated using the
least square method using forces and moment
obtained by SHIPFLOW. These hydrodynamic
derivatives are compared with experimental results
Derivative
Computed
value
Experimental
value
-Yv
0.003
0.00285
-Nv
0.0092
0.017
Fig.5 Wave height along hull (from free surface) for a

velocity 1.646m/s
and presented in Table 1.

Plots of Y vs. v and N vs. v are presented (Fig 8 and
Fig 9 respectively)
Table 1 Non-dimensionalised
sway force & yaw moment
Yv'
Fig.6 Free surface elevation for a velocity 1.646m/s
4.2
SIMULATION OF STRAIGHT LINE TEST
The velocity-dependent derivatives Yv and Nv of a
ship at any draft and trim can be determined from
measurements on a model of the ship, ballastard to a
geometrically similar draft and trim, towed in a
conventional towing tank at a constant velocity, V,
corresponding to a given ship Froude number, at
various angles of attack, to the model path shown in
fig 7
0.00045
y = 0.0030x - 0.0000
0.00035
Y'
Yv'
0.00025
0.00015
0.06
0.11
0.16
0.21
15

MARHY 2014
Graph has been plotted between Y vs. r and N vs. r
which shown in Fig 11 and Fig 12 respectively.
Table 2 Non-dimensionalised sway force
Fig 8 Y vs. v plot
Nv'
0.0014
& yaw moment
y = 0.0092x - 0.0001
0.0012
Computed
Experimental
value
value
Yr
0.0206
0.026
Nr
0.065
0.069
Derivative
0.001
N
0.0008
Nv'
0.0006
0.0004
0
0.05
0.1
v
0.15
0.2
Yr'
Fig 9 N vs. v plot

0.0089
4.3 SIMULATION OF ROTATING ARM TEST
0.0069
This is carried out to measure the rotary derivatives Yr

and Nr on a model, a special type of towing tank and
apparatus called a rotating-arm facility is occasionally
employed.
An angular velocity r given by
y = 0.0206x - 0.0015
u
R
The only way to vary r at constant linear speed is to

vary R. The derivatives Yr and Nr are obtained by
evaluating the slopes at r = 0. Because of ship
symmetry, the values of Yr and Nr at the negative
values of r are a reflection of their values at positive r
but with opposite sign. This test condition is simulated
using SHIPFLOW software for different radius of
rotation. Hydrodynamic derivatives are calculated
using the forces and moments obtained by
SHIPFLOW.
Yr'
0.0049
0.0029
0.0009
0.05
0.25 r
0.45
Fig 11 Y vs. r plot
Nr'
0.0325
y = 0.065x - 0.0049
0.0275
0.0225
N 0.0175
Nr'
0.0125
0.0075
0.0025
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
Fig 12 N vs. r plot
Fig 10 Rotating arm test

Hydrodynamic Derivatives
Hydrodynamic derivatives are calculated using least
square method using forces and moment obtained by
SHIPFLOW. These hydrodynamic derivatives are
shown in Table 2.
4.4 TURNING CIRCLE SIMULATION

Introduction
Sea trial and free running model tests are
straightforward
methods
to
obtain
IMO
maneuverability criteria. However the free running
model test is not practical due to limitations of towing
tank and it is also expensive.
Computational simulations are advantageous than free
16

MARHY 2014
running model tests for assessing vessel
controllability and maneuvering performance. Once
the hydrodynamic derivative are calculated using the
captive model test or theoretical method or using
RANS based CFD, almost any maneuver or ship
operation can be simulated without additional model
tests. The simulation model can be readily and
economically modified to determine the effect of
changes, such as increasing of rudder size.
The linear equations of motion have only limited use.
If a vessel is straight - line stable, they can be used,
in principle, for maneuvering prediction, if the
considered maneuvers are not too tight. If they are
tight, the result will not be accurate enough, as
contributions of nonlinear terms become significant
and they could no longer be ignored. If a vessel
is path-unstable, the linear system of equations
cannot be applied at all, as the solution will have a
tendency of unlimited increase and only nonlinear
terms could stop its growth.
A nonlinear system is derived from nonlinear terms
in the Taylor series expansion of usually it is
expanded up to the third power, as the terms of
higher order are small in most cases. In general,
which terms will be retained is determined by both
theoretical consideration and practical experience.
Numerical values of hydrodynamic derivatives come
from model tests with planar motion mechanism
(PMM), rotating arm, a free running model, empirical
formulas or RANS based CFD. There are numerous
formulations of the nonlinear equations, but the most
common are the cubic and quadratic nonlinearity.
The quadratic nonlinearity be used here because of
the availability of a complete set sample data.
However, cubic nonlinearity may also be used.
Simulation Program
The system of equations used here is given in ABS
Rule for Vessel maneuverability, which is a more
simplified form. The system of equation is integrated
with respect to time using MATLAB (2012 b)
software to get the trajectory for turning circle
maneuvers.
In the input block, the code will read the input data
such as rudder angle and hydrodynamic coefficients.
These input data will then be used in the process
block in order to calculate the hull, rudder and
propeller forces.
Hull modules are divided into three sub-blocks
called surge, sway and yaw sub-block. Surge, sway
and yaw acceleration are calculated using the
nonlinear equation.
The equation of motion was double integrated to
obtain the translation of motion in the x and y
direction. Fig 11 shows the predicted turning circle.
Fig 11 Turning circle plot

The steady turning diameter has been found to be
27.615m
Calculation of tactical diameter according to abs
guidelines
V
TD
STD
0.910
0.424 S 0.675
L
L
L
(4.1)
Eqn 4.1 shows the calculation of tactical diameter
Where,
TD
tactical diameter in m,
Vs
test speed in knots
STD
length of the vessel in m, measured

between perpendiculars,
standard tactical diameter in m
Tactical Diameter = 35.27 m < 5L. Hence IMO criteria

have been satisfied.
Table 3 gives the comparison between turning circles
calculated in different ways.
Table 3 Comparison of tactical diameter in ships
length
Parameter
ABS
guidelines
Present
result
Sea trial
result
Tactical
diameter in
ships length
4.47
3.8
17

MARHY 2014
(m)
The difference between computational and sea trial

results may be attributed to the nonlinear terms of
hydrodynamic coefficients, which were neglected in
the present analysis. In spite of the inaccuracy of
present linear analysis, the predicted tactical diameter
qualifies the ABS criteria in a very similar way as the
actual sea trial result does .
5
CONCLUSIONS
In view of the present state of art, successful
analysis for computational estimate of Tactical
Diameter for ship, as reported in the present work
is very encouraging.
Velocity dependent variables were calculated
using static maneuvers.
Stability condition was checked.
Turning circle maneuver has been simulated

using ABS guideline for maneuverability. Results
agreed well with sea-trial observations.
As the results obtained are in good agreement
with the sea-trial results, RANS based CFD tool
can be used for calculation of turning
circle/hydrodynamic derivative calculation at early
design stage to predict maneuvering characteristic
of vessel.
REFERENCES
1. American Bureau of Shipping, 2006, Guide
for Vessel manoeuvrability, American Bureau of
Shipping.
2. Fossen, T. I., 1999, Guidance and Control of
Ocean Vehicles, University Of Trondheim,
Norway.
3. Lewis, E. V., 1988, Principles of Naval
Architecture, The Society of Naval Architects and
Marine Engineers, Jersey city, NJ.
4. SHIPFLOW 5.0 Users Manual, 2013,
Flowtech International AB, Sweden.
5. NSTL Report Number NSTL/HR/HSTT/203
A Hydrodynamic Model Tests For P-15 VesselMar 2008.
18
International
Conference on (ACEMH
Computational
2014) and Experimental Marine Hydrodynamics
MARHY 2014
3-4 December 2014, Chennai, India
SPATIAL-SPECTRAL HAMILTONIAN BOUSSINESQ WAVE SIMULATIONS

R. Kurnia, University of Twente, The Netherlands
E. van Groesen, University of Twente, The Netherlands & Labmath-Indonesia,
Email: r.kurnia@utwente.nl, E.W.C.vanGroesen@utwente.nl
ABSTRACT
This contribution concerns a specific simulation method for coastal wave engineering applications. As is common to
reduce computational costs the flow is assumed to be irrotational so that a Boussinesq-type of model in horizontal
variables only can be used. Here we advocate the use of such a model that respects the Hamiltonian structure of the
wave equations. To avoid approximations of the dispersion relation by an algebraic relation that is needed for finite
element/difference methods, we propose a spatial-spectral implementation which can model dispersion exactly for
all wave lengths. Results with a relatively simple spatial-spectral implementation of the advanced theoretical model
will be compared to experiments for harmonic waves and irregular waves over a submerged trapezoidal bar and
bichromatic wave breaking above a flat bottom; calculation times are typically less than 25% of the physical time in
environmental geometries.
1. INTRODUCTION
Comparing simulations with experimental data shows

that the simulations are of high quality, typically the
correlation with experiments is above 0.9, and are
numerically efficient with calculation times typically
less than 25% of the physical time in environmental
geometries.
The dynamic equations for incompressible, inviscid

fluid flow have a well-known Hamiltonian structure in
the surface potential and elevation as state variables [1,
2, 3, 4]. The dimension reduction is obtained by
modelling instead of calculating the interior flow, as in
Boussinesq equations.
In the present contribution examples of simulations for

long crested waves will be shown: high frequency
wave generation for harmonic and irregular waves
running over a bar, and extensive frequency down-shift
in bi-chromatic breaking waves above a flat bottom.
A spectral implementation makes it possible to treat

the non-algebraic dispersion relation in an exact way
above
flat
bottom;
a
quasi-homogeneous
approximation makes it possible to deal with varying
bathymetry. As a consequence, waves with a broad
spectrum, such as short crested irregular waves in
oceans and coastal areas, can be dealt with. By
truncating the required Dirichlet-to-Neumann operator
at the surface to a desired order of nonlinearity,
nonlinear long and short wave interactions and
generation can be calculated exactly in dispersion to
the order of truncation.
With a good quality transfer function from wave

elevation to wavemaker motion, the simulations can be
used to design experiments in wave tanks in an
efficient way [6].
2. BASIC EQUATIONS
Waves on a layer of incompressible, inviscid fluid can
be described for irrotational internal fluid motion by
variables depending on the horizontal variables only,
namely the surface elevation and the fluid potential
at the surface. The structure of the equation is
special: it is a dynamical system as in classical
mechanics, with a Hamiltonian structure. This was
described by Zakharov [2] and Broer [3], and follows
from Lukes variational principle [1] as was shown by
Miles [4].
In our research over the past years, difficulties with

spectral modelling when spatial inhomogeneities are
present have been overcome by using Fourier Integral
Operators
leading
to
hybrid
spatial-spectral
implementations. Then waves above varying bottom,
waves colliding to (partially) reflecting walls or run-up
on coasts can be simulated. Using a kinematic
initiation condition, a breaking algorithm (of eddy
viscosity-type) has been implemented [5]. Waves can
be initiated by a prescribed initial wave field or
generated from given elevation at points or lines.
The equations are completely determined by the

Hamiltonian (, ) and read (using partial
variational derivatives denoted by ! , and ! )
1

19

MARHY 2014
! = ! ,
! = ! (, )
which is a Fourier integral operator. Even more so, by

taking the total depth , = + (, ), the
expression
The Hamiltonian is the sum of the kinetic energy

(, ) and the potential energy (). Unfortunately
cannot easily be expressed in the basic variables
since it requires to solve the interior fluid potential
(, , ) to determine the Dirichlet-to-Neumann
operator ! = () at the surface:
=
1
2
! =
1
2
, (, ) =
3. SPATIAL-SPECTRAL IMPLEMENTATION
Introduce the tangential fluid velocity = ! for

simplified notation. Then is a quadratic expression
in , and it can be written as
1
2
Most important in the result above is that using the

phase velocity operator provides the correct dispersive
properties without any restriction on the wavelengths, a
substantial improvement above other Boussinesq
models. However, in order to retain this property in a
numerical implementation, Fourier truncation has to be
used; with finite elements or finite differences, the
non-algebraic expression in has to be approximated
by an algebraic expression, leading to restrictions on
the wavelengths that are propagated with the correct
speed.
()!
where is some operator. In fact has a clear physical

interpretation (when the gravitational acceleration is
taken out of the integrand). In two limiting cases is
easily determined to be (related to) the phase velocity.
One limiting case is the shallow water equations,
which are above bathymetry with depth () obtained
for
!" =
leads to a second order correct approximation for

nonlinear wave propagation above varying bottom.
Observe that the limiting cases (shallow water and
linear theory) are obtained in a consistent way. For
higher order approximations the expression becomes a
bit different but with a similar structure. For details we
refer to [7]. These models are part of HaWaSSI
software (Hamiltonian Wave Ship Structures
Interactions) that has been developed over the past
years.
In [5] the operator is constructed up to 5th order in

the surface elevation . Here we will only describe the
2nd order method since this case is especially simple.
tanh (, )
A technical problem arises in the use of (adjoints of)

Fourier integral operators that appear in the explicit
expressions of the right hand sides of the Hamilton
equations. To facilitate the use of fast (inverse) Fourier
transform, the spatial-spectral phase velocity
(, (, )) has to be simplified. That can be done by
a piecewise constant approximation, or by a
interpolation method; see [5, 8] for more details.
() + .
The other limiting case is the linear wave theory, for

infinitesimal small waves above constant depth ! .
Then the Laplace problem can be solved in the strip
with Fourier expansion and becomes a pseudodifferential operator
4. TEST CASES
! =
(, ! )()
/2
In this section we will illustrate the simulation capacity

of the HaWaSSI code for various different cases.
() !!"# the Fourier transform of
with =
and
, ! =
!"#
4.1 HARMONIC WAVE OVER A TRAPEZOIDAL

BAR
tanh !
.
Beji and Batjess [9, 10] conducted a series of
experiments to investigate wave propagation over a
submerged trapezoidal bar. The experiments
correspond to harmonic and irregular waves for either
non-breaking, spilling breaking and plunging breaking
cases. These test cases are very challenging since they
involve a number of complex processes such as the
amplification of the bound harmonics during shoaling
process, wave breaking on the top of the bar and wave
decomposition in the downslope part.
Note that , ! is the usual phase velocity that

corresponds in linear theory with the dispersion
relation ! = tanh ! .
Above varying bottom () this generalizes in a
quasi-homogeneous way to
, () =
tanh ()
2

20

MARHY 2014
The simulation for harmonic wave plunging breaking
case has been shown in [5]. In this section we will
show results for the non-breaking harmonic wave with
frequency f = 0.5 Hz, wave height H = 2 cm.
In Figure 1, the bathymetry is presented; the water
depth varies from 0.4 m in the deeper region to 0.1 m
above the top of the bar. In the experiment at seven
position the wave height is measured: s1, s2, , s7 at
positions x = 5.7, 10.5, 12.5, 13.5, 14.5, 15.7, 17.3 m.
The measured wave surface elevation at s1 is used as
influx signal for our simulation.
Figure 1: Lay out of the experiment of Beji and Battjes

[10]. The locations of the wave gauges are indicated.
Figure 2: Shown are at the top elevation time traces and at the bottom, normalized amplitude spectra at positions s2
to s7 for the non-breaking harmonic wave case, the measurement (blue, solid) and the simulation with the HaWaSSI
code (red, dashed-line).
In Figure 2 we compare at all measurement points the
elevation time traces in the time interval (60;95) s and
the spectra of the measurements and simulations. It
shows that the simulated surface elevation is in good
agreement with the measurement: the wave shape is
well reproduced and in phase during the shoaling
process at up-slope, the wave amplification at the top
and the wave decomposition at the down-slope. The
corresponding normalized amplitude spectra describe
the generation of bound harmonic at the upslope and
annihilation at the downslope. Good agreement

between measurement and simulation is obtained,
except for a slight underestimation of the amplitude
spectra of third and fourth harmonics at s5, s6, s7.
4.2 IRREGULAR WAVES OVER A TRAPEZOIDAL
BAR
In this section we show results of propagation of non
breaking irregular waves over the same trapezoidal bar.
3

21

MARHY 2014
The input signal consist of irregular waves with
JONSWAP type of spectrum with peak frequency f =
0.5 Hz, significant wave height Hs = 1.8 cm.
over a flat bottom with depth D = 2.13 m. This test

case is one of a series of wave breaking experiments
that have been conducted in the wave tank at TU Delft
and registered as TUD1403Bi6 [6].
For this test case the simulated surface elevation is also

in good agreement with measurement, as shown in
Figure 3 at the top. The wave shape is well reproduced
and in phase, with a slight underestimation of the wave
crests at s4 and s5. The generation of high frequency
wave components due to nonlinear interaction occurs
when the wave propagates over the bar in reasonable
good agreement with measurement is shown in Figure
3 at the bottom; the generation of high frequency
waves is observed as the appearance of a second peak
frequency near f = 1 Hz.
In the experiment at six position the wave height is

measured: W1, W2, , W6 at x = 10.31, 40.57, 60.83,
65.57, 70.31, and 100.57 m. The measured surface
elevation at W1 is used as influx signal in our
simulation. In this simulation we use a third order
Hamiltonian model with extended wave breaking as
described in [5].
In Figure 4 at the top we show the good agreement of
the time traces of elevations of simulations and
measurements at W2 to W6. The wave shape is well
reproduced and the breaking position is well predicted;
the breaking takes place at multiple positions starting
at W3. In Figure 4 at the bottom we show the
corresponding normalized amplitude spectra; high
frequency wave generation and downshift in the
spectra are observed.
4.3 BICHROMATIC WAVE BREAKING OVER A

FLAT BOTTOM
In this section we show simulation results for a
bichromatic wave with initial steepness kp.a = 0.18,
amplitude a = 0.09 m, periods T1 = 1.37 s, T2 = 1.43 s
Figure 3: Same as in Figure 2. Now for irregular waves with peak frequency f = 0.5 Hz and significant wave height
Hs = 1.8cm.
4

22

MARHY 2014
Figure 4: Same as in Figure 2. Now for bichromatic wave breaking over a flat bottom (TUD1403Bi6) .
Table 1: Correlation between simulations and measurements at measurement positions and the relative computation
time (Crel) for the test cases.
No Case
s2 (W2)
s3 (W3)
s4 (W4)
s5 (W5)
s6 (W6)
s7
Crel
1 Harmonic waves over a bar
0.99
0.99
0.97
0.96
0.96
0.96 1.44
2 Irregular waves over a bar
0.97
0.96
0.93
0.89
0.88
0.89 0.78
3 Bichromatic wave breaking
0.98
0.94
0.92
0.90
0.86
1.89
In Table 1 we give quantitative information of the
correlation and the computation time for the test cases
that have been presented. The correlation between the
measurement and the simulation is defined as the inner
product between the normalized time signals.
Deviations from the maximal value 1 of the correlation
measures especially the error in phase, a time shift of
the simulation. The relative computation time is
defined as the cpu-time divided by the total time of
simulation. Since the laboratory experiments are scaled
with a geometric factor of approximately 50, the
relative computation time for real scaled phenomena is
a fraction of 7 of the test relative time; hence our
simulations at geo-scale run in less than 25% of the
physical time. All the calculations were performed on
a desktop computer with CPU i7, 3.4 Ghz processor
with 16 GB memory.
4. CONCLUSIONS
The accuracy of the code as shown above makes it
possible to use simulations in the design of
experiments in wave tanks as was shown in [6] for a
series of breaking waves of irregular, bi-chromatic and
focussing type. Since in the present code waves are
generated based on a time trace at an influx position, a
high-quality transfer function is needed that transforms
the influx signal to the corresponding wave maker
motion.
An extension to a fully coupled HamiltonianBoussinesq wave-ship model is presently being
implemented as part of HaWaSSI.

23

MARHY 2014
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
simulation for coastal wave applications. 2014. (to

be published).
8. E. van Groesen, I. van der Kroon. Fully dispersive
dynamic models for surface water waves above
varying bottom, Part 2: Hybrid spatial spectral
implementations. Wave Motion. 49, 198-211.
2012.
9. S. Beji, J. A. Battjes. Experimental investigation
of wave propagation over a bar. Coast. Eng. 19,
151-162. 1993.
10. S. Beji, J. A. Battjes. Numerical simulation of
nonlinear wave propagation over a bar. Coast.
Eng. 23, 1-16. 1994.
We thank Prof. S. Beji for providing the experimental

data over the bar. This work is funded by the
Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research
NWO, Technical Science Division STW, project
11642.
REFERENCES
1. J. C. Luke. A variational principle for a fluid with
a free surface. J. Fluid Mech. 27, 395-397. 1967.
2. V. E. Zakharov. Stability of periodic waves of
finite amplitude on the surface of a deep fluid. J.
Appl. Mech. Tech. Phys. 9, 190-194. 1968.
3. L. J. F. Broer. On the Hamiltonian theory of
surface waves. Appl. Sci. Res. 29, 430-446.
4. J. W. Miles. On Hamiltons principle for surface
waves. J. Fluid Mech. 83, 153-158. 1977.
5. R. Kurnia, E. van Groesen. High order
Hamiltonian water waves models with wave
breaking mechanism. Coast. Eng. 93, 55-70. 2014.
6. R. Kurnia, et al. Simulation for design and
reconstruction of breaking waves in a wavetank.
2014. (to be published).
7. R. Kurnia, E. van Groesen. Accurate dispersive
Hamiltonian wave Boussinesq modelling and
AUTHORS BIOGRAPHY
Ruddy Kurnia holds current position of Ph.D student
at Department of Applied Mathematics, University of
Twente, The Netherlands. His research focuses on
modelling and simulation of accurate dispersive wave
for coastal wave applications.
E. van Groesen is professor of Applied Mathematics
at the University of Twente, and scientific director of
Labmath-Indonesia, Bandung, Indonesia. His main
research area is the variationally consistent modeling
and simulation of water waves, recently also including
the interaction with ships.

24

Proc. of Conf. MARHY-2014 held on International
3&4 Dec. , 2014
at IIT Madras,
India - Vol.2 (ISBN:
Conference
on Computational
and978-93-80689-22-7)
Experimental Marine
Hydrodynamics
MARHY 2014
Validation Studies for the Scaling of Ducted Propeller Open Water Characteristics
A. Bhattacharyya, Department of Marine Technology, NTNU, Trondheim, Norway;
V. Krasilnikov, MARINTEK, Trondheim, Norway
ABSTRACT
This paper presents the results of validation studies for the open water characteristics of a four-bladed
controllable pitch propeller operating inside two ducts of different designs. The results of numerical calculations
by CFD are compared with model test results in terms of propeller and duct thrust, propeller torque and
efficiency, and also in terms of velocity field downstream of propulsor. In order to quantify the scale effects on
open water characteristics, CFD calculations are also carried out at Reynolds numbers corresponding to full
scale conditions, and comparisons between the propulsor characteristics in model scale and full scale are
presented for the range operating conditions from bollard to free sailing.
With advanced CFD techniques, robust flow

solvers have been developed to resolve viscous
turbulent flows, and they have become essential
tools used in the marine industry to analyse
complex flow around ship propellers. In this study,
the scale effects on the open water characteristics of
a four-bladed controllable pitch propeller operating
with two different duct designs (a standard
Wageningen 19A duct, and the Innoduct designed
by Rolls Royce) have been investigated. The
results of model tests performed at China Ship
Scientific Research Center (CSSRC) and CFD
simulations done with the commercial CAE
software STAR-CCM+ are used for comparisons in
model scale conditions, while full scale calculations
are performed by CFD.
NOMENCLATUTRE
J
Advance Coefficient
KTD
Duct Thrust (N)
Open water efficiency
Propeller Diameter (m)
KTP
Propeller thrust (N)
KQ
Propeller torque (Nm)
KT_Tot
Total thrust (N)
INTRODUCTION
The strong duct-propeller interaction demands a

separate scaling procedure for the open water
characteristics of ducted propellers, where the
simpler scaling methods developed for open
propellers will not be applicable. In spite of the
studies conducted earlier on scale effects on ducted
propellers, the development of a universal
procedure has not been possible due to complexity
of interactions and geometry dependencies. In this
study, it has been found that the trend of scale
effects for the propeller working inside the two
investigated ducts are similar. The detailed flow
physics at different Reynolds numbers should be
considered, in order to develop an efficient scaling
procedure for the estimation of full scale open
water characteristics of ducted propellers.
The analysis of scale effects on open water

characteristics of marine propellers is important to
have accurate full scale power prognoses based on
model test results. The flow around a rotating
propeller is highly three-dimensional, and it
involves high degree of swirl, adverse pressure
gradients and, in some cases, flow separation and
associated vortex shedding. For a ducted propeller,
the propeller-duct interaction at different Reynolds
numbers is of prime importance and has a strong
influence on the corresponding thrust and torque
characteristics and propulsor efficiency. The scale
effects depend on the propeller and duct geometries
as well as the loading conditions.
Copyright
2014
by IITInstitution
Madras, Chennai,
India
and the and
RINA,
UKMadras
2014:The
Royal
of Naval
Architects
IIT
25

MARHY 2014
hull, while the open water tests are performed with

the propeller operating in the duct.
BACKGROUND
The capability of performing efficient full scale
simulations has made CFD a powerful tool for the
investigation of scale effects of propellers. In most
of the published CFD studies on scale effect on
propeller characteristics, the RANS method is used
with an isotropic turbulence model, the SST k-
model (Menter, 1994) being the most common
choice in the recent works. Most of the works are
based on fully turbulent flow assumption (Stanier,
1998), Maksoud and Heinke (2002), (Krasilnikov et
al, 2007), and only a few of them employ the recent
extensions of the SST k- model to consider the
laminar-turbulent transition flow regime (Mller et
al, 2009).
TEST CASES
In this paper, flow analyses are performed for a 4bladed controllable pitch propeller working within a
standard 19A duct, using the RANSE flow solver
implemented in STAR-CCM+. Comparisons of
open water characteristics and induced velocities
downstream of the propeller are made with model
test results. The dependence of the propeller and
duct forces on simulation methods and turbulence
modelling is studied. Finally, the scale effects are
investigated using CFD calculations of a full scale
propeller, having the diameter 20 times of model
scale and rate of revolution scaled according to the
Froude number identity. The predicted changes
with scale in propeller thrust and torque, duct thrust
and propulsor efficiency for this propeller are
compared with those obtained for the same
propeller operating inside the Innoduct.
Maksoud and Heinke (2002) performed systematic

investigations into the scale effects on the open
water characteristics of a Wageningen Ka 5-75
propeller fitted with a 19A duct at four values of
propeller diameters and thrust loading coefficients.
The increase of Reynolds number in full scale
resulted in reduction of propeller thrust and
increase of the duct thrust. Krasilnikov et al. (2007)
presented a hybrid mesh generation technique for
the steady RANS analysis of a series Ka propeller
fitted with different duct designs using the SST k-
model. This study shows that scale effects on the
characteristics of ducted propellers depend on duct
design, propeller design and loading conditions.
Different ducts can produce different flow
accelerations, which leads to variations in effective
loading for the same propeller operating inside
those ducts. This, along with different separation
patterns on the duct in model scale and full scales,
influences the magnitude of scale effect. The
common conclusion from these studies is a larger
reduction of propeller torque in full scale compared
to that of an open propeller under equivalent
operating conditions. This is due to the combined
effect of the decrease of blade section drag and
higher duct induced velocities on propeller. The
Specialist
Committee
on
Unconventional
Propulsors of the 22nd ITTC (ITTC, 1999) have
considered the three extrapolation methods
proposed in (Stierman, 1984) for powering
prognoses for the ships with ducted propellers. In
this work, the most commonly used method 2 is
followed, in the sense that the chosen approach
implies that the resistance test is done for the naked
In Fig. 1 the profiles for the two ducts subject to

investigation are shown with the mesh around the
duct and blade tip.
19A duct
Innoduct
Fig. 1: Duct profiles including mesh
CFD SIMULATION SET-UP

The propeller and duct are defined by their
respective geometries which are used to generate
26

MARHY 2014
local grids in STAR-CCM+. Two different solution

methods were used for the simulations. In the
Moving Reference Frame (MRF) method the
propeller is fixed while its rotation is taken into
account by a local reference frame rotating at the
desired speed. The stationary position of the duct is
ensured by an appropriate setting of the zero
rotation rate of the duct boundary. The additional
acceleration terms from the rotating frame are
incorporated into the modified equations of
motions. This approach has been found to be
suitable in the range of regular operation conditions
(J= 0.2 to 0.6) where the interactions between
moving and stationary parts can be approximated
with sufficient accuracy by the quasi-steady
solution. The Sliding Mesh (SM) model is used to
resolve strictly the relative motion of stationary and
rotating components and to account for all unsteady
interactions. The bollard condition (J= 0) is a
typical example where unsteady interactions are
important, and where the MRF method is not
sufficient to resolve the flow accurately. The
simulation domains used with these two methods
are shown in Figs. 2 and 3, and the details of mesh
and solution settings are explained below.
Fig. 3: 2 blocks - whole domain simulation set-up
Two-blocks, Whole domain:

(a) Whole domain divided into two fluid regions
connected by the two internal interfaces. (b)
Hexahedral trimmed cells in the outer fluid region,
and polyhedral mesh in the propeller region. (c)
Prismatic boundary layer mesh on the duct and
propeller blade surfaces (d) Mesh refinement
similar to one-block set-up. (e) Methods used:
steady MRF to initialize the solution, and unsteady
SM to iterate until convergence. (f) Cell count per
blade passage is approximately the same as in the
steady MRF method. (g) The time-accurate SM
solution is done according to implicit unsteady
algorithm, using the first-order temporal
discretization scheme and time step corresponding
to 2 degrees of propeller rotation.
One-block, One-blade passage:

(a) Only one fluid region whose rotational motion
is considered in rotating reference frame. (b)
Domain corresponds to one blade passage with
periodic boundaries (c) Prismatic mesh in the
boundary layers, and polyhedral mesh in the rest of
the domain. (d) Mesh refinement by means of
volumetric controls and local surface cell size near
the leading and trailing edges of propeller and duct,
in the region of tip clearance and in the propeller
slipstream. (e) Methods used: MRF, steady. (f) Cell
count is about 7.5 million per one blade passage.
For the model scale simulations with the 19A duct,

solutions with the three different turbulence models
have been compared, including k--SST model, k-
realizable model, and Reynolds Stress model (linear
pressure strain). For both two-equation models all
y+ treatment has been used. The full scale
simulations have been done using only the k--SST
model.
The details of the near-wall mesh at the duct
trailing edges are shown in Fig. 4.
19A duct
Fig. 2: 1 block - 1 blade passage simulation set-up
27

MARHY 2014
In the course of the studies it was also confirmed

that a sufficiently smooth transition between the
prism mesh and core mesh in terms of cell size
change is essential for achieving physically correct
flow picture, in particular, in the zones of larger
velocity gradients, such as duct trailing edge and tip
clearance.
Innoduct
The test calculations show that, in full scale

simulations, one can employ the high Reynolds
near-wall resolution (wall y+ >30) without reducing
the accuracy of numerical predictions. However, for
consistency of analyses, in the present study both
the model scale and full scale simulations were
performed with low Reynolds near-wall resolution
(wall y+<5), as stated above.
Fig. 4: Mesh around duct trailing edge
The boundary layer mesh of prismatic cells plays a

very important role in providing adequate levels of
the wall y+ function on simulated bodies, as well as
in resolving accurately the velocity profiles in the
boundary layer. In the present simulations, the
values of wall y+ < 5 have been maintained on the
blade and duct surfaces in both the model scale and
full scale simulations (see Fig. 5 for the 19A duct).
This has been achieved by reducing the total
relative thickness for the prism mesh in full scale
(0.002D, D being propeller diameter) compared to
that in model scale (0.0025D) along with a higher
stretching factor (1.4) for the prism layer mesh in
full scale compared to that in model scale (1.2) The
number of prism layers (20) has been same at both
scales.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS:

The steady state CFD calculations using the k-SST model compare very well with model test
results in most of the operating range (J=0.2 to 0.6).
A comparison of open water characteristics over the
entire range of loading is presented in Fig. 6 for the
19A duct. At the bollard condition (J=0), there is a
certain improvement in prediction using the
unsteady simulations. At the higher J values, behind
the point of maximum efficiency, there is a certain
difference in the CFD calculations compared to
model test values. In that range, the unsteady SM
method gives better predictions of the duct thrust
compared to the steady MRF model. The unsteady
effects become relatively more significant at very
low and very high propeller loadings, causing flow
separation and vortex shedding, which makes it
difficult to resolve the flow accurately using steady
state approximation of the real flow picture. At the
bollard condition, the large scale flow re-circulation
zones observed in the fluid domain surrounding the
propulsor are also thought to give contribution to
the general unsteady flow pattern.
Full scale
Model scale
Table 1 presents a summary of results from the

studies on the influence of different turbulence
models. It can be seen that, in the present case, the
influence of turbulence model on thrust and torque
predictions is nearly negligible. Based on this
finding, and in line with the previous studies, the k-SST model has been chosen for further
simulations and scale effect study.
Fig. 5: Wall y+ (19A duct)
28

MARHY 2014
The model test measurements are in good

agreement with the CFD predictions closer to the
hub, at the radial location of 0.4R, where R is the
propeller radius. Near the blade tip, at the radial
location of 0.9R, the calculations predict
satisfactory the averaged velocity, but the velocity
peaks
are
not
resolved
properly.
The
aforementioned peaks in velocity distributions are
associated with trailing vortex sheets downstream
of propeller blades. Since the performed mesh
refinement tests brought only minor improvement,
it is presently though that the differences between
the numerical predictions and measurements
observed in these zones are related to the
limitations of the turbulence model, and in
particular its inability to resolve accurately a highly
anisotropic turbulence field in the vicinity of vortex
structures.
0.8
KTD, KTP, 10KQ, O
0.6
0.4
0.2
0
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1.2
-0.2
J=V/(nD)
KTD - Model Test
KTP - Model Test
KQP - Model Test
Eta-O - Model Test
KTD - STAR-CCM+_1BL_steady
KTP - STAR-CCM+_1BL_steady
KQP - STAR-CCM+_1BL_steady
ETA-O - STAR-CCM+_1BL_steady
KTD - STAR-CCM+_2Bl_Unsteady
KTP - STAR-CCM+_2BL_Unsteady
KQ - STAR-CCM+_2BL_Unsteady
ETA_O - STAR-CCM+_2BL_Unsteady
Fig.6: Open Water Characteristics curves (19A duct)
Table 1: Comparison of Open Water Characteristics

for different turbulent models (19A duct)
RSM
Realizable
k- model
SST k-
model
Turbulence
Model
KTP
KTD
KQ
0.01
0.361
0.375
0.072
0.26
0.329
0.218
0.067
0.60
0.263
0.075
0.056
0.94
0.131
-0.024
0.035
0.01
0.362
0.372
0.073
0.26
0.329
0.216
0.067
0.60
0.264
0.073
0.057
0.94
0.137
-0.012
0.037
0.01
0.360
0.368
0.074
0.26
0.326
0.213
0.069
0.60
0.260
0.069
0.058
0.94
0.132
-0.023
0.038
Fig. 7: Velocities in propeller slipstream at 0.4R

(19A duct)
Fig. 8: Velocities in propeller slipstream at 0.9R

(19A duct)
In Figs. 9-13, the scale effects on the open water

characteristics predicted from the CFD calculations
for the two duct designs are expressed as
percentages of their model scale values in the bar
diagrams. The magnitude of scale effects is found
to be generally similar for the two duct designs, the
most prominent effects being those on the duct
thrust and propeller torque. It has been observed
In Figs. 7-8, the velocities (Vx axial, Vr radial

and Vt tangential) at the propeller slipstream
section located 10mm downstream of the duct
trailing edge are compared at two different radii.
29

MARHY 2014
that the scale effect on the duct thrust is largely due

to the change in the pressure component with the
variation of Reynolds number, while for the
propeller torque the friction component has a
greater influence. The propeller thrust scale effect is
comparatively smaller (close to 1%).
J=0,01
KTP
J=0.2
O
8%
6%
4%
2%
0%
J=0.4
J=0,01
J=0.6
0.0%
0.5%
J=0.2
INNODUCT
J=0.4
J=0.6
19A DUCT
Fig. 13: Scale effects (%) on Propeller Open water

efficiency (19A duct and Innoduct)
1.0%
1.5%
2.0%
INNODUCT
The velocity plots for both ducts presented in Figs.

14-17 reveal the existence of laminar flow pattern
in the duct boundary layer at model scale, while the
full scale simulations show fully turbulent velocity
profiles in boundary layer. At J= 0.6, the 19A duct
reveals a strong separation zone at the outer surface
near the leading edge in model scale. This
separations zone is not evident in full scale
conditions. The Innoduct is free from separation in
model scale conditions. Due to the different
configuration of trailing edge, the two studied duct
designs demonstrate somewhat different patterns of
vorticity detachment from the trailing edge.
19A DUCT
Fig. 9: Scale effects (%) on Propeller Thrust

(19A duct and Innoduct)
KTD
16%
12%
8%
4%
0%
J=0,01
J=0.2
INNODUCT
J=0.4
J=0.6
19A DUCT
Fig. 10: Scale effects (%) on Duct Thrust

J=0,01
KT_Tot
J=0.2
J=0.4
19A duct
J=0.6
3%
2%
1%
0%
INNODUCT
19A DUCT
Fig. 11: Scale effects (%) on Total Thrust

Innoduct
KQ
J=0,01
J=0.2
J=0.4
J=0.6
0%
1%
2%
3%
4%
5%
INNODUCT
Fig. 14: Velocity profile near duct leading edge

at J=0.6 (model scale)
19A DUCT
Fig. 12: Scale effects (%) on Propeller Torque

30

MARHY 2014
19A duct
19A duct
Innoduct
Innoduct
Fig. 15: Velocity profile near duct trailing edge

at J=0.6 (model scale)
Fig. 17: Velocity profile near duct trailing edge

at J=0.6 (full scale)
A line probe, as shown in Fig. 18, is used to output

the axial velocity at different points along the radial
direction, at the distance of 0.25R in front of the
propeller. The total axial induced velocities
(propeller+duct) are obtained by subtracting the
inflow velocity from the total axial velocity as
obtained in the calculation
19A duct
Innoduct
Fig. 16: Velocity profile near duct leading edge

at J=0.6 (full scale)
Fig. 18: Line probe for induced velocity calculation
The non-dimensional axial induced velocity plots

presented in Fig. 19 for the condition of J=0.6 show
the increase of velocity through the duct in full
scale conditions compared to model scale
conditions. The average percentage of velocity
increase in full scale compared to model scale
calculated in the range of radii 0.29< r/R< 1 is
3.35% for the 19A duct and 3.58% for the Innoduct
at J=0.6. Since propeller thrust shows a slight
31

MARHY 2014
(b) For both studied duct designs, the greatest scale

effects are observed for duct thrust and propeller
torque, while there is little effect on propeller
thrust. The propeller thrust and torque scale effects
show less dependency on loading, while the duct
thrust is highly load dependent. The resultant scale
effect on open water efficiency is in the range 5%6% for both the ducts. It should be understood that
the above estimation of efficiency remains valid
only for the comparison at given advance
coefficient. For practical design purposes, propulsor
performance in model and full scale conditions
should be compared at identical thrust loading
conditions or identical levels of absorbed power.
decrease in full scale, the aforementioned increase

of the induced velocity is due to higher flow
acceleration produced by the duct in full scale.
Induced Velocity (V'/nD)
0.7
0.6
0.5
0.4
(c) For both the duct designs, there is an increase of

total induced velocity in front of the propeller in the
full scale. It is caused by higher flow acceleration
produced by the duct in full scale, and it leads to the
increase of effective advance coefficient for
propeller operating inside the duct compared to
model scale conditions.
0.3
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
r0/R
Model Scale: Innoduct
Full Scale: Innoduct
Model Scale: 19A duct
Full Scale: 19A duct
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Fig. 19: Non-dimensionalized total induced velocity

at J=0.6
The study presented in this work has been

conducted within the frameworks of the ongoing
Competence Project PROPSCALE with support
from the Research Council of Norway. The project
is co-ordinated by MARINTEK (Norway), and it
joins the following consortium members:
MARINTEK (Norway), Norwegian University of
Science and Technology (Norway), Aalesund
University College (Norway), Hamburg Technical
University (Germany), China Ship Scientific
Research Center (China), Havyard Group AS
(Norway), Rolls-Royce Marine AS (Norway),
Scana Volda AS (Norway) and VARD Design
(Norway), CD-Adapco. We are thankful to all
project participants for their ideas, resources and
funds.
CONCLUSIONS
The validation studies presented in this paper form
the background for the development of scaling
procedure for the open water characteristics of
ducted propellers. The principal outcomes of these
studies are summarized below.
(a) The propeller and duct forces in open water
conditions around the design range (J=0.2 to 0.6)
can be effectively predicted using steady RANSE
simulations. At the free sailing condition (J=0.6),
the differences between model tests and CFD
calculations are 2.7% for propeller thrust, 2.4% for
duct thrust, and 1.4% for propeller torque. At very
low and very high loadings, unsteady effects
become important, and steady simulations are not
sufficient for achieving accurate predictions. For
the present validation case, there has been
registered little difference in thrust and torque
values predicted using different turbulent models.
REFERENCES
[1]
Abdel-Maksoud, M. and Heinke, H.J.,
2002. Scale Effects on Ducted Propellers,
Proceedings of 24th Symposium on Naval
Hydrodynamics, Fukuoka, Japan
32

MARHY 2014
[2]
ITTC 1999. The Specialist Committee on
Unconventional Propulsors. Final Report and
Recommendations to the 22nd ITTC.
[3]
Krasilnikov, V.I., Sun, J., Zhang, Zh., &
Hong, F., 2007. Mesh generation technique for the
analysis of ducted propellers using a commercial
RANSE solver and its application to scale effect
study, Proceedings of the 10th Numerical Towing
Tank Symposium (NuTTS07), Hamburg, Germany
[4]
Menter, F. R., 1994. Two-Equation EddyViscosity Turbulence Models for Engineering
Applications, AIAA Journal, Vol. 32, No. 8, pp.
1598-1605.
[5]
Mller, S-B., Abdel-Maksoud, M.,
Hilbert, G., 2009. Scale effects on propellers for
large container vessels, Proceedings of the 1st
International Symposium on Marine Propulsors
(SMP09), Trondheim, Norway
[6]
Stanier, M., 1998. Investigation into
propeller skew using a RANS code. Part 2: Scale
effects, International Shipbuilding Progress, 45,
no.443, pp.253-265.
[7]
Stierman, E.J., 1984. Extrapolation
Methods for Ships with Ducted Propeller.
International Shipbuilding Progress, Vol.31,
No.356
AUTHORS BIOGRAPHY
Anirban Bhattacharyya is a PhD Candidate at the
Department of Marine Technology, in the
Norwegian University of Science & Technology,
Trondheim, Norway.
Vladimir Krasilnikov is a Senior Research
Scientist at MARINTEK, Trondheim, Norway.
33

International
Computational
Experimental Marine
Proc. of Conf. MARHY-2014 held on 3&4
Dec. , 2014 atConference
IIT Madras, on
India
- Vol.2 (ISBN: and
978-93-80689-22-7)
Hydrodynamics
MARHY 2014
HYDRODYNAMIC ANALYSIS OF PODDED PROPELLER USING CFD

Nishant Verma
Department of Ocean Engineering & Naval Architecture,
IIT Kharagpur, India.
Om Prakash Sha
Department of Ocean Engineering & Naval Architecture,
IIT Kharagpur, India.
.
ABSTRACT: Podded Propeller is one of the latest innovations in the field of marine propulsion. The study on
hydrodynamic performance of propeller as well as flow around the whole pod unit is now of increasing importance
due to its increasing use in wide class of vessels. This paper presents a numerical study on model pod unit in both
pulling and pushing configurations. A finite volume based RANS solver (XCHAP module of SHIPFLOW ) has
been used for analysing the flow around pod unit and propeller has been modelled using body force approach .Both
puller and pusher configuration of pod unit has been analysed in straight and azimuthing condition and in different
operating conditions. Open water characteristics of pod unit and propeller in straight ahead condition have been
validated with the experimental data of OERC. Transverse force on pod unit has been estimated for both puller and
pusher configuration in different operating conditions and different azimuthing conditions from 15 degrees port to
15 degrees starboard. Both model and full scale pod unit resistance has been estimated using CFD and compared
with ITTC semi-empirical formula results. Pod unit and propeller geometry has been varied and open water
performance in each condition has been evaluated.
KEYWORDS: Podded Propeller, Open water characteristics, Azimuthing condition, Transverse force.
1. INTRODUCTION
A podded propulsion system consists of a fixed pitch
propeller driven by an electric motor through a short
shaft. The shaft and motor are located inside the pod
housing. The pod unit is connected to the ships hull
through a strut and bearing assembly. This assembly
allows the entire pod unit to rotate and thus the thrust
produced by the propeller can be directed anywhere
in the horizontal plane. The podded propulsion
arrangement eliminates the requirement for a rudder
and additional appendages such as long shaft &
brackets. This arrangement results in lower
appendage drag. The propeller works in a more
uniform flow, which reduces load variations and risk
of cavitation. Podded propulsion system also results
in much better manoeuvrability than conventional
propeller rudder system, especially in confined water
operation.
Two main configurations of podded systems are used
in marine industry, namely pusher configuration and
puller configuration. In a pusher configuration, the
propeller is attached to the aft end of pod
(downstream of pod), thus propeller pushes the unit.

In a puller (also termed as tractor) configuration, the
Propeller is attached to the fore end of pod (upstream
of pod), thus the propeller pulls the unit.
Pushing configuration is used mostly on low speed
vessels. A disadvantage of pushing configuration is
that propeller is working in wake of strut and pod.
For vessels with low draft and relatively high speed,
this non-uniform wake can results in cavitation and
vibration problems. Puller configuration is used
mostly for relatively fast vessel. The advantage of
puller configuration is that the propeller works in a
uniform wake filed, which minimizes the cavitation
and vibration problems. For pulling configuration, the
pod housing and part of strut is in the high speed
slipstream of the propeller. On one hand, this will
result in higher frictional losses compared to pusher
arrangement. On the other hand strut and fin (placed
below pod) play a role as stator and can recover part
of rotational losses of the propeller slipstream.
Copyright
2014Royal
by IIT Institute
Madras, Chennai,
and theand
RINA,
2014: The
of NavalIndia
Architects
IITUK
Madras
34

MARHY 2014
Whether the pulling mode is more efficient than the
pushing mode depends on which one of the two
factors is larger [1]. It has been concluded after a
systematic research that a pusher configuration is
more efficient than a puller configuration when the
propeller thrust load is high (Ct 0.5) and puller
configuration is more efficient than a pusher
configuration when the propeller thrust load is low
(Ct 0.5) [2]. In practice however, the propeller in
puller configuration can have a much smaller blade
area ratio due to better wake field and the propeller in
pusher configuration needs larger blade area ratio to
prevent cavitation, leading to lower open water
efficiency.
2. MATHEMATICAL EQUATIONS
consuming. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is a

powerful tool for analysing the performance of
podded propeller. Two methods are usually used in
this field of CFD: inviscid and viscous method. The
inviscid method is usually based on potential theory,
while the viscous method uses numerical solution of
the Navier-Stokes and the continuity equations. In
order to study podded propeller, different numerical
methods have been used from potential method or
combination of potential and viscous method to pure
viscous method. RANS solvers are capable to take
into account the viscous and turbulence effect for
podded propulsor. First RANS simulation for podded
propulsor has been done by Sanchez-Caja et all
(1999) [3]. Also R. Shamsi et all (2013) [4] used
RANS solver for simulating the flow around podded
drives in different azimuthing conditions.
Resulting thrust from pod unit is
Tunit Tprop Rpod Rstrut

where, Tunit is thrust from the whole unit, Tprop is
thrust from the propeller, Rpod is resistance of pod and
Rstrut is resistance of strut.
Propeller thrust coefficient (KTprop ) and pod unit
thrust coefficient (KTunit ) are defined as:
KTprop
Tprop
n d
2
KTunit
Tunit
n 2 d 4
where, is density of water, n is propeller revolution

speed (rps) and d is propeller diameter.
Propeller efficiency (prop) and pod unit efficiency
(unit) are defined as:
prop
J KTunit
J KTprop
, unit
2 K Q
2 K Q
where, J is advance coefficient and KQ is torque

coefficient.
Transverse force coefficient (KFY on pod unit is
defined as:
K FY
FY
n 2 d 4
3. NUMERICAL METHOD
It is common practice to perform a model test to
evaluate the hydrodynamic performance of marine
propeller or propulsion system. However, model test
of podded propeller is usually expensive and time
In this work, the finite volume based RANS solver

(XCHAP module of SHIPFLOW) is used for
analysing flow around pod unit. The k- SST model
is used for turbulence modelling. The convective
terms are discretized with a Roe scheme and a second
order explicit defect correction is used to approach
second order accuracy. The rest of terms are
discretized with central differences. Discrete coupled
equations are solved using an ADI solver. Propeller is
modelled using body force approach: a lifting line
based propeller analysis code is coupled with the
RANS solver XCHAP. By applying body force to
numerical cells on the propeller disk, the flow is
accelerated in same way as by the propeller. The
body forces are calculated by a propeller analysis
code which is run iteratively with the RANS solver.
The velocity computed by the RANS solver over the
whole domain, subtracting the induced velocity
estimated by propeller analysis code leads to a socalled effective wake. The effective wake will be the
inflow to the propeller analysis code, which thus
calculates axial and tangential body forces. These
forces are then returned to the RANS solver in an
iterative way.
4. CASE STUDIES, OBSERVATIONS

AND RESULTS
The model pod unit taken for study is model made at
Ocean Engineering Research Institute (OERC),
Canada for experimental research.
The main particulars of pod-strut and propeller are
shown in Table 4.1 and Table 4.2.
2014: The Royal Institute of Naval Architects and IIT Madras
35

MARHY 2014
Table 4.1-Main particulars of Pod-Strut
Pod-Strut Geometry (Pod1)
Pod Diameter
128 mm
Pod Length
430 mm
Strut Height
300 mm
Strut Chord Length
225 mm
Strut Max. Thickness
60 mm
Strut Distance
100 mm
Fore Taper Angle
15
Aft Taper Angle
25
Complete Pod unit with propeller has been analysed

in RANS solver (XCHAP module of SHIPFLOW ).
A cubical domain (box) was created around the pod
unit and structured mesh with overlapping grid was
used. The no-slip wall boundary conditions were
applied on the pod and strut body. The four side faces
of cubical domain (Parallel to pod length) were given
slip boundary condition. Pod unit was considered as
well immersed in water and hence no wave making
effect was taken. The model has been studied in both
puller and pusher configuration in both straight ahead
and azimuthing conditions. The angular speed of
propeller is kept constant to 11 rps and speed is
varied to get different values of advance coefficient.
Fig 4.1 shows computational domain taken for puller
configuration of pod unit.
Table 4.2-Main particulars of propeller1
Propeller#1 Geometry
Model Propeller Name
PP00+00C0
Diameter
0.27 m
No. of Blades
4
Rotation (viewed from Right Hand
downstream)
Design Advance Coefficient 0.8
Hub- Dia Ratio
0.26
Section Form
NACA66
Expanded Area Ratio
0.6
Pitch Distribution
1 (Constant)
Skew
0
Rake
0
SLIP
INFLOW
NO-SLIP
SLIP
OUTFLOW
SLIP
SLIP
Fig.
4.1-Computational
configuration
domain
for
puller
4.1 PROPULSIVE PERFORMANCE

PREDICTION
Propeller thrust coefficient, torque coefficient and
pod unit resistance (with rotating propeller) were
obtained using CFD tool SHIPFLOW. Net pod unit
thrust was calculated as subtraction of pod unit (pod
+strut) resistance from propeller thrust and then
converted to pod unit thrust coefficient (KT_unit).
Using Propeller thrust coefficient and torque
coefficient open water efficiency of propeller was
calculated and using pod unit thrust coefficient and
torque coefficient open water efficiency of unit was
calculated.
4.1 (a) Puller Configuration

Pressure distribution on pod unit (puller condition) in
propeller rotating condition is shown in Fig. 4.2 and
4.3. Fig 4.2 shows pressure distribution on pod unit at
J=0.8 in straight ahead condition and Fig. 4.3 shows
pressure distribution on pod unit at J=0.8 in 15
degree starboard azimuthing condition. Pressure
distribution on propeller blade and hub is not shown
here because propeller has been modelled using body
forces approach (coupling of lifting line and
RANSE).
Open water characteristics of propeller and pod unit
in puller condition and in straight ahead condition is
plotted and validated with OERC Experimental
results in Fig 4.4.
36

MARHY 2014
Due to direction of rotation of propeller pod drag in
15 degree port and 15 degree starboard azimuthing
condition is not same and hence pod unit efficiency
will not be same in both the conditions. This
difference in pod unit efficiency is shown in Fig. 4.6,
and it can be seen that for higher value of J,
efficiency in 15 degree starboard condition is slightly
more than that in 15 degree port condition.
Open Water Propulsive Performance Curves
(Puller Configuration -- 15 degree Port)
0.8
K T_Prop , K T_Unit , 10K Q , o_Prop , o_Unit
Fig.4.2-Pressure distribution on pod unit in pulling

configuration at J=0.8 in straight condition
0.7
0.6
KT_Prop (CFD)
0.5
10KQ (CFD)
0.4
KT_Unit (CFD)
0.3
EtaO_Prop (CFD)
0.2
EtaO_Unit (CFD)
0.1
0
0.20
0.30
0.40
0.50
0.60
0.70
0.80
0.90
1.00
Advance Ratio (J)
Fig. 4.5(a)-Propeller and Pod unit performance in 15

degree port azimuthing condition and in puller
configuration
KT_Prop , KT_Unit , 10KQ , o_Prop , o_Unit

(Puller Configuration - Straight Course)
0.8
KT_Prop (CFD)
0.7
10KQ (CFD)
0.6
KT_Unit (CFD)
0.5
EtaO_Prop (CFD)

(Puller Configuration -- 15 degree Starboard)
0.8
Fig.4.3-Pressure distribution on pod unit in pulling

configuration at J=0.8 in 15 degree starboard
azimuthing condition
0.7
0.6
KT_Prop (CFD)
0.5
10KQ (CFD)
0.4
KT_Unit (CFD)
0.3
EtaO_Prop (CFD)
0.2
EtaO_Unit (CFD)
0.1
0
0.20
0.30
0.40
EtaO_Unit (CFD)
0.50
0.60
0.70
0.80
0.90
1.00
Advance Ratio (J)
0.4
KT_Prop (EXP.)
0.3
10KQ (EXP.)
0.2
KT_Unit (EXP.)
EtaO_Prop (EXP.)
0.1
Fig. 4.5(b)-Propeller and Pod unit performance in 15

degree starboard azimuthing condition and in puller
configuration
EtaO_Unit (EXP.)
0
0.20
0.30
0.40
0.50
0.60
0.70
0.80
0.90
Pod Unit Efficiency in 15 degree port and stbd condition

(Puller Configuration)
1.00
Advance Ratio (J)
0.7
Fig. 4.4 - propeller and pod unit performance in

straight ahead condition and in puller configuration
0.6
EtaO_Unit
0.5

in puller condition and in 15 degree port and
starboard condition is plotted in Fig. 4.5 (a) &(b)
respectively.
0.4
0.3
EtaO_Unit_15 degree_port
0.2
EtaO_Unit_15 degree_stbd
0.1
0
It is observed that pod unit efficiency drops in

azimuthing condition; this is mainly due to increase
in pod unit drag in azimuthing condition as compared
to straight ahead condition.
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
0.8
0.9
Advance Ratio (J)
Fig. 4.6-Puller Pod unit efficiency in 15 degree port

and starboard condition
37

MARHY 2014
4.1 (b) Pusher Configuration

Pressure distribution on pod unit (pusher condition)

in propeller rotating condition is shown in Fig. 4.7
and 4.8. Fig 4.7 shows pressure distribution on pod
unit at J=0.8 in straight ahead condition and Fig. 4.8
shows pressure distribution on pod unit at J=0.8 in 15
degree starboard azimuthing condition.

(Pusher Configuration - Straight Course)
0.8
KT_Prop (CFD)
0.7
10KQ (CFD)
0.6
KT_Unit (CFD)
0.5
EtaO_Prop (CFD)
EtaO_Unit (CFD)
0.4
KT_Prop (EXP.)
0.3
10KQ (EXP.)
0.2
KT_Unit (EXP.)
0.1
EtaO_Prop (EXP.)
EtaO_Unit (EXP.)
0
0.20
0.30
0.40
0.50
0.60
0.70
0.80
0.90
1.00
Advance Ratio (J)
Fig. 4.9-propeller and pod unit performance in

straight ahead condition and in pusher configuration
in pusher condition and in 15 degree port and
starboard condition is plotted in Fig. 4.10 (a) & (b)
respectively.
(Pusher Configuration -- 15 degree Port)
Fig.4.7-Pressure distribution on pod unit in pushing

configuration at J=0.8 in straight condition
K T_Prop , K T_Unit , 10K Q , o_Prop , o_Unit
0.8
0.7
0.6
KT_Prop (CFD)
0.5
10KQ (CFD)
0.4
KT_Unit (CFD)
0.3
EtaO_Prop (CFD)
0.2
EtaO_Unit (CFD)
0.1
0
0.20
0.30
0.40
0.50
0.60
0.70
0.80
0.90
1.00
Advance Ratio (J)
Fig. 4.10(a)-Propeller and Pod unit performance in 15

degree port azimuthing condition and in pusher
configuration
Fig.4.8-Pressure distribution on pod unit in pushing

configuration at J=0.8 in 15 degree starboard
azimuthing condition
in pusher condition and in straight ahead condition is
plotted and validated with OERC Experimental
results in Fig 4.9.
It is observed here also that pod unit efficiency drops

in azimuthing condition; this is mainly due to
increase in pod unit drag in azimuthing condition as
compared to straight ahead condition.
In pusher condition also, due to direction of rotation
of propeller, pod drag in 15 degree port and 15
degree starboard azimuthing condition is not same
and hence pod unit efficiency will not be same in
both the conditions. This difference in pod unit
efficiency is shown in Fig. 4.11, and it can be seen
that for higher value of J efficiency in 15 degree
starboard condition is slightly more than that in 15
degree port condition
38

MARHY 2014
(torque coefficient) for puller pod is higher for lower
values of J and lower for higher values of J. The open
water efficiency of pod unit (EtaO_unit) of pulling
pod unit got higher values than pushing pod unit.

(Pusher Configuration -- 15 degree stbd )
0.9
0.8
0.7
KT_Prop (CFD)
0.6
10KQ (CFD)
0.5
0.4
KT_Unit (CFD)
0.3
EtaO_Prop (CFD)
0.2
EtaO_Unit (CFD)
4.2 TRANSVERSE FORCE ON POD UNIT

Transverse force on Pod unit was estimated for
different azimuthing conditions using CFD tool
Shipflow and converted into Coefficient (KFY).
0.1
0
0.20
0.30
0.40
0.50
0.60
0.70
0.80
0.90
1.00
Advance Ratio (J)
Fig. 4.10(b)-Propeller and Pod unit performance in

15 degree starboard azimuthing condition and in
pusher configuration
Pod Unit Efficiency in 15 degree port and stbd condition
(Pusher Configuration)
There is no experimental result available to validate

this CFD results, but trend of plots has been validated
with results from published literatures. [4], [5]. A set
of model experiments in this regard will be shortly
undertaken at Naval Science and Technological
Laboratory (NSTL), Vishakhapatnam, India.
0.7
0.6
0.5
EtaO_Unit
The transverse force coefficient on pod unit (pod +

strut) in both puller and pusher configuration at
different azimuthing angles are plotted in Fig 4.13
and Fig. 4.14.
0.4
0.3
EtaO_Unit_15 degree_port
0.2
EtaO_Unit_15 degree_stbd
0.1
0
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
0.8
0.9
Advance Ratio (J)
Fig. 4.11-Pusher pod unit efficiency in 15 degree port

and starboard condition
Open water characteristics of pod unit in both puller
and pusher configuration is shown in Fig.4.12
It is observed that for all advance coefficients (J), the

transverse force coefficient increases when
azimuthing angle is increased for both puller and
pusher configuration. Also, transverse force
coefficient increases with increasing advance
coefficient. The zero transverse force is found at the
small azimuthing angle about 1 degree. Due to
propeller wake rotation and strut interactions, there is
a small side force in straight condition for both puller
and pusher types.
Puller vs Pusher Configuration

0.7
Transverse Force Coefficient vs Azimuthing Angle

(Puller Configuration)
0.6
0.08
EtaO_Unit_Pusher
0.5
0.06
0.4
KT_Unit_Puller
0.3
KT_Unit_Pusher
0.2
0.04
K FY
EtaO_Unit, KT_Unit, 10KQ
EtaO_Unit_Puller
10KQ_Puller
0.02
0
J=0.2
-0.02
J=0.4
0.1
-0.04
J=0.6
-0.06
J=0.8
10KQ_Pusher
0
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
0.8
0.9
J=1.0
1
-0.08
Advance Ratio (J)
Fig. 4.12-Open water characteristics of pulling and

pushing pod units
-20
-15
-10
-5
10
15
20
Azimuthing Angle (degrees)
Fig. 4.13-Transverse force coefficient on pod unit in

puller configuration at different azimuthing condition
It is observed that with Puller configuration the

magnitude of KT_unit (thrust coefficient of pod unit),
found to be higher at all values of advance coefficient
(J) compared to the Pusher configuration unit with
same model propeller. The magnitude of 10KQ
39

MARHY 2014
Transverse Force Coefficient vs Azimuthing Angle
(Pusher Configuration)
0.08
Pod Unit Resistance (full scale)
10
9
0.06
Resistance (kN)
0.04
K FY
0.02
0
J=0.2
-0.02
J=0.4
-0.04
-15
-10
-5
5
4
3
R (kN) - CFD
R (KN) - ITTC
J=1.0
0
0.20
-0.08
-20
J=0.8
J=0.6
-0.06
10
15
20
0.40
Fig.4.14-Transverse force coefficient on pod unit in

pusher configuration at different azimuthing
condition
4.3
POD
UNIT
RESISTANCE
CALCULATED BY CFD AND ITTC
SEMI-EMPIRICAL METHOD
Model scale puller pod unit resistance has been
estimated using both CFD tool SHIPFLOW and
ITTC semi-empirical methods [9] and both has been
compared and shown in Fig.4.15.
For full scale pod unit scale factor =8 is selected
by taking into consideration of commercial pod unit
manufacturing by various marine propulsion system
manufactures
Two more pod unit, Pod2 and Pod16 with different

geometry is taken for analysis keeping same model
propeller (propeller#1).
Open water characteristics of Pod2 and Pod16 are
shown in Fig. 4.17 and fig.4.18 respectively. Open
water characteristics of Pod1, Pod2 and Pod16 are
From Fig.4.19 it is clear that open water efficiency of
Pod16 has higher value than that of Pod1 for all
values of advance ratio and Open water efficiency of
Pod2 has higher values than Pod1 at value of advance
coefficients more than 0.8.
Pod Unit Resistance (model scale)
Resistance (N)
30
25
20
15
0
0.20
1.00
4.4 OPEN WATER CHARACTERISTICS

OF POD UNIT WITH POD2 AND POD16
AND PROPELLER1
35
R (N) - CFD
0.80
Fig.4.16- Full scale pod unit resistance calculated by

CFD and ITTC
Full scale puller pod unit resistance has been also

estimated using both CFD tool SHIPFLOW and
ITTC semi-empirical methods [9] and both has been
10
0.60
Azimuthing Angle (degrees)
R (N) - ITTC
0.9

(Puller Configuration - Straight ahead)
Pod2
0.8
0.7
0.6
KT_Prop (CFD)
0.5
0.4
10KQ (CFD)
0.3
KT_Unit (CFD)
0.2
EtaO_Prop (CFD)
0.1
EtaO_Unit (CFD)
0
0.20
0.40
0.60
0.80
1.00
Advance Ratio (J)
0.30
0.40
0.50
0.60
0.70
0.80
0.90
1.00
Fig.4.15- Model pod unit resistance calculated by

CFD and ITTC
Fig. 4.17 - Propeller and pod unit performance in

for Pod2
40

MARHY 2014
Table 4.3-Main particulars of propeller#2
Propeller#2 Geometry

Pod16
0.9
Diameter
0.27 m
No. of Blades
Rotation
Right Hand
Hub- Dia Ratio
0.26
Section Form
NACA66
Expanded Area Ratio
0.8
(P/D)mean
0.95
0.8
0.7
0.6
KT_Prop (CFD)
0.5
10KQ (CFD)
0.4
KT_Unit (CFD)
0.3
EtaO_Prop (CFD)
0.2
EtaO_Unit (CFD)
0.1
0
0.20
0.40
0.60
0.80
1.00
Advance Ratio (J)
Fig. 4.18 - Propeller and pod unit performance in

for Pod16
0.7
10K Q - Pod1
KT_Unit , 10KQ , o_Unit
0.6
KT_Unit - Pod1
EtaO_Unit - Pod1
0.5
10K Q - Pod2
0.4
0.8

Pod1, Pod2 and Pod16

Propeller#2 - 5 bladed
KT_Unit - Pod2
0.3
0.7
KT_Prop (CFD)
0.6
10KQ (CFD)
0.5
KT_Unit (CFD)
0.4
0.3
EtaO_Prop (CFD)
0.2
EtaO_Uni t (CFD)
0.1
EtaO_Unit - Pod2
0.2
10K Q - Pod16
0.1
KT_Unit - Pod16
0
0.20
0.30
0.40
0.50
0.60
0.70
0.80
0.90
Advance Ratio (J)
0.20
0.40
0.60
0.80
Advance Ratio (J)
1.00
Fig. 4.19 - Pod unit performance in straight ahead

condition and in puller configuration for Pod1, Pod2
and Pod16
This type of analysis can also be done for other pod
units and geometry of existing pod units can be
modified to maximize the efficiency. But the initial
selection of pod unit should always be based on size
of electric motor to be installed inside pod hosing and
the ship profile. Longitudinal position of strut mainly
depends upon ship profile and pod unit arrangements
(puller or pusher).
4.5 OPEN WATER CHARACTERISTICS

OF POD UNIT WITH POD1 AND
PROPELLER1 AND PROPELLER2
Fig. 4.20 Propeller and pod unit performance in

for Pod1 with Propeller#2
Open water characteristic of Propeller#2 with Pod1 is
shown in Fig.4.20, and pod unit (pod1) performance
with both the propellers (Propeller#1 & Propeller#2)
is compared and shown in Fig. 4.212.
0.8
EtaO_Unit - Pod16

Propeller#1 & Propeller#2
10KQ
(prop#2)
0.7
KT_Unit
(prop#2)
0.6
EtaO_Prop
(prop#2)
0.5
EtaO_Unit
(prop#2)
0.4
KT_prop
(prop#1)
0.3
10KQ
(prop#1)
0.2
KT_Unit
(prop#1)
0.1
0
0.20
EtaO_prop
(prop#1)
0.40
0.60
Advance Ratio (J)
Propeller geometry has been changed and fixed with

Pod1. Analysis of Pod1 with new propeller
(Propeller#2) has been done in puller configuration.
Main particulars of propeller#2 are given in table 4.3.
KT_Prop (
prop#2)
0.80
EtaO_Unit
(prop#1)
Fig.4.21 Propeller and pod unit performance in

for Propeller#1 and Propeller#2 with Pod1
From Fig.4.21, it is clear that both propeller
efficiency and pod unit efficiency for propeller#1 has
higher values than Propeller#2 for higher values of
41

MARHY 2014
advance coefficient and both are of approximately
same magnitude for lower values of advance
coefficients.
Propeller thrust coefficient and pod unit thrust
coefficient for Propeller#1 has higher values than
Propeller#2 for higher values of advance coefficients
and lower values than Propeller#2 for lower values of
advance coefficients.
Propeller torque coefficient for Propeller#1 has
higher values than Propeller#2 for higher values of
advance coefficients and lower values than
Propeller#2 for lower values of advance coefficients
5. CONCLUSION
In this paper, a finite volume based RANS solver and
lifting line based propeller analysis module has been
used to evaluate the performance of podded propulsor
in straight and azimuthing condition. Pod unit has
been analysed in both puller and pusher configuration
and open water characteristics in straight condition
has been validated and found to be in good agreement
with the experimental data of OERC.
Pod unit has been analysed in 15 degree azimuthing
condition (both port and starboard) in both puller and
pusher configuration. Decreases in pod unit
efficiency due to increased pod unit drag in
azimuthing condition and also difference in pod unit
efficiency in 15 degree port and starboard due to
direction of rotation of propeller has been shown.
Resistance of both model scale and full scale pod unit

has been estimated in puller configuration using both
CFD tool SHIPFLOW and ITTC semi-empirical
methods and both has been compared.
Two more pod units Pod2 and Pod16 is taken for
analysis keeping same model propeller (Propeller#1).
Propeller geometry has also been changed from 4
bladed to 5 bladed and new propeller (Propeller#2)
has been analysed with Pod1.
This type of study can be used in initial design stage
of podded propeller for different types of vessel,
before going for complex and expensive tank testing
of model.
6. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The authors would like to acknowledge the assistance
of Dr. Leif Broberg of FLOWTECH International
AB, Sweden, Prof. R P Gokarn (Ex-professor of
Department of Ocean Engineering and Naval
Architecture, IIT Kharagpur), Ms Seemontini
RoyChoudhury and Mr Seelam Manohar of
department of Ocean Engineering and Naval
Architecture, IIT Kharagpur, in completing the work
for the paper.
7. REFERENCES
Open water characteristics of both puller and pusher

configuration has been compared and open water
efficiency of puller configuration found to be more
than of pusher configuration.
Transverse force on pod unit has been estimated for
both puller and pusher configuration in different
azimuthing condition and different operating
conditions. There is no experimental result available
to validate this CFD results, but trend of plots has
been validated with results from published literatures.
[4], [5]. The CFD results also indicates that
transverse force increases with increasing azimuthing
angle and advance ratio for both puller and pusher
configuration. Due to propeller wake rotation and
strut interactions, there is a small side force in
straight condition for both puller and pusher types.
[1] J. Dang & H. Laheji,(2004), Hydrodynamic

aspects of steerable thrusters,Dynamic
Positioning Conference, Wartsila Propulsion
Netherlands BV,
[2] HeinkeC.,Heinke H-J, (2003), Investigation
about the use of podded drives for fast
ships, Proceeding of the 7th International
Conference on Fast Sea Transportation
2003, pp-41-48, Ischia, Italy.
[3] Sanchez-Caja, A. Rautaheimo, P. Siikonen,
(1999) Computation of the incompressible
viscous flow around a tractor thruster using
a sliding mesh technique, Proceedings of
7th International Conference on Numerical
Ship Hydrodynamics. France.
[4] R. Shamsi, H Ghassemi (2013), Numerical
investigation of yaw angle effects on
propulsive characteristics of podded
propellers, Int. J. naval Archit. Ocean
engg., 5:287-301.
9
42

MARHY 2014
[5] R.
Shamsi,
H
Ghassemi,
(2013),
Hydrodynamic analysis of puller and
pusher of azimuthing podded drives at
various yaw angles, proceedings of the
Institution of mechanical engineering, part
M: Journal of Engineering for the maritime
environment.
[6] Ghose, J.P and Gokarn, R.P. (2004), Basic
Ship Propulsion, Allied Publishers Pvt Ltd
[7] SHIPFLOW 5.1 Users Manual (2013),
FLOWTECH International, Gothenburg,
Sweden
[8] Versteeg, H. K and Malalasekara, W.,
(1995), An introduction to computational
Fluid Dynamics- The finite volume
method, Pearson Education Limited.
[9] ITTC-Recommended
Procedures
and
Guidelines
(2008),
Propulsion,
performance Test and Extrapolation, 25th
ITTC Specialist Committee on Azimuthing
Podded Propulsion.
8. AUTHORS BIOGRAPHY
Nishant Verma holds position of Tr. Naval Architect
at Zebec Marine services Pvt. Ltd, Mumbai, India. He
has completed Master of Technology in Ocean
Engineering and Naval Architecture from IIT
Kharagpur, India.
Om Prakash Sha holds position of Dean &
Professor at Department of Ocean Engineering &
Naval Architecture, IIT Kharagpur, India.
10
43

International
on- Computational
and Experimental
Proc. of Conf. MARHY-2014 held on 3&4 Dec.
, 2014 at IITConference
Madras, India
Vol.2 (ISBN: 978-93-80689-22-7)
MARHY 2014
PREDICTING THE IMPACT OF HULL ROUGHNESS ON THE

FRICTIONAL RESISTANCE OF SHIPS
P A S t e n s o n , International Paint Ltd, UK
B K i d d , International Paint Ltd, UK
H L C h e n , International Paint Pte, Singapore
A A F i n n i e , International Paint Ltd, UK
R R a m s d e n , International Paint Ltd, UK
ABSTRACT
The frictional resistance associated with hull roughness is a major factor in determining ship efficiency. CFD
approaches to calculate ship resistance require an allowance for hull roughness (typically k s = 30 m; AHR [Rt50] =
150 m) to be accounted for. These values are generally based upon expectations and assumptions derived from
seminal ship trials performed several decades ago that were formally adopted by the ITTC in 1990. We present the
analysis of a new dataset of 845 individual hull roughness surveys (283 individual ships) carried out between 2003
2014. It is revealed that the extent of substrate preparation (i.e. extent of blasting) is chief amongst several parameters
that dictate the expected hull roughness. The coating scheme technology type also plays a role by moderating the
macro-physical roughness features through their flow and levelling properties. Typical increases in AHR of 2.3 12.8
m/yr were found for each vessel following each dry dock event. It is hypothesised that the scale of increase is
determined by a combination of factors including the coating scheme technology type and vessel operational profile. A
new model for predicting AHR is proposed and is expected to lead to improvements in CFD predictions of ship
powering.
efficiency. The majority of the leading marine paint
companies offer fouling control coating solutions and
associated fuel saving claims made relative to various
benchmarks. Technical uncertainty associated with, a)
the scale up of laboratory skin friction and roughness
measurements to the ship scale, and, b) in-service
measurements of ship performance (e.g. noon data
reports, vessel monitoring systems [8,9]) means that a
confusing picture of the specific impact of the coating on
fuel consumption results. It is clear that a robust
methodology for predicting the impact of coating choice
on ship performance is required.
NOMENCLATURE
AHR
Average hull roughness (m)
ANOVA Analysis of variance
CDP
CFD
FR
ks
Lc
Rt50
SE
SPC
Controlled depletion polymer

Computational fluid dynamics
Foul release
Equivalent sand grain roughness (m)
Long wavelength cutoff (mm)
Max peak to trough height per 50 mm (m)
Standard error
Self polishing co-polymer
1.
INTRODUCTION
In recent years the shipping industry has come under

increasing pressure to increase the efficiency of marine
vessels. Pressure comes from a combination of economic
(increasing fuel prices [1] and decreased freight rates
[2]), environmental [3,4] and regulatory (EEDI, SEEMP
etc. [5,6,7]) factors and means that measures to improve
vessel efficiency are eagerly sought. There is therefore a
sustained focus on all stages of the vessel lifecycle from
the design and delivery of new ships through to the
operation and in-service management of the existing
fleet and the scrapping of old vessels.
Maintaining a smooth clean hull through the use of a low
friction fouling control coating remains one of the easiest
and most cost effective methods of improving vessel
Skin friction can account for as much as 90% of total

ship resistance [10]. This is the case even if the surface is
hydraulically smooth. The addition of roughness
(whether due to coating application, mechanical damage,
biofouling etc.) adds an additional penalty that can be as
low as ~1% for a well applied low friction coating or as
high as ~86% for a heavily fouled hull [11]. The role of
the fouling control coating scheme is to manage the
roughness penalty as effectively as possible and keep it
to a minimum. A comprehensive understanding of the
various factors that combine to make up the roughness
penalty is required in order to quantify credibly the fuel
saving credentials of one coating technology relative to
another.
Surface roughness can be characterised as either physical
or biological in its origin [11]. The impact of biological

MARHY 2014-06
44

MARHY 2014
roughness, caused by the attachment of marine fouling

organisms to the ship hull, is a subject that has received a
great deal of attention in the literature, particularly in
work carried out by Schultz et al. [11,13,14,15].
Application of this theory to practical scenarios requires
robust predictions of the type and severity of the fouling
challenge to be made based upon the specific operational
profile and trading route of the vessel in question [16].
The impact of physical roughness on ship powering (i.e.
roughness elements associated with plate waviness, plate
laps, weld seams, steel profile, corrosion/damage,
coating characteristics/condition etc.) has also been
widely reviewed [11,12,17]. It is important that proper
attention should be paid to the length scale, or long
wavelength cutoff, of the specific roughness elements
that are under investigation. This is a consideration that
is often overlooked [18]. We have reported previously
that it is necessary to measure and understand both the
macro-physical and micro-physical roughness elements
[19,20].
Macro-physical roughness (i.e. hull roughness) accounts
for the longer wavelength roughness features of the
surface (Lc
50 mm) such as those arising from
mechanical damage and the underlying substrate profile.
Some aspects of the coating scheme formulation (e.g.
flow/levelling properties) and application (e.g.
incidences of overspray or coalescence) also have an
impact. Hull roughness is typically quantified using the
Rt50 parameter and is measured using equipment such as
the BMT Hull Roughness Analyser or TQC Hull
Roughness Gauge [21].
Micro-physical roughness accounts for the shorter
wavelength roughness features (Lc < 10 mm) and is
dominated by the impact of coating formulation
parameters on the surface texture. More specialised
measurement methodologies are required to probe the
surface topology at these levels.
Work presented in this paper focusses on the hull
roughness (i.e. macro-physical roughness contribution to
the overall roughness penalty). The development of a
new model for predicting the initial value and
subsequent change in average hull roughness (AHR)
over a dry dock cycle is a key focus. It is of fundamental
importance to predictions of ship powering that reliable
estimations of hull roughness are available [22,23]. It is
noted that predictions of the contribution of surface
roughness to ship powering, including those using CFD,
often assume a starting AHR of 150 m (or ks = 30 m)
[11,24]. This is despite the fact that modern shipyard
practices, design, substrate preparation and coating
technologies mean that AHRs of 100 m and lower are
obtainable and readily achieved, especially when due
attention is paid to optimising the conditions associated
with the coating scheme application [12,20,22].
Seminal work by Townsin et al. in the 1980s

established a correlation between AHR and ship
powering that was accepted by the ITTC in 1990
[25,26]. A trend of increasing AHR with vessel age
(mean initial increase of ~20 m/yr for ships coated with
high performance paint and having cathodic protection)
was reported for vessels where remedial blasting was not
carried out [26]. It is important to note that the AHR
increase was found to be influenced by a complex range
of parameters and that for some vessels (i.e. coated with
the highest performance coatings) increases of 5 10
m/yr were reported. This work formed the basis of the
development, by International Paint Ltd., of the Hull
Roughness Penalty Calculator (HRPC) which provides
an estimation of the impact on ship powering of the
degradation in AHR as a function of the fouling control
coating technology type [27].
This model of hull roughness degradation is in large
underpinned by datasets gathered in the 1970s, 80s and
90s. A re-evaluation of hull roughness models for the
post-TBT era of fouling control coatings is needed. This
is to reflect changing trends not only in the development
and application of coatings but also shipyard practices,
vessel design and vessel operation. For example,
findings from the studies of Townsin et al.[23,26], one
of which was the observation that blasting vessels leads
to lower AHR and therefore lower fuel consumption,
were well regarded by the shipping industry and perhaps
triggered some ship owner/operators to undertake more
frequent blasting.
We present here an updated model for hull roughness
based on a raw dataset of 845 AHR surveys carried out
since 2003. This work complements other activities
ongoing within our laboratories that are focussed on the
development of models for coating roughness and
biological roughness [16,20]. In this way a more solid
foundation on which to base CFD simulations of the
resistance of real ship hulls can be established. Better
clarity on the fuel saving potential of different fouling
control coating technologies can then be achieved.
2.
EXPERIMENTAL
Hull roughness measurements were carried out in the

field using either the BMT Hull Roughness Analyser or
the TQC Hull Roughness Gauge. Both instruments
quantify hull roughness in terms of Rt50 (i.e. the greatest
peak to trough height per 50 mm). Measurements were
carried out on the underwater hull area of a variety of
vessel types in a variety of new build and maintenance
and repair scenarios. For in-dock surveys fouling was
removed using a high pressure freshwater wash prior to
measurements being taken. Obvious areas of extensive
mechanical damage (if present) were excluded from the
survey.
For each survey the reported AHR represents the mean

MARHY 2014-06
45

MARHY 2014
of 50-200 individual traverses depending on the size of

the vessel and the accessible area. Each traverse of the
instrument
provides
10-12
individual
Rt50
measurements. The accuracy of the measurement is 5
m. All statistical analyses and manipulations were
carried out using the IBM SPSS package.
3.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
A dataset of 845 AHR surveys gathered between 2003

and 2014 has been used in this analysis. A plot of AHR
vs vessel age (Figure 1) indicates that there is a
significant amount of scatter associated with AHR data.
This observation is consistent with those made by
Townsin et al. [26]. Banding of data points around the 5,
10 and 15 year time points can be seen and is a reflection
of the typical 5 year in-service period that many marine
vessels operate between dry docking. Only a weak trend
(R2 = 0.06) of increasing AHR with vessel age (~3
m/yr) is observed. This is lower than the mean increase
reported by Townsin et al. [26]. However, the difference
is likely to be a reflection of the changes in ship design,
operation and shipyard practices discussed earlier. Also
important is the development of low friction coating
technologies over the last few decades that are better
able to mask the macro-roughness features of the hull.
The observation from our current dataset that vessels of
age >25 years can still achieve low AHR (<100 m)
supports these hypotheses.
Figure 1. Plot of AHR vs vessel age. A weak trend of

increasing AHR with vessel age is observed.
The development of an updated model for hull roughness
has been split into, a) the prediction of initial AHR
achieved at dry dock after coating scheme application,
and, b) the prediction of the subsequent increase in AHR
over a dry dock cycle.
3.1
AHR AFTER COATING APPLICATION
A statistical investigation into the parameters that

influence initial AHR was carried out. This was
completed by grouping AHR surveys into subsets
according to key meta-data (such as vessel type, hull
area, coating technology, substrate preparation, vessel
age etc.) recorded alongside the raw data. A summary of
the key findings from this analysis along with the
corresponding ANOVA p-values is presented in Table 1.

Parameter
Hull Area
Flats
Sides
Mean AHR (m)
p-value
Significant?
149 9
151 9
0.737
NO
Blast Extent
Full blast
Spot blast
No blast
99 5
179 10
203 34
0.000
YES*
Coating Type
FR
SPC
CDP
103 5
165 12
186 18
0.000
YES*
Vessel Type
Bulker
Chemical Tanker
Container
LNG
Other
Ro-Ro
Tanker
220 32
194 26
146 10
120 12
139 15
151 20
131 9
0.000
YES*
Table 1. Results from an investigation into the

parameters that influence AHR. Errors in the mean
values are calculated at the 95% confidence level.
*Although these parameters appear to have a significant
impact on initial AHR caution needs to be exercised as
the parameters are highly correlated (e.g. vessels coated
with FR are more likely to have been fully blasted).
The first stage analysis of the available data indicates
that there are three key parameters that have the greatest
impact on the AHR achieved at dry dock. The substrate
preparation, coating technology and vessel type all
appear to be significant in determining AHR. In
considering the relative impact of each of these it is
important to note that high degrees of correlation
between the parameters were observed. For example,
ship owner/operators who decide to invest in Foul
Release coating technologies are also likely to fully blast
their vessels prior to application. Correlations between
vessel type, coating selection and substrate preparation
also exist. For example, LNG owner/operators are more
likely to invest in full blasts and top end coating
technologies than bulker owner/operators. These trends
may also be a function of vessel operational profile (e.g.
bulkers are typically more likely to operate a lower
fouling challenge deep sea trans-pacific route than LNGs
which are typically more likely to operate a higher
fouling challenge Red Sea, Persian Gulf, SE Asia route
[28]; this can have an impact on the type of fouling
control coating technology selected by the
owner/operator) as well as several other potential
economical, operational and geographical factors. It is
clear that in order to address the high degree of
correlation between the parameters a more detailed
examination of the data is required. Fortunately, the size
and quality of the 2003 2014 dataset enables further
filtering of the raw data to yield subsets of surveys from
specific vessel types containing a spread of, a) FR, SPC

MARHY 2014-06
46

MARHY 2014
and CDP coating types, and, b) fully blasted, spot blasted

/ not blasted scenarios. Further analysis presented here
focuses on the Container and Tanker datasets which
contain enough surveys to properly probe the impact of
coating type and substrate preparation alongside the
vessel type.
Out-docking AHR data for containers and tankers
organised into subsets by coating technology types (FR
and SPC), and substrate preparation category (fully
blasted and spot blasted / not blasted) are summarised in
Table 2. Interpretation of ANOVA p-values was again
used to determine whether the difference between
datasets was significant. The aim is to determine which
of the parameters (vessel type, coating technology type,
substrate preparation) are significant as predictors of
initial AHR achieved at dry dock.
Data subset
Spot Blast vs Full Blast
[AHRspot] [AHRfull]
Containers; FR coating
Containers; SPC coating
Tankers; FR coating
Tankers; SPC coating
AHR (m)
Significant?
120
84
57
50
41.5
87.6
25.8
39.6
YES
YES
YES
YES
Containers vs Tankers
[AHRcont] [AHRtanker]
Full blast; FR coating
Full blast; SPC coating
Spot blast; FR coating
Spot blast; SPC coating
119
52
58
82
-11.0
12.4
-26.7
-35.6
NO
NO
NO
NO
SPC vs FR
[AHRSPC] [AHRFR]
Containers; Fully blasted
Containers; Spot blasted
Tankers; Fully blasted
Tankers; Spot blasted
112
92
59
48
10.5
56.6
33.9
47.7
NO
YES
NO
YES
Table 2. Comparison of out-docking AHR surveys for

Containers and Tankers coated with FR and SPC
technologies. Full blast datasets also contain new build
vessels. Spot blast datasets also include vessels where no
blasting was carried out. Significance is based on
overlap of 95% confidence intervals of the means.
The analysis in Table 2 indicates that when the coating
technology type and vessel type are kept constant it is
the substrate preparation that has the most significant
impact on initial AHR. For each subset of surveys the
difference in mean AHR between the fully blasted and
spot blasted / not blasted datasets is significant at the
95% confidence level and ranges from AHRfull/spot 25.8
to 87.6 m. This observation is supported by the
histogram plot of the global AHR dataset (Figure 2)
whereby a clear peak in frequency for fully blasted
scenarios is seen at ~90 m. Note that this plot is made
of the unfiltered dataset and contains all vessel types and
coating technology types. By contrast, the histogram
profile for the part blasted / not blasted scenario takes a
much flatter form with broad peak at ~135 m and a
long tail towards higher roughness values. This is
consistent with the expectation that there would be less

uniformity in the range of substrate profiles that coatings
were applied to in these scenarios.
Figure 2. Histogram distributions of unfiltered AHR data

for fully blasted and spot blasted / not blasted out dock
scenarios (n = 209 and 329 respectively). Modal peaks
are taken as the starting point for AHR prediction in each
case (SAHR = 90 and 135 m respectively).
As shown in Table 2, the impact of vessel type (within
the Container and Tanker datasets) is found to have no
significant impact on initial AHR. This conclusion is
easy to arrive at for the Container and Tanker datasets
because enough surveys are present with enough of a
range of FR and SPC coating applications and
full/spot/no blast scenarios to enable the impact of vessel
type to be fully disentangled from substrate preparation
and coating technology type. It is possible that a
significant impact on initial AHR exists between other
specific vessel types, however, if present, these
differences are likely to be clouded by the presence of
other correlated factors such as the vessel operational
profile. It should also be noted that the vessel type and
operation is likely to have a significant impact on the
expected increase in AHR over a dry dock cycle.
However, work carried out here strongly suggests that
the impact of vessel type on initial AHR, if it exists, is of
less importance than the impacts of substrate preparation
and coating technology type.
In terms of the impact of coating on AHR Table 2
indicates that, in general, a lower AHR is typically
obtained from application of a FR than an SPC coating
scheme. In particular it is noted that the coating
technology type (i.e. whether or not a FR coating is
applied) is most significant in scenarios whereby the
vessel was only spot blasted (or not blasted at all). A
significant impact of coating technology is not always
seen when the vessel is fully blasted ( AHRFR/SPC ~10
m c.f. ~50 m for spot blasted / not blasted scenarios).
This suggests that some coating schemes (e.g. silicone
based FR) may be able to level out and mask macrophysical roughness elements of the substrate better than
others. In the fully blasted scenario where macrophysical roughness elements are minimised there is less
of an impact. It is proposed that initial AHR prediction
should reflect the observation that application of a FR
coating in a scenario where the vessel is not fully blasted
is likely to result in a lower AHR than for a non-FR

MARHY 2014-06
47

MARHY 2014
coating. For fully blasted scenario a more modest

difference in AHR between FR and non-FR coatings is
expected.
3.2
PREDICTION OF AHR DEGRADATION
Figure 1 illustrated how only a modest impact of vessel

age on AHR is observed in the 2003 2014 dataset. It is
to be expected, therefore, that the increase in AHR over
a dry dock cycle will also be of lower magnitude than
that predicted previously. Figure 3 reveals that a mean
AHR increase with time since dry dock of 0.84 m per
month (~10 m per year) is observed across the
unfiltered raw data. The general trend for AHR to
increase over a dry dock cycle is consistent with the
findings of Townsin et al. [22,23,26] although the rate of
increase is noticeably smaller.
Figure 4. Impact of coating technology type on AHR

increase. Note that coating technology type, vessel type,
trading route (and, potentially, other relevant parameters)
are likely to be highly correlated and it is not possible to
identify a single parameter that drives the AHR increase.
Outliers in the raw dataset have been removed from this
subset. Note also that the data represents measurements
of AHR only and does not take into account the impact
of any fouling settlement.
A summary of the results from this analysis is provided
in Table 3. As expected, the predicted increases in AHR
are significantly lower than the round number estimates
adopted for the HRPC (based on the work by Townsin et
al.).
Figure 3. Plot of AHR vs time since dry dock for 2003

2014 surveys. A mean AHR increase of 0.84 m per
month (~10 m per year) is observed. Note the
clustering of data points around the 60 month time point
reflecting the 5 year typical dry dock interval for deep
sea marine vessels.
There are multiple correlating factors within this dataset
leading to a large residual error in the linear model.
Clustering of data around the t = 0 and 60 month time
points further compounds the issue. Weak trends in AHR
increase are observed when the in-docking dataset is
grouped by coating technology type (Figure 4). The
effect of coating technology type on AHR over time is
likely to be highly correlated with other factors included
in the linear regression analysis. Acknowledging this
unresolved feature, it is reasonable that the coating
scheme be used to predict the magnitude of AHR
increase as a proxy for more complex, hidden
correlations. This general approach is consistent with the
Hull Roughness Penalty Calculator which used the
coating technology type as a predictor for AHR increase
[27]. It is also important to note that the same trend in
roughness across the FR, SPC and CDP coating
technology types has also been observed in laboratory
studies of roughness [19].
Coating Technology
FR
SPC
CDP
Typical AHR Increase*

2.3 m/y
9.7 m/y
12.8 m/y
HRPC
5 m/y
20 m/y
40 m/y
Table 3. Predictions of AHR increase over a dry dock

cycle obtained from linear regression analysis.
Comparison with values that were assumed for the
HRPC is provided [27]. *Note that due to the scatter
associated with AHR data the standard error in these
values is large (SE ~0.5). The AHR increases are
therefore presented as typical guideline values only.
3.3
A NEW MODEL FOR AHR PREDICTION
A methodology for modelling hull roughness requires a

reliable prediction of the initial AHR as well as a
description of the magnitude of AHR increase over the
dry dock cycle. Work carried out here has demonstrated
that the magnitude of the initial AHR is dictated mainly
by the nature of the substrate profile. Expected AHRs
based on the peak values derived from histogram
distributions of data (Figure 2) from fully and part
blasted AHR surveys are used as the starting point for
initial AHR prediction. This has been termed SAHR and
takes the values 90 and 135 m for fully blasted / new
build and spot blasted / not blasted scenarios
respectively.
A second term, CAHR, based on coating technology type

is introduced to modify the initial AHR estimate based
on substrate preparation, SAHR. This is to reflect the
observation that coating scheme technology type is
revealed to have an impact on initial AHR, particularly
MARHY 2014-06
48

MARHY 2014
for spot blasted / not blasted scenarios. The value of

CAHR is negative for FR coatings (i.e. AHR will be lower
than non-FR coatings) and positive for non-FR. Lower
absolute values of CAHR (-5 and 5 m for FR and non-FR
respectively) for full blast / new build scenarios reflect
the observation that coating technology has less of an
impact here than for spot blasted / not blasted scenarios.
Although lower mean AHRs are observed for the FR
datasets the difference in means between FR and non-FR
for full blast / new build could not be said to be
statistically significant at the 95% confidence level.
Therefore a more conservative estimation for the
magnitude of CAHR is adopted for these scenarios. Values
of CAHR for the fully blasted scenario (-5 and 5 m for
FR and non-FR respectively, AHR = 10 m) are based
on the difference in FR and non-FR AHR means for the
full blast container dataset (10.5 m) which contains
more surveys than the corresponding full blast tanker
dataset (n = 112 and 59 respectively). Values of CAHR for
the spot blasted / not blasted scenario (-25 and 25 m for
FR and non-FR respectively, AHR = 50 m) are based
on the difference in FR and non-FR AHR means for the
spot blasted / not blasted container and spot blasted / not
blasted tanker datasets (56.6 and 47.7 m respectively).
As discussed earlier the data do not support taking into
account vessel type in the prediction of initial AHR. The
change in AHR over the dry dock cycle is modelled as a
linear increase, termed here IAHR, based on the values
proposed in Table 3. Proposed guideline values for SAHR,
CAHR, and IAHR are also presented in Table 4.
Coating
Technology
FR
SPC
CDP
FR
SPC
CDP
Substrate
Preparation
Full Blast
Full Blast
Full Blast
Spot/No Blast
Spot/No Blast
Spot/No Blast
SAHR
(m)
90
90
90
135
135
135
CAHR
(m)
-5
5
5
-25
25
25
IAHR
(m)
0.19
0.81
1.07
0.19
0.81
1.07
Table 4. Typical guideline values of SAHR, CAHR, and

IAHR, required for the modelling of average hull
roughness.
The overall model for average hull roughness prediction
is Equation 1 where SAHR, CAHR and IAHR are constants
(see Table 4); t is time in months.
AHR = SAHR + CAHR + t(IAHR)
Equation 1
It should be noted that, unlike previous models, the new

model does provide a prediction of the initial starting
AHR. It is also important to note that the constants
provided in Table 4 should be regarded as guidance
values only given that they are derived from a
generalized dataset. There will be scenarios whereby the
initial AHR is measured and known in which case the
actual value can be substituted for that estimated by the
SAHR and CAHR terms. Similarly, specific information
about the vessel operational profile and trading route
may justify a moderation of the IAHR term. For example,
it may be reasonable to assume that a given vessel is

likely to experience a degree of mechanical damage that
is of greater or lesser severity and extent than that which
is typically expected.
In order to estimate the impact of hull roughness on total
ship resistance, procedures detailed by Townsin et al.
(and the ITTC) [25,26] and Schultz [11] can be applied.
The Townsin procedure is based upon an empirical
relationship linking the added resistance coefficient with
Reynolds number and AHR. The Schultz procedure
takes ks as the input and predicts the expected ship
resistance of a FFG-7 military hull form. The equivalent
sand grain roughness (ks) can be approximated from the
average hull roughness value [11].
Application of a similar procedure underpinned by data
from a 10000 TEU container ship hull form provides an
approximation of the expected difference in resistance
resulting from the hull roughness associated with FR and
SPC coatings. Total resistance (CT) at 20 kts is estimated
to be between ~1 9% lower for FR vessels than for
SPC depending on the extent and quality of blasting
prior to coating application [29]. This is a result of the
fact that the greatest difference in AHR between FR and
SPC vessels is predicted for scenarios where the vessel is
not fully blasted. The impact of fully blasting the vessel
can also be estimated and is predicted to be particularly
significant, CT for the fully blasted scenario is found to
be up to 10% lower than for spot blasted / not blasted
scenarios. These findings are broadly consistent with
those of Schultz who estimated a difference in resistance
of the FFG-7 hull form at 15 kts between freshly applied
and deteriorated coating scenarios of 9% [11]. It is
important to note that these simulations of ship
resistance are based upon estimations of initial AHR
only. AHR (and therefore CT) associated with the FR
vessel scenario is expected to increase at a slower rate
than for the SPC scenario. Therefore, the relative
difference in ship resistance ( CT) may increase. For the
sake of clarity other contributors to the surface
roughness (e.g. micro-physical and biological roughness)
have been omitted from this discussion.
4.
CONCLUSIONS
An updated model for predicting the average hull

roughness (AHR) of ships has been proposed.
Collection, filtration and analysis of a dataset of 845
surveys from the time period 2003 2014 has enabled
updated predictions of both initial AHR and the rate of
increase to be made. Since the 1980s the shipping
industry has used the work of Townsin et al. and the
Hull Roughness Penalty Calculator as the basis for
estimating the roughness of ship hulls. It has long been
recognised that an updated model is required to better
reflect operational and technological changes that have
taken place in the industry over the intervening decades.
These changes were triggered not least by to the great

MARHY 2014-06
49

MARHY 2014
importance attached to the original findings of Townsin

et al.. Improvements to experimental and computational
based predictions of ship resistance are necessarily
underpinned by better estimations of skin friction which,
in turn, is determined in large part by the surface
roughness.
It is important to note that although AHR measurements
provide a reasonable quantification of the macrophysical surface roughness this does not account for the
totality of elements that contribute to the overall
frictional resistance. In particular it is necessary to
account for the micro-physical roughness elements and
the biological roughness. The measurement and
modelling of these features is equally challenging in that
similarly large datasets are required and are only
available through sustained acquisition of precise inservice measurements of the hull condition. It has been
reported previously that the scope and scale of these and
other parameters that influence and define ship
performance renders a simple approach whereby the
impact of each factor is viewed in isolation to be
inappropriate. It is necessary instead to develop and
make use of big data analytical techniques whereby the
influence and interactions of multiple parameters are
modelled simultaneously [16]. In this way an improved
foundation from which to build numerical simulations
(i.e. CFD and EFD) of ship hydrodynamics, resistance
and efficiency can be established. Work presented here
for the 10000 TEU hull form represents a provisional
step towards this goal. The advancement of work in this
field is of crucial importance to the marine coatings
industry and the wider shipping community where
greater transparency and accuracy in the claims made of
competing fuel saving technologies is eagerly pursued.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
5.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors gratefully acknowledge the help of Dr Bob
Townsin for his helpful comments and suggestions.
6.
REFERENCES
1.
Berril P, OMG! Is MGO fuelling a crisis?,

Tradewinds, 5 March 2014.
Alcalde M, Sluggish growth and low rates:
welcome to the future of shipping, Tradewinds,
30 May 2014.
Time for international action on CO2 emissions
from shipping, European Commission, 2013.
Lifting the lid: the efficiency and measurement
battleground, Protective Coatings Europe, JanMar 2013.
2012 guidelines on the method of calculation
of the attained energy efficiency design index
(EEDI) for new ships, IMO, Resolution
MEPC.212(63), Annex 8, 2012.
Expert market survey: eco-shipping, HSH
Nordbank, November 2013.
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3.
4.
5.
6.
18.
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22.
Hull coatings for vessel performance, Fathom

Focus Report, September 2013.
Aldous L, Smith T, Bucknall R, Noon report
data uncertainty, Low Carbon Shipping
Conference, London 2013.
Kattan MR, Townsin RL, Armstrong V,
Managing the underwater hull, 17th
International Congress on Marine Corrosion
and Fouling, Singapore 2014.
Lackenby H, Resistance of ships, with special
reference to skin friction and hull surface
condition, Proceedings of the Institution of
Mechanical Engineers, 176, 981-1014, 1962.
Schultz MP, Effects of coating roughness and
biofouling on ship resistance and powering,
Biofouling, 23(5), 331-341, 2007.
Kidd B, Finnie AA, Stenson PA, Low friction
fouling control coatings: an International Paint
perspective, Journal of the JIME, 48, 2013.
Schultz MP, Frictional resistance of antifouling
coating
systems,
Journal
of
Fluids
Engineering, 126, 1039-1047, 2004.
Schultz MP, Bendick JA, Holm ER, Hertel
WM, Economic impact of biofouling on a
naval surface ship, Biofouling, 27(1), 87-98,
2011.
Demirel YK, Khorasanchi M, Turan O, Incecik
A, Schultz MP, A CFD model for the frictional
resistance prediction of antifouling coatings,
Ocean Engineering, 89, 21-31, 2014.
Thomason JC, Ramsden R, Data mashing, big
data and multivariate modelling to predict
coating performance, 17th International
Congress on Marine Corrosion and Fouling,
Singapore 2014.
Stenson PA, An overview of low friction
fouling control technologies, RINA Marine
Coatings Conference, London 2013.
Howell D, Behrends B, A review of surface
roughness in antifouling coatings illustrating
the importance of cutoff length, Biofouling,
22(6), 401-410, 2006.
Stenson PA, Kidd B, Finnie AA, Measurement
and impact of surface topology and
hydrodynamic drag of fouling control coatings,
3rd International Conference on Advanced
Model Measurement Technology for the EU
Maritime Industry, Gdansk 2013.
Stenson PA, Kidd B, Understanding the impact
of coating and hull roughness on frictional
resistance, 17th International Congress on
Marine Corrosion and Fouling, Singapore
2014.
TQC Hull Roughness Analyser Corrosion
Nominated for Innovation of 2014, World
Maritime News, 16 December 2013.
Townsin RL, The ship hull fouling penalty,
Biofouling, 19, 9-16, 2003.

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50

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23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
7.
Townsin RL, Dey SK, The correlation of

roughness drag with surface characteristics,
RINA International Workshop on Marine
Roughness and Drag, London 1990.
Tupper EC, Introduction to Naval Architecture
5th Ed., Elsevier, 2013.
ITTC, Report on the powering performance
committee,
Proceedings
of the
19th
International Towing Tank Conference, 235287, Madrid, 1990.
Townsin RL, Byrne D, Milne A, Svensen TE,
Speed, power and roughness: the economics of
outer bottom maintenance, Trans. RINA, 122,
1980.
OLeary C, Anderson CD, A new hull
roughness penalty calculator, The Economic
Importance of Hull Condition: A Collection of
Technical Papers Reprinted by International
Marine Coatings, 59-67, 2003.
Intertrac gives International the edge on hull
fouling control, Propeller, 10 April 2014.
Stenson PA, Kidd B, Chen H, Unpublished
data, 2014.
AUTHORS BIOGRAPHY
Phil Stenson holds the current position of Technology

Leader in the field of hydrodynamics at International
Paint Ltd. He is responsible for the development of
expertise aimed at understanding and optimizing the
impact of fouling control coatings on ship efficiency. He
completed a PhD in chemistry (University of
Nottingham) in 2005.
Barry Kidd holds the current position of Section

Manager in the field of hydrodynamics/ship performance
at International Paint Ltd. He has over 17 years
experience with International Paint Ltd in the research
and development of coatings technologies. His previous
experience includes a PhD in chemistry from UMIST.
Haoliang Chen holds the current position of
Technology Leader in the field of hydrodynamics at
International Paint Pte in Singapore. His role is aimed at
the modelling, analysis and understanding of ship
performance. He has completed postdoctoral projects in
hydrodynamics and physical oceanography at MIT and
NUS.
Alistair Finnie holds the current position of Principal
Research Technologist in the field of fouling control at
International Paint Ltd. He has over 27 years experience
in the coatings industry with International Paint Ltd. He
obtained a PhD in organic chemistry from the University
of Glasgow.
Richie Ramsden holds the current position of Team
Leader in the Technology Centre at International Paint
Ltd. He is responsible for several fouling control
polymer research projects, as well as Big Data analytics
and modelling. He has nearly 10 years experience in the
industry with a particular focus on the research of new
polymer technologies, controlled release strategies and
the leverage of new and emerging data technologies for
next generation insight.

MARHY 2014-06
51

International
Conference
Computational and Experimental
Editors: P. Krishnankutty, R. Sharma, V. Anantha
Subramanian
and S. on
K. Bhattacharyya
MARHY 2014
NUMERICAL WAVE TANK STUDIES FOR FLOATING WIND TURBINES

Shivaji Ganesan T, Indian Register of Shipping, India
Debabrata Sen, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, India
ABSTRACT
This paper describes application of a general purpose 3D numerical wave-tank based solution method for the complex
interaction of offshore structures under the combined action of waves and winds. Floating wind turbines are such a
structure where the design of the floating support platform for efficient operation of the turbine as well as survivability
of the structure under wave and wind action needs to be assessed through its motion analysis. For two type of floating
support structures, motion analysis under the action of wave and steady wind has been performed. Results demonstrate
the capability of the method in simulating motions of the floating wind turbine structures under the coupled effects from
wind and waves, and therefore the developed scheme appears to be a useful and suitable tool in studying the complex
dynamic motion of floating wind-turbines.
1.
INTRODUCTION
The need and importance of a general and versatile

time-domain simulation method that can analyze wavestructure interactions including effect of steep and
nonlinear waves on the continuously evolving novel
type of offshore structures need no elaboration. To
fulfill this need of the industry, over the past decades a
variety of time-simulation schemes of differing merits
and demerits have appeared in literature. In this
context, the terms numerical tank or numerical
offshore basin are often used. Some of the `numerical
tanks studies however are essentially application of
generalized viscous-flow solver based on commercial
CFD codes wherein waves are created by movement of
a `wave-maker at one end of the rectangular tank
which subsequently interact with the structure placed
within the tank. While these CFD based numerical
tanks are useful where viscous effects play a significant
role, the need for the industry at present is a tool that
can capture the real-scale dynamic behavior of the
complex structure under the effect of total
environmental loads of which forces arising from steep
nonlinear waves forms a significant part. For such
applications, the preferred tool as regards the wave
loading is concerned is still methods based on nonviscous flow theory, and indeed most of the available
tools uses a variant of WAMIT type of frequencydomain method transformed into time domain, eg. the
numerical offshore basin (TPN) developed at Brazil.
concept was under development in the authors group

for some time. The method differs from many existing
tools in that the interaction hydrodynamics is solved at
every time step as solution progresses, albeit under
certain simplifying approximations to make it suitable
for routine use but without sacrificing on the accuracy
as demanded in practical engineering applications.
Unlike replicating a physical tank wherein incident
waves are created by a wave-maker, we introduce the
body in an existing wave field, and study the
interactions. The incident waves can be steep and
nonlinear, and the nonlinearities of hydrostatic and
Froude-Krylov forces can be considered in their full
and exact form. Additionally, the solver can consider
the effects from wind loads, current loads, mooring line
forces etc. through appropriate modeling of these
forces and these modeling can also be nonlinear.
In the recent past, there has been significant interest in
development of floating wind turbines. Such floating
wind turbines are exposed to the effect of waves as
well as under the action of wind loading at a point
significantly above the underwater floater. As a result,
the motion response of these floaters under the
combined action of wave and wind loads is of
considerable interest in evolving suitable designs for
such floating wind turbines.
Several numerical
investigations addressed to the study of motions of
floating wind turbines can be found in literature. Some
of these methods apply linear 3D radiation-diffraction
theory for hydrodynamic analysis of the submerged
structure and combines this with wind loads for the
motion analysis, either in the frequency domain [1,2]
on in the time domain [3,4]. The time domain schemes
are mostly formulated based on impulse response
function which allows the frequency dependent
radiation and diffraction hydrodynamic loads to be
Recognizing the need for a versatile tool that can

analyze interaction of complex ocean structures
exposed to wave, current and wind fields as well as
exposed to forces arising from many other sources like
mooring lines and risers, DP systems, appendages
attached to the main structure like heave damping
plates and similar structural members, a time-domain
simulation method based on a 3D numerical wave tank
1
52

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expressed in time domain. Some others use Morison
type equations for the hydrodynamic analysis [5,6].
More recently, viscous-flow based CFD methods have
also been applied for simulating the motions [7,8]. The
other trend in research has been in proper modeling of
the wind loads, considering for example modeling of
the unsteady loads over the propeller blades [9], taking
into account the aero-elastic behavior of the tower [10].
Studies have also been undertaken comparing
frequency and time domain solution methods [11].
exterior surface needs to be handled separately as will

be stated below.
The present paper is essentially on tool development

rather than a design study for a floating wind turbine.
Here we apply our numerical tank scheme to floating
wind turbines exposed to waves and under the action of
a steady wind load, and study the motion of the floater
under the combined dynamics of these loads. Our
purpose is to demonstrate that the developed method is
a tool suitable for simulating the motions of floating
wind turbines. After briefly describing validation and
verification of the present scheme as well as its ability
to create long-term steady state results for wavestructure interactions including hydrostatic and FroudeKrylov nonlinearities, both of which are addressed in
other papers, in the present paper we study the
behavior of different configurations of offshore-wind
turbine support configurations such as a single spar and
a multi-spar.
2.
Fig. 1 Fluid domain and the various boundaries

The numerical solution of this boundary value problem
in the framework of a numerical wave-tank approach is
formed based on the Rankine panel method wherein
is expressed as a continuous distribution of simple
sources and dipoles over the entire fluid boundary
surface:
=
( P) ( P)
S (t )
BRIEF
BACKGROUND
ON
THE
THEORETICAL AND NUMERICAL
SCHEME
1 1 (Q)
dS
n
(Q) n r r
(1)
The integral in (1) is over the entire fluid boundary

surface S (t ) , P and Q are the field and source points,
( P) is the solid angle on S (t ) at P , and r is the

distance between points P and Q respectively. The
rigid flat bottom surface part of S (t ) can be removed
The hydrodynamic problem is based upon potential

flow theory assumptions as is usual in studies of wave
interaction with large structures. Accordingly a
velocity potential exists whose gradient gives fluid
velocity.
by augmenting the term (1/ r ) with (1/ r ') where r ' is

the distance between P and image of Q about this flat
bottom. As regards the exterior control surface, this is
removed from S (t ) in (1) by considering a so-called
damping zone at a circular free-surface region adjacent
to this surface. This damping zone is such that, by
introducing suitable damping terms to the free-surface
constraints, the value of and its normal derivative at
this surface can be made zero or near zero. The
contribution of the right-hand side of (1) over this
surface then vanishes. In other words, the application
of suitable damping zone is expected to make the
applicable boundary condition on this surface as zero
potential and zero normal velocity. How good this
assumption is depends on the modeling of the damping
zone.
Consider a circular numerical wave tank with the

object placed at the centre. The domain is bounded on
top by the free-surface, interior by the instantaneous
wetted surface, below by a rigid flat bottom surface
and on the exterior by a hypothetical circular control
surface . Fig. 1 shows a schematic diagram of the fluid
domain and the various boundaries. The various
symbols used in the diagram are self-evident and hence
not explained further. The boundary value problem is
specified by the Laplace equation for the potential, and
the conditions on the various boundary surfaces of the
considered fluid domain. Specifically, on the freesurface, the well known kinematic and dynamic
boundary conditions will apply. On the rigid body and
bottom surfaces, the impermeability condition applies
stating equality of the normal velocity of fluid and the
solid surfaces. The remaining surface, the hypothetical
Briefly the computational scheme for a fully nonlinear

numerical wave-tank approach proceeds as follows.
Solution of a linear system of equations formed
through a discretization of (1) gives potential on the
53

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body surface and normal velocity on the free-surface, if
the normal velocity on the body surface and potential
on the free-surface are known. These latter two
boundary variables are determined through integration
of body boundary condition and free-surface
conditions. The relevant quantities of interest, in
particular the forces acting on the body and the body
motions, both of which are determined in the timeintegration procedure for establishing the body and
free-surface boundary conditions are extracted as the
solution progresses in time
computations indeed show that this is the case: the

radiation and diffractions effects are much smaller than
the effects arising from incident potential. It may also
noted that the time-domain schemes based on impulse
response function also use linear hydrodynamics for
radiation and diffraction.
The total fluid force FH at every time step is

determined from integration of dynamic fluid pressure
p given by Bernoullis equation:
p n dS
S (t )
FH = B

p ( x n ) dS
S (t )
B
1
2
( )
p=
t 2
The above is an overly simplified description of the

nonlinear wave-tank solution scheme. In reality, there
numerous details that need to be addressed for a
successful solution, see eg. [12] for the 2D problem.
The discretized form of (1) can be expressed in the

form:
(2)
[ A]{ , n } = [ B]{n , }
(3)
(4)
The contribution of incident wave force in FH can be
determined on the exact wetted body surface S B (t )

using the full form of the pressure term, but for the
radiation and diffraction forces the integration applied
over the mean body surface S B (0) using only the
linear pressure term.
where elements of the matrices [A] and [B] contain the

so-called influence coefficients which are essentially
integration of the Rankine source and dipoles over the
surface panels. Elements of [A] and [B] are thus purely
a function of the geometry of the surface over which
the integration in (1) applies. Since this surface is
formed by a continuously evolving free-surface and
body surface in an inertial space, the elements of [A]
and [B] need to be computed at every instant of time.
This usually result in a severe time constraints for the
scheme to be routinely used, specially for practical
offshore configurations requiring large number of
panel for surface discretization and when simulations
are needed over long time periods. It is for this reason
that certain simplification of the hydrodynamic model
is made. The simplifications are these: it is assumed
that the interaction of the incident wave to the
structure, producing radiated and diffraction waves, are
reasonably small and thus linearizable. This enables the
total potential to be split into incident, diffraction and
radiation potentials as in a consistent linear solution
method. The solution is now applied to the latter two
potentials, which satisfy linear free-surface conditions
on the mean free-surface and the mean position of the
wetted body surface. This means, S (t ) in (1) is now
time invariant for these two potentials, and thus the
influence coefficients [A] and [B] remain independent
of time, requiring only one time evaluation. The timedependent potentials can now be obtained through only
a simple matrix multiplication at every time step. This
enables the solution to be obtained over large time
steps, even if the number of panels is large. The
compromise made is the linearization of the interaction
hydrodynamics of radiation and diffraction. Practical
As the time-domain hydrodynamic solution progresses,

at every instant the body condition of normal surface
velocity is needed. This is expressed in terms of the
rigid body motions. Thus at every instant of time, the
rigid body equations of motion need to be integrated to
find the motions. Motion equations in six degree of
freedom are written in standard Newtonian form:
[ M ]{ } = {F }
(5)
where { } is the body-displacement vector. The major
part of the external force vector {F } is the wave load
{FH } . It is here that the loads arising from other

sources can be added. Thus for the wind-turbine
application, there will also be contribution of wind load
{FW } to the total load {F } . If therefore {FW } at every

time instant can be determined through a suitable
model, then solution of (5) will provide the motion of
the platform under the combined coupled dynamics of
wave and wind.
3.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS
The verification and validation results of the present

numerical wave tank simulation method for the linear
hydrodynamic problem of floating body motions have
54

MARHY 2014
been extensively carried out by comparing with other
benchmark results as well as results from other linear
3D codes. Also studied is the ability of the code to
produce very long duration simulations, including
simulations when incident waves are steep, and
nonlinear Froude-Krylov and hydrostatic forces are
considered on the exact wetted hull of the body in its
displaced location. These results are not included here
as these are presented elsewhere [13,14]. Here we
present only the results demonstrating the capability of
the method in studying motion of floating wind
turbines.
close to 10 deg. Thus the simulations are carried out

considering that the hull is trimmed at 10 deg. Due to
rotor action, there will also be a small steady roll, and
this is taken as 0.5 deg. following the data given in
[11]. The hull is assumed to oscillate about this mean
position under wave action. The discretization of the
hull and free-surface panels for this trimmed barge is
shown in fig. 3. Fig. 4 shows the time histories of
heave, pitch, and roll motions for this case for an
incident wave of period 8 sec. (the figure is at the end).
Wind is assumed to be along +X-axis. Wave is also
propagating along the same direction. Besides
obtaining a steady-state (limit-cycle) nature of the
motions for the entire simulation period extending over
120 periods, all the three motions are found to have a
zero mean about which the body oscillates. Note that
here zero mean pitch is basically the 10 deg. trimmed
condition. Note also that roll should ideally be zero for
case of wave propagation direction, and the
numerically obtained roll motions are indeed very
small.
The first results we show are for the wind turbine

model known as NREL offshore baseline wind turbine
[1]. This does not correspond to any existing wind
turbine, but it represents a realistic 5 MW wind turbine
and has been used in many studies. The wind turbine is
mounted on a MIT/NREL Shallow Draft Barge (SDB),
which is a cylindrical barge with radius 18m, draft 5m
and freeboard of 4.5m. A steady wind load of 800kN is
assumed to be acting at the hub, located at 94.5 m
above water level and directed along x-axis. This load
has been calculated based on the actuator disc concept
for the turbine, according to which the load at a
constant wind speed is given by:
=
T (U ) 2 a Ad U 2 a (1 a )
(6)
where T is the wind load on the turbine at the constant

wind speed of , a is density of air, Ad is the area of
the actuator disc and a is called the axial flow
induction factor. For the NREL 5MW baseline wind
turbine used in this calculation, at the wind speed of
112.2m/s at which the turbine reaches its rated power,
the corresponding thrust acting on the hub turns out to
be 800kN and this is also the maximum thrust on the
rotor blades. Presently no load on the above-water part
of the floater has been considered, although in the
model it is straightforward to assume a steady load on
this part too.
The combined CG of the system is at 4.25m above
waterline. As stated in [11], design of this barge is
thought to be stable due to its large water-plane area
providing large stability arm, and thus mooring lines
are used only for station keeping. Restoring forces
from mooring lines are not considered in the heave,
pitch and roll motion simulations as these are
negligible compared to the hydrostatic restoring
forces/moments. A schematic figure of this is shown
in fig. 2.
Two types of simulations are performed. In the first
case, the objects steady trimmed condition is taken as
the initial steady condition of the hull. This trim angle,
determined from hydrostatic parameters, turns out to be
Fig. 2. Schematic figure of the floating wind turbine
55

MARHY 2014
low periods, our numerical results show an initial
transient over a relatively longer period, but eventually
the barge steadies at about 9.5 deg. trim about which
the pitch oscillations occur.
Fig. 7 shows the heave and pitch RAO comparisons for
these cases. The results compare quite well, showing
that both approach could perhaps be taken to assess the
motion characteristics of the wind turbine under the
action of a steady wind load at the turbine hub.
Fig. 3 Discretization of the barge and free-surface

under the statically displaced condition
In the second case, the barge is initially upright, and
the steady wind force is applied at every time step in
the solver as the time simulation progresses. The
discretization of hull and free-surface for this case is
shown in fig. 5.
Fig. 7
Fig. 5
Comparison of heave and pitch RAOs from

case 1 & 2
In the above computations, wind effects were modeled

simply as a steady wind load at the hub. Many of the
literature on the modeling of wind effects on the
turbine show that besides a steady load, wind on the
turbine also produces an aerodynamic damping force to
the system. Lee [15] has provided a set of empirical
expression for the aerodynamic damping using an
actuator disc model for the rotor. In pitch mode, for
example, it is known that aerodynamic damping load
compared to hydrodynamic radiation damping is the
dominant load [11, 16]. Here we run the simulation by
applying this aerodynamic damping load estimated
based on the formulae given in Lee [15], in addition to
the steady load. The physics behind the aerodynamic
damping can be explained by considering a tower top
motion. When the tower top moves forward the rotor
blades experience a small increase in wind speed which
results in an extra aerodynamic force that will
counteract the tower top motion, eventually decreasing
the excursion of the tower top. When the tower top
moves backwards the aerodynamic force decreases due
to changes in induced velocity, which again reducing
the tower-top motions. This effect is linked with the
Discretization of the barge and free-surface

for the initially uprignt condition of the barge
Pitch motion histories for this case computed for wave

periods ranging between 4 to 20 seconds all show that
the body acquires a steady pitch of about the same
value of 9.5 deg. as can be observed in fig. 6 (shown at
the end) where these results are shown. Note that at
56

MARHY 2014
velocity term in the equation of motion and acts as a
damping force. For this reason this is known as
aerodynamic damping. Changes in aerodynamic forces
on rotor blades due to vertical motions are negligible
so damping term in heave direction is usually
neglected. The damping force/moment essentially acts
in surge/pitch modes and sway/roll modes. For
information, the damping coefficients in surge and
pitch modes are given below taken from Lee [15]:
We next run the simulation for a 3-legged

semisubmersible (NREL DeepCwind semisubmersible)
as the floating support structure of the 5MW turbine.
Schematic diagram of this structure with relevant
dimensions are shown in fig. 9, and its discretization
along with the free-surface are shown in fig. 10. Steady
wind load is taken same as in earlier case, i.e. 800kN.
The heave and pitch RAOs with and without
aerodynamic damping are shown in fig. 11. Also
included for this case are the motions of the floating
support structure computed by the industry standard
3D Green function based radiation-diffraction code,
christened SOFORCE in the figure legend. This last
result is without any aerodynamic load. As can be
seen, heave results for all the three cases compare well,
indicating that the vertical motions are not much
influenced by aerodynamic loads. However, pitch
results show the expected differences. Largest pitch is
obtained on application of wind load without
aerodynamic damping, and least pitch is obtained from
the frequency-domain Green function method where
there are no aerodynamic loads.
B11A 4 a Ad U a (1 a )
=
B15A 4 a Ad U a (1 a ) zd
=
(7)
A
B51
=
4 a Ad U a (1 a ) zd
A
B55
=
4 a Ad U a (1 a ) zd2
where zd is the height of the hub, and other terms are

as
defined
before.
Here
BijA
represents
the
aerodynamic damping with the subscript values of 1

and 5 representing the surge and heave modes
respectively.
Steady wind speed is taken as 11.2 m/s (note that it is
this wind speed for which the steady load is obtained as
800 kN), Consideration of such additional loads in our
numerical scheme is possible and fairly easy to
incorporate. Fig. 8 shows the comparative heave and
pitch RAO with and without taking aerodynamic
damping. These results are when the wind loads, both
steady and damping, applied to an initially upright hull.
As seen, heave is not much influenced, but
aerodynamic pitch damping has reduced pitch RAO
significantly.
Fig. 9. Three-legged support structure (DeepCWind

semisubmersible Courtesy NREL)
Fig. 8. Heave and pitch RAO without and with
aerodynamic damping
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4.
CONCLUSIONS
Time simulation of motions of floating wind turbine

support structures are determined from a 3D numerical
wave-tank based solution scheme. It is seen that the
developed method is versatile enough to consider the
effect of wind loads on the motion of a floating object
exposed to a wave field. Although presently only
steady wind loads are considered, the method is
capable of determining the object response under the
couple dynamic loads of winds and waves including
time-dependent wind load modeling. Additionally,
there may be viscous loads both on the floater in the
submerged part as well as on the supporting tower,
arising from flow separation. These have not been
considered presently. However, it is straight-forward
to consider these forces as external input to the
equations of motion if these can be estimated from
other methods such as semi-empirical formulae.
Comparative results show that the time domain solver
can establish the steady pitch (trim) displacement of
the hull under the action of a steady wind within
engineering accuracy. In principle, the method can also
cater to many other loads such as aeroelastic loads to
which the turbine may be subjected to. Therefore the
developed generalized method can be considered a
useful and suitable tool in the analysis of response of
floating wind turbines.
Fig. 10. Discretization of the body and the free-surface

A comparison of results between the single-barge
floater and the three-legged floater shows that as
expected the displacement of the three-legged floater is
relatively less, particularly in pitch mode.
5.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The first author (Shivaji Ganesan) acknowledges the

support given by Indian Register of Shipping, Mumbai,
India, for carrying out this work as a part of his Ph.D.
research at the Department of Ocean Engineering and
Naval Architecture, Indian Institute of Technology
Kharagpur, India.
6.
REFERENCES
1.
2.
3.
Fig. 11. Heave and pitch RAOs for the three-legged

support structure
Wayman, E., Sclavounos, P., Butterfield, S.,

Jonkman, J., and Musial, W., `Coupled
dynamic modeling of floating wind turbine
systems, Offshore Technology Conference,
2006.
Sclavounos, P., Tracy, C., and Lee, S.,
`Floating offshore wind turbines : Responses
in a seastate pareto optimal designs and
economic assessment, Offshore Mechanics
and Arctic Engineering Conference, 2008.
Nielsen, F., Hanson, T., and Skaare, B.,
`Integrated dynamic analysis of floating wind
turbines, Offshore Mechanics and Arctic
Engineering Conference, 2006.
58

MARHY 2014
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
Jonkman, J., `Dynamics of offshore floating

wind turbines model development and
verification, Wind Energy, 12, 2009.
Whithee, J., `Fully coupled dynamic analysis
of a floating wind turbine system, Ph.D.
Thesis, MIT, 2004
Karimirad, M., Gao, Z., and Moan, T.,
Dynamic motion analysis of a catenary
moored spar wind turbines in extreme
environmental condition, European Wind
Energy Conference, 2009.
Zhao, W., and Wan, D., `Wind turbine
impacts on its semi-submersible floating
supporting system for phase II of OC4,
International Ocean and Polar Engineering
Conference, 2014.
Liu, C., and Hu, C., `CFD simulation of a
floating wind turbine platform in rough sea
conditions, International Ocean and Polar
Liu, Y., Hu., C., Sueyoshi, M., Yoshida, S.,
Honda, Y., and Ohya, Y., `Time domain
simulations of a semisubmersible type floating
wind turbine, International Ocean and Polar
Jonkman, J., `Dynamic modeling and loads
analysis of an offshore floasting wind
turbine, Technical Report NREL/TP-50041958,
National
Renewable
Energy
Laboratory, 2007.
Phillipe, M., Babarit, A. and Ferrant, P.,
`Comparison of time and frequency domain
simulations of an offshore wind turbine,
Offshore Mechanics and Arctic Engineering
Conference, 2011.
Sen, D., `Numerical simulation of motions of
two-dimensional floating bodies, Journal of
Ship Research, Vo. 37, no. 4, pp. 303-330,
1993.
Ganesan, S. and Sen, D., `Nonlinear wavestructure interaction studies using a 3D
numerical wave tank approach, under
communication to a Journal.
Ganesan, S. and Sen, D., `Direct time-domain
analysis of floating structures with linear and
nonlinear mooring stiffness in a 3D numerical
wave tank, submitted to Applied Ocean
Research.
Lee, .H. `Response of floating wind turbines
to wind and wave excitations, MS Thesis,
MIT, 2005.
Wayman, E.N., `Coupled dynamic and
economic analysis of floating wind turbine
systems, MS Thesis, MIT, 2006
7.
AUTHORS' BIOGRAPHY
Shivaji Ganesan currently holds the position of

Assistant Surveyor at the Indian Register of Shipping,
Mumbai, India. He has a Master's degree in Ocean
Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology
Kharagpur, India. He has been working in the research
and coordination division of IRS and his responsibility
includes research on load estimation on marine
structures. Currently he is pursuing his Ph.D. research
at the Department of Ocean Engineering and Naval
Architecture, Indian Institute of Technology
Kharagpur.
Debabrata Sen is a professor in the Department of
Ocean Engineering and Naval Architecture, Indian
Institute of Technology Kharagpur India, where he has
been engaged in teaching and research for over past 25
years. He holds a Master's and Ph.D. degree from the
Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada in
Ocean Engineering. His main area of research interest
is in numerical ship and offshore hydrodynamics,
particularly concerning wave-structure interactions and
ship seakeeping problems
59

MARHY 2014
Fig. 4. Heave, pitch and roll of the Shallow Draft barge in a 8 sec. wave of unit amplitude along x-axis
60

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Fig.6 Pitch time histories for waves ranging 4-20 sec. under action of a steady wind load on an initially upright barge
10
61
InternationalMarine
Conference
on Computational
Hydrodynamics
(ACEMH 2014)and Experimental Marine Hydrodynamics
MARHY 2014
Editors: P. Krishnankutty, R. Sharma, V. Anantha Subramanian and S. K. Bhattacharyya 3-4 December 2014, Chennai, India.
Sea Trials of a Water Jet Propelled High Speed Craft

K.O.S.R. RaviSekhar RadhaKrishna, Department of Ocean Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, India
R. Panneer Selvam, Department of Ocean Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, India
ABSTRACT
This paper presents the details of sea trials conducted on a water jet propelled high speed craft. This ship is an Inshore
Patrol Vessel fitted with interceptors. The trials were conducted to establish the speed, manoeuvring performance and
endurance of the ship. The speed trials were conducted with interceptors and without interceptors and the dynamic trim
of the vessel was recorded along with speed. The interceptors contributed to a considerable increase of speed by
dynamic reorientation of the ship. Under manoeuvring performance, the turning circle manoeuvre and the crash stop
manoeuvre were conducted to establish the turning and stopping characteristics of the ship respectively. The turning
characteristics of the ship were established by steering the jet to 30 degrees and completing one full turning circle at
maximum continuous rating of the engine. The stopping characteristics were established by conducting crash stop
manoeuvre (ahead to astern). For reversing the ships direction of motion the water jet was reversed by deploying the
buckets. The performance of the deck machinery, endurance of engines was also established during the sea trials. The
obtained values from various sea trials are presented and compared with the recommendations of the standards.
1. INTRODUCTION
The Inshore patrol vessel is a light armed surface vessel
1.1 MAIN PARTICULARS OF THE SHIP
primarily designed for patrol, search & rescue operations

in shallow and coastal waters. The vessel is fitted with
The main particulars of the vessel are as given below:
three waterjets. Waterjet propulsion is being fitted to the

patrol vessels to improve the propulsive efficiency as
well as the turning and stopping characteristics at high
speeds which are quiet important during patrol, search
and rescue operations. The hull form is a double chine
planing hull form with transom stern designed to
facilitate fitment of waterjets. Knowledge of full scale
manoeuvring characteristics is an added advantage to the
ship staff especially soon after the delivery of the ship.
Length (LBP)
:44.00 m
Breadth of the ship
: 8.36 m
Depth of the ship
: 4.50 m
Draft of the ship
: 1.65 m
Displacement of the ship
: 330 Tonnes
Speed of the ship
Main engines power
: 32720 KW
No. of waterjets
34 Knots
The data was recorded during the sea trials of the vessel.
The body plan and ships photo taken during the trials
are shown in figure1.
1
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speed. In general for merchant ships the speed trials are
conducted at trial draft and not at full load draft, but as in
case of patrol vessels the speed trials of this ship were
conducted at full load draft. On completion of
construction ship is in lightship condition i.e. the ship is
completely fitted with all hull, machinery and electrical
parts including equipments, fittings, and spares required
by rules, regulations and mutually agreed specifications
between the Owner and Shipyard. For cargo ships full
load draft corresponds to a condition with the cargo
loaded homogeneously in all cargo holds or tanks and
other deadweight items embarked on the ship in their
respective locations to full level. The ballast draft
corresponds to a condition with all the dead weight items
except cargo embarked on the ship at their respective
locations to the full level. In ballast condition the ballast
tanks are filled to attain the draft and trim to meet the
primary requirements of stability, strength (minimum
forward draft from slamming considerations) and
propeller immersion among others. The difference in
Figure 1: Body Plan of the ship (top) Ship photograph
deadweight in both the conditions of loading is so large
(bottom)
that it becomes impracticable to achieve the full load

draft with water ballast alone. Due to these constraints a
2. METHODOLOGY
trial displacement is agreed upon by the Shipyard and

the Owner to demonstrate the speed and the other
In this section the procedure for conducting each trial
contractual parameters. The draft corresponding to this
presented in this paper is described. The following trials
trial displacement is the trial draft. Model tests are also
conducted during the sea trials are presented in the
carried out at trial displacement (draft and trim) to
paper:
predict the performance of the ship in this condition of

loading. In the ship building contract a speed guarantee
Speed trial
clause is included from the model test results at the trial
Turning circle trial
displacement which forms the basis for demonstration of
Crash stop trial
speed achievement during sea trials. In this ship the
Main engine endurance trial
deadweights were mainly consumables which could be
Anchor trial
loaded to full level and the trials were conducted at full

load draft. One of the important parameter determining
2.1 SPEED TRIAL
the speed of the high speed planning crafts is the running

trim and for adjusting the running trim this vessel is
The speed trials of the ship are conducted to prove that
fitted with interceptors. The ships path recommended
the ship is meeting the contractual requirements of
for conducting speed trials is shown in figure 2. The step
2
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by step procedure for conducting the speed trials is as
well. A typical plot of ships track during turning circle
follows:
manoeuvre is shown in Figure 3. The step by step
(a) A suitable course is chosen for the double runs.
procedure for conduct of turning circle manoeuvre is as
(b) The engine RPM is set corresponding to the
given below:
maximum continuous rating (MCR) and the RPM is
(a) A suitable heading of the ship is chosen and
allowed to become steady.
maintained
(c) The interceptor is set to bring the trim of the
(b) The engine RPM is set to a value not less than
ship as close to even keel as possible.
the RPM corresponding to 85% MCR.
(d) Once a steady course, engine RPM and running
(c) The speed of the ship on GPS is observed and is
trim are attained the speed is observed from the
maintained
global positioning system (GPS).
corresponding to 85% MCR setting on the engine.
(e) Once the maximum speed is attained and is
(d) Once the desired speed and heading are achieved
steady, the time taken to cover a distance of one
and are steady the turning circle manoeuvre is
nautical mile is noted down and the speed of the
initiated by ordering the waterjets 30 degrees to
ship is calculated.
port.
(f) The same procedure is repeated for the opposite
(e) From the time the order is executed the
course run.
manoeuvre is deemed initiated and the following
(g) The speed is calculated as the average of the two
parameters are continuously recorded at regular
double runs and recorded as the speed achieved
intervals:
not
less
than
90%
during speed trials.
Position Latitude and longitude.
(h) The wind speed and direction also recorded to
Heading
account for any corrections.
Speed
of
speed
Rudder (waterjet) angle

Wind speed and direction.
(f) The waterjets are maintained at 30 until the ship
completes one complete circle i.e the ships heading
reaches the initial steady heading.
(g) After 360 degrees change in heading the
waterjets are ordered amidships and the manoeuvre
is complete.
(h) From the observations the track of the ship is
Figure 2: Ships path recommended for conducting
speed trials.
plotted and the following are calculated and

compared with the IMO criteria for compliance:
(i) The advance of the ship is measured as the
2.2 TURNING CIRCLE TRIAL
distance travelled by the ship (in the direction

of the initial heading) by the time ships
The turning circle trials are conducted to establish the

turning characteristics of the vessel namely the tactical
diameter, advance and transfer of the ship. IMO specifies
the criteria for turning characteristics of ships over 100m
heading has changed by 90 degrees from the

initial heading.
(ii) The transfer of the ship is measured as the
lateral distance travelled by the ship in the
in length. The same criteria are followed for this ship as
3
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MARHY 2014
direction perpendicular to initial heading by the
executed by reversing the waterjet direction by
time the ships heading has changed by 90
deploying the waterjet buckets.
degrees.
(iii)The tactical diameter is measured as the
distance travelled by the ship in a direction
perpendicular to the initial heading by the time
the ships heading has changed by 180 degrees.
Figure 4: Typical plot of ships track during crash stop

trials.
Figure 3: Typical plot of ships track during turning
circle manoeuvre.
(c) The recording of data starts and the following

parameters are recorded continuously:
2.3 CRASH STOP TRIAL
Position Latitude and longitude.

Heading
The crash stop trials are conducted to establish the
Speed
minimum distance travelled by the ship before becoming
Rudder (waterjet) angle
dead in water. During an emergency, the vessel must be
Wind speed and direction
stopped at the shortest possible time and distance so as to
(d) The time taken for the ship to be dead in water is
avoid a collision. The stopping distance, the time taken
also recorded. In order to accurately determine the
together with the environmental conditions recorded
ship stop it is recommended to carry out the trial in
during sea trials will be a very useful guidance to the
daylight even though the ship stop can be observed
captain of a new ship. A typical plot of ships track
from the change in speed in the GPS.
during crash stop manoeuvre is shown in Figure 4. The
(e) From the observations the track of the ship is
step by step procedure for conduct of crash stop trial is
plotted and the track length, head reach and the
as given below:
lateral deviation are measured and checked for
(a) The ships heading is maintained steady and the
compliance with the IMO criteria.
engine RPM is set to achieve speed of the ship not
(f) In general the crash stop trials are conducted for
less than 90% of the speed corresponding to 85% of
both ahead to astern and astern to ahead directions.
MCR.
(g) The IMO limiting value for the length of the
(b) Once the ship attains steady heading and desired
track before the ship is dead in water is 15 times the
speed on the GPS the crash stop manoeuvre is
ships length.
4
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2.4 MAIN ENGINE ENDURANCE TRIAL
checked for proper functioning. During the Endurance

trials at every hour the complete recordings of pressures
The vessel is ballasted or loaded to a predetermined draft
and temperatures besides, RPM, Power and indicator
and the propulsion machinery is set to the contracted
cards are taken.
maximum service setting, usually some percentage of the
installed it is calibrated during this period.
machinery's maximum continuous rating. The fuel flow,
shows the photograph of ships engine room.
If power measuring equipment is

Figure 5
exhaust and cooling water temperatures and ship's speed

are all recorded. The trial may last from 4 hours for
2.5 ANCHOR TRIAL
small boats to 24 hours for large ships. The trial may be

repeated at various drafts and trims and is often done in
The proper performance of vessels anchoring equipment
conjunction with the Speed Trial. The Endurance trial is
is demonstrated during anchor trials. The depth of water
the most important trial for the main engine which
for carrying out the trials is specified by the
normally will be for duration of 4 to 6 hours when the
classification rules and in this case it is three shackles.
engine is run at the maximum achievable power under
The anchors are lowered, during the trials to water level
trial conditions. During the above period for one half of
and then the anchors are allowed to drop freely
the period one set of pumps, purifiers etc are run and for
(without gear control or brake control).
the other half the standby set is kept in operation. The
function is checked at intervals before the required
Generators are changed to ensure that all the generators
length of chain is lowered and brake holding is
are tried out at full load trials of main engine. At the end
demonstrated. The anchor is then hauled up on gear, to
of endurance period the engine is shut down and the
demonstrate that the anchor can be hauled up at the
crank-web deflections are noted.
required speed (min speed required is 9m/min).The
The brake
arrangement of anchor capstan and chain cable on ships

forecastle deck are shown in Figure 6.
Figure 5: Engine room photo
The engine is again run up to the full RPM and the safety
Figure 6: Anchor capstan arrangement
functions such as auto slow down and shut down

features are demonstrated. The engine alarms are
demonstrated by simulating the conditions and audibility
of alarms and visual indications of alarm conditions are
5
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MARHY 2014
2.6 INSTRUMENTATION
34
Without Interceptors
Ship speed (in knots)
The instrumentation used for each of the recorded

parameter is as given below:
Parameter
Instrumentation used
Position
Global positioning system
Heading
Gyro Compass
Speed
Global positioning system
Rudder angle
Rudder (Waterjet) angle indicator
Wind speed
Anemometer
Depth of water
Echo Sounder
With Interceptors
29
24
19
14
9
800
1100
1400
1700
2000
Ehgine RPM
The data from these instruments was acquired using Data
acquisition system. The data was recorded continuously
Figure 7: Ship speed Engine RPM Curve (Bottom)
at an interval of one second.

3. RESULTS
The results of speed, manoeuvring trials and anchor
trials are presented in this paper for the ship described in
the introduction.
3.1 SPEED TRIALS
The speed trials were carried out at full load

displacement of 330 Tonnes. One double run was carried
out at each of the RPM setting and the speed of ship and
wind speed, direction were recorded by varying the
engine RPM starting from 800 RPM to 2100 RPM
corresponding to 100% MCR power of 2720 KW. The
average of the speed recorded during two opposite runs
is plotted in the speed RPM curve presented in Figure 7.
Comparison of speed performance of the ship with the
use of interceptors and without use of interceptors is
brought out in the plot. The interceptors are operated by
a shaft driven by servo motor in a moving vessel. The
interceptors
are
controlled
from
the
bridge.
photograph of the ships transom fitted with interceptors
Figure 8: Photographs of ships transom fitted with
is shown in figure 8.
interceptors.
6
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3.2 TURNING CIRCLE TRIAL
Port and starboard turning circle manoeuvres were

conducted by deflecting the waterjets to 30 degrees port
and starboard respectively. The turn was conducted at
full load displacement of 330 Tonnes. The initial
conditions like the draft of the ship, sea and wind
conditions during the trial are given in table 1. The
maximum angle of heel recorded during the turning
circle trial was 12 degrees. The tactical diameter,
advance of the ship and transfer of the ship measured
from the plotted track of the ship are compared with the
IMO limiting values and presented in Table 1. The plot
of ships track during port and starboard turns is
presented in Figure 9.
DRAUGHTS OF SHIP (in M)

DRAFT
MARKS
LOCATION
PORT
FORWARD
1.62
1.62
1.62
AFT
1.69
1.64
1.66
MIDSHIP
1.68
1.63
1.65
STBD MEAN WEATHER:

strong breeze
CONDITION
PARAME
TER
Tactical
diameter
Advance
Transfer
29
SEA STATE:
12
WIND
:
Beaufort 2 - 3
PORT
ENGINE
SPEED TIME
RPM : 2050 (Knots) SEC
WATERJET
ANGLE:30o
TRIAL
CONDITION
STBD
ANGLE
ANGLE
TIME
OF
OF
SEC.
HEEL
HEEL
57
120
56
120
IMO LIMIT
ATTAINED VALUE
PORT
STBD
5.0 L (220 m)
4.10 L
3.24 L
4.5 L (198 m)
--
4.05 L
2.48 L
3.75 L
2.15 L
Table 1: Initial conditions and results of turning circle

manoeuvres port and starboard.
Figure 9: Plot of ship's track during port (top) and

starboard (bottom) turning circle manoeuvres.
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3.3 CRASH STOP TRIAL
For Hoisting
The crash stop trials were conducted at full load

displacement. The waterjet was reversed by deploying
POINT
the buckets. The initial conditions and results of crash
LENGTH
OF
CHAIN
(m)
PORT
STBD
stop trial are as given below:
Ship speed
: 28.3
Knots
Depth of water
: 50.0
Mean draft
: 1.646 m
Wind speed
: 13.5
Knots
Time for ship stop
: 25.0
Sec
Distance travelled
: 209.0 m (4.75 L)
IMO Limit
: 15 L
27.5
27.5
Hoisting Time
(Sec)
Low
speed
163
162
High
speed
81
84
Hoisting
Speed
(m/min)
Low
High
speed speed
10.12 11.70
10.18 11.46
For Lowering
POINT
LENGTH
OF
CHAIN
(m)
PORT
STBD
27.5
27.5
Lowering
Time (Sec)
Low
speed
161
155
High
speed
80
79
Lowering
Speed
(m/min)
Low
High
speed speed
10.25 20.62
10.64 20.88
Table 2 Results of anchor trials

3.4 MAIN ENGINE ENDURANCE TRIAL
4. CONCLUSIONS
The settings of the engine adopted for conducting
The salient conclusions and observations of the present
endurance trial as per the recommendations of the
study are given below:
original equipment manufacturer are as given below:
Speed Trials
An increase of 2 knots was observed due to the use of
Engine RPM
800
1200
1325
1670
1910
2100
Duration
20 min
20 min
20 min
20 min
20 min
240 min
interceptors at 34 knots speed. This has been possible

due to the dynamic reorientation of the ship thereby
helping the ship ride the bow wave (i.e by reducing the
hump resistance) due to fitment of interceptors.
Turning Circle and Crash Stop Trials
The manoeuvring characteristics are meeting the laid
The RPM was gradually increased to reach RPM
down IMO criteria as per IMO Res. MSC 137 (76).
corresponding to 100% MCR and the engine parameters
Main engine endurance trial
were recorded at each RPM and all the parameters were
All the parameters recorded during the running of the
within the allowable limits at the above RPM settings of
main engine continuously for four hours were found
the engine.
satisfactory and within the limits prescribed by the

original equipment manufacturer of the main engine.
3.5 ANCHOR TRIALS
Anchor trials
The performance of the anchor handling system was
The anchor trials were conducted at the anchor grounds,
found to be satisfactory and the hoisting speed was more
the depth of water was 53m. The results of anchor trials
than the minimum hoisting rate requirement of 9 metres
are presented in Table 2.
per minute.
8
69

MARHY 2014
5. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors acknowledge CMD and
management of
M/s Hindustan Shipyard Limited, Visakhapatnam and

CGRPS, Visakhapatnam for allowing this work to be
carried out during the sea trials.
6. REFERENCES
1.
IMO,
Standards
for
Ship
Manoeuvrability,
Resolution MSC.137 (76), 2002.

2.
IMO, Explanatory notes to the standards for Ship
Manoeuvrability MSC/Circ.1053, 2002.
Dr.R.Panneer Selvam holds the current position of

Associate
professor
in
the
Ocean
Engineering
Department at Indian Institute of Technology Madras,

India.
K.O.S.R.RaviSekhar RadhaKrishna holds the current

position of Deputy Manager at Hindustan Shipyard
Limited, Visakhapatnam, India and is also Ph.D scholar
in the Ocean Engineering Department at Indian Institute
of technology Madras, India.
9
70

International Conference on Computational and
Experimental Marine
Hydrodynamics MARHY 2014 3-4 December 2014, Chennai, India.
BIOMIMETICALLY INSPIRED AUTONOMOUS OCEAN OBSERVATION SYSTEM AQUABOT

Prasad Punna, National Institute of Ocean Technology(NIOT), India
Jagadeesh Kadiyam, National Institute of Ocean Technology(NIOT), India
D Gowthaman, National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), India
Dr. R Venkatesan, National Institute of Ocean Technology(NIOT), India
ABSTRACT
In order to develop new ocean observational techniques, many different possibilities need to be explored. One among
them is bio-mimicking the marine living beings like fish. Though, fish propulsion is highly efficient and maneuverable,
yet complicated to achieve. A fish-like propulsion system seems to be an interesting and efficient alternative to
propellers in small underwater vehicles. Hence, in order to enhance the range capabilities of underwater vehicles meant
for long missions, there is an obvious need to develop features with minimum energy consumption in this regard. This
work is an initial attempt towards efforts aimed at designing better machines for underwater ocean observations. This
paper presents the development of a small robotic vehicle driven by swimming motion.
battery type and is quantified in both time and distance.
NOMENCLATURE
Of the surveyed AUVs, 46% operate less than 12 hours,

CD
Drag coefficient of the body
19% between 12-24 hours, and 17% greater than 24
Density of water (kg m-3)
hours [1]. As most of the AUVs have propellers, more
Velocity of flow over the body(ms-1)
than half of the battery power is consumed by propellers,
St
Strouhal number
as a result, reducing the endurance of operation. Hence,
Frequency of foil oscillation (s-1)
in order to enhance the range capabilities of an AUV
Width of wake (m)
Centre of gravity of fin (m)
Fmax
Maximum force to actuate fin (N)
Tmax
Maximum torque to actuate fin (N-m)
meant for long missions, today interesting research

activities have made their presence felt in the
development of Autonomous underwater Vehicles. Many
strategies have been adopted to improve endurance
which include development of a low-drag after body,
minimizing appendages, and the development of control
1. INTRODUCTION
strategies that minimize induced drag, highly energy

Today, maturing technologies such as Autonomous
Underwater
Vehicles
(AUVs)
and
efficient propellers design, solar power harnessing in
Autonomous
Solar powered vehicles, improvement of control system
Underwater Gliders (AUGs) have made a major impact
electronics for low power consumption, thermal gradient
in exploring the field of ocean observations. Hundreds of
for the buoyancy change in Gliders, Development of new
AUVs have been developed worldwide by many
source of batteries with minimum weight, highly
countries to accomplish tasks according to defined goals
efficient hydrodynamic characteristics etc. Considering
and user emerged mission tasks. An AUV's endurance
the entire criterion for best possible ocean exploration, an
depends upon speed, mission requirements, payload, and

1

71
International Conference on Computational and Experimental Marine

attempt was made the robotic imitation of fish for good
locomotion through stored energy. Thus, it is necessary
endurance with highly efficient propulsion.
to understand their propulsion phenomenon to make an
The history of bio-mimetics for underwater vehicles has
engineered vehicle from the swimming physics of a fish.
seen a wide popularity such as MIT's RoboTuna, Robo
2. LOCOMATION THROUGH FIN
Pike and Kato Lab's Blackbass Robot, developments by
OSCILLATION- OSTRACIIFORM
National Maritime Research Institute, Japan and The
Swimming methods of fish are various and interesting;
Harbin Engineering Universitys octopus-imitating robot
they have many specialized modes of movement of fins
etc. All these efforts have focused on flapping of fish tail
for propulsion. Based on the modes of propulsion, fish
and body and this biomimetic approach demands a
are
careful observation of the whole biological system to
Subcarangiform,
identify the principles and attributes of the system [2].
Ostraciiform etc as shown in Fig. 1. The present
Many studies suggest that fish can sense drag induced
development is based on the ostraciiform type of
vortices during propulsion and minimize their effect. The
swimming motion
very
broadly
divided
Carangiform,
into
Anguilliform,
Thunniform
and
motion of a rigid body inside water induces drag due to

flow separation and creation of a Karman vortex street in
the wake, fish sense the position of those vortices and use
their tail to change vortex trajectories (vortex control). In
this way they produce a thrust-creating reverse Karman
vortex street [3]. Thus the identification, modeling, and
emulation of the biomechanics and fluid mechanics of
underwater
propulsion
and
control
in
swimming
organisms would help develop high endurance and

efficient Autonomous Ocean Observation propulsion
systems. Fish instinctively exert precise and effective
control of the flow around their bodies to extract energy
from waves, turbulence and even their own wakes. They
have also evolved ways of controlling the flow so as to
enhance their turning and starting. The underlying
principles are not unique to fish or even to flapping
propulsion [4]. This project explores how these ideas
from nature could be interpreted and modify to suit
efforts
aimed
at
designing
better
machines
for
underwater ocean observations.

Today, underwater vehicles of both autonomous and
Fig. 1.
semi-autonomous type are being widely used from
(Anonymous)
regional scale to mesoscale ocean observations. The

present
attempt/development
aims
to
For
incorporate
Different swimming methods of fish
the
present
development
named
AquaBot,
Ostraciiform phenomenon is chosen for propulsion.
biological features of the actual fish by engineering

9
72

Ostraciiform is a principle of the swimming fish (Box
The development of the initial prototype of AquaBot is
Fish) shown in Fig. 2 which oscillates only a tail fin
planned to be modular. The initial definitions for
without moving the body. The undulatory motion in fish-
development include the
swimming requires more control joints (degree-of-
Choosing of proper physical phenomenon to be
freedom) and links. More the number of the links, better
mimicked,
the mechanisms maneuverability and redundancy, but
phenomenon has been adopted
where
box
fish
propulsion
harder the control and construction of the robot [5]. Thus,
Propulsive force required for motion
this phenomenon has been chosen due to its simplicity in
Derivation of fin actuation torque required to be
operation and decreased degree of freedom for the initial
delivered by the motors
phase of development of Robotic fish compared to other

swimming modes. The body of the fish robot is rigid
Control system development for different modes

of operation
while thrust is generated by an oscillating tail connected
to the body through a joint. This style of swimming has
Communication system feasibility study both

underwater and in air
the worse hydrodynamic performance because of the
Navigational techniques to be studied for
rigid body, but it is chosen due to its simple design
development of accurate positioning of the
construction like fewer joints, less mechanical losses in
system underwater
friction, simple and inexpensive and simple control.
AquaBot caudal (aft) fin is actuated by servo motor

directly without any links in the middle to reduce
mechanical losses in motion transmission. It is provided
with two pectoral fins to change the altitude and the two
pectoral fins are actuated independently by two servo
motors each. The frequency and amplitude of the fin
oscillation and the time of operation is preprogrammed
through a microcontroller. The power supply is taken
care by NiMH battery. The generic specification of
AquaBot is given in Table 1.
The
body
compartments
is
manufactured
for
the
ease
into
of
three
different
assembling
and
dissembling the electronics and mechanical equipment

and to isolate leakages which may lead to failure of the
system. The fore compartment is provided to fix the
camera; central compartment is a free flooded region for
mounting pectoral fin motors and the aft compartment is
Fig. 2.
Box fish [6,7]
for mounting all the electronic components including 3

servo motors.
The aft cylinder is assembled with a motor to actuate the
3. DESIGN STRATERGY
caudal fin. The amplitude and the frequency of the

9
73

oscillation are controlled directly by the Arduino Uno
Obstacle avoidance capability during the

maneuvers.
Payload Sensors like Temperature sensor

and Camera for real time data acquisition.
microcontroller.
Table 1.
Generic specification for Aquabot
Parameter
Description
Unit
Weight of the Fish
4.5
kg
Length of the fish
0.5
Amplitude of the fin
45 to 60
degrees
Frequency of Oscillation 0.5 to 2
5. MECHANICAL SYSTEMS DESIGN OVERVIEW

The design of the hull has two parts, viz. internal and
external hull. The internal hull is made modular such that
three different compartments could house the sub-
Hz
systems separately. Out of the three, the middle

Maximum Actuation
compartment holds the pectoral fins and is freely
Torque of fin
kgf-cm
Thrust
0.6
Hull
FRP freeflooding
Battery
NiMH 6V 5.4 Ah
maneuvering capability with minimum roll. The stability
Altitude Control
Pectoral fin
of the fish should have easy maneuverability with
Propulsion and Yaw
Caudal Fin
minimum radius of turn.
flooded. The external hull is also free flooded fairing

shaped hydrodynamically and made of FRP with enough
buoyancy to mimic a fish that would provide easy
Arduino DUE micro
Controller
controller
4. REQUIREMENTS
The development of the Robotic fish-AquaBot has two
major subsystems, viz. Mechanical, Electrical and
Electronics.
Mechanical
Hydrodynamic stable model of Fish shaped

external hull.
Structural feasibility of the hull and other

components.
Fins for propulsion
Sealing arrangement for the fin actuation

shaft.
Fig. 3.
View of internal Hull
Electrical and Electronics
Suitable actuators of the fin.
Control system for the mission control in

autonomous mode (Communication and
Navigation).
Power source to test the AquaBot for

laboratory conditions.
The external hull with fish shape mounting the entire

mechanical and electrical components should withstand a
maximum external hydraulic pressure.
74

induces drag. Therefore, keeping the St in the above

range for various vehicle speeds is accomplished by
varying frequency f. This means that f becomes a
function of U. The width of the wake that is created by
an oscillating foil is approximated by
d 2 LF sin(o)
(3)
where LF-Length of the fin and o - Amplitude of tail.

Fig. 4.
AquaBot after assembly
The caudal fin and pectoral fins for the propulsion should
as well dynamically stabilize during the motion.
The power required for propulsion is mostly dominated
by the drag force (form drag predominantly) and added
mass component, where the added mass component is
assumed to be negligible, though not real, which would
be compensated by a factor of uncertainty. The simple
equation for the drag force is given by the equation:
Drag force = 0.5CDAV2
Fig. 5.
Schematic view of the (a) von Karman vortex
street behind a circular cylinder and (b) reverse von
(1)
Karman vortex street behind a swimming fish [8]
where CD - Drag coefficient of the body (1.2), A Initially, Scotch-yoke or a slider crank mechanism was
Frontal area of fish body and V - Velocity of flow over
planned for the caudal (aft) fin actuation through a DC
the body (< 0.5m/s).
motor. But, later it was dropped, as the amplitude of the

The initial assumptions to arrive at the propulsive power
fin motion is fixed. Though the frequency of oscillation
of the oscillating fin are suggested in the literature On
could be controlled, the amplitude cannot be controlled
the design of an Autonomous Robot Fish. The authors
and turning motion becomes difficult. Hence a hobby
have suggested a method for creating a jet is through an
servo motor with a fixed oscillation capability of 180
oscillating foil that generates a reverse Karman vortex
degrees is chosen.
street in the wake of the flow. This phenomenon is
Equation 4 gives the propulsive power required by the
independent of the Reynolds number but depends
fish. Thus, the torque of the motor to actuate the fin
strongly on the non-dimensional Strouhal number [3]:
could be given as follows:

Pprop= 2fTm
(2)
(4)
Where f is the frequency of the foils oscillation, d is the
where the Tm is the torque required for actuation of fin
width of the wake and V- Velocity of flow over the body.
for propulsion.
The Strouhal number must lie between 0.25 and 0.35 in
In the above equation, the fin actuation torque is directly
order to produce thrust; otherwise the oscillating plate
derived from the propulsive power, where the certain

9
75

assumptions have been made neglecting added mass. So
Now, velocity of the oscillation considering the G,
to avoid the under estimation of the fin actuation torque
Velocity V is measured as
and to validate the result, a set of equations are used to
V= dX/dt= 2f (rSinA) (cos(2ft))
(7)
find the actual torque required to actuate the caudal fin.

When tail moves to the center, the velocity becomes
The same is derived from simple physical equations of a
maximum at that position (cos(2ft)=1).
Sine wave. The oscillation of the fin is assumed to form a
Vmax= 2f (rSinA)
Sine wave and produces thrust due to the oscillatory

motion. Thus a simple initial model [9] is developed as
(8)
The maximum force is calculated with the surface of the
shown in Fig. 3.
flat plate with area SA and CD as Coefficient of Drag
The normal sinusoidal curve equation is as follows and

Fmax = 0.5V2max SA
the same has been applied to the caudal fin motion for
Where is density of water
the propulsion.
y = r Sin (2ft)
(9)
Thus the maximum torque required to actuate the Fin is

(5)
Tmax= Fmax . r = 0.5V2maxSAr
(10)
Where y is the instantaneous amplitude, r is the
To complete one cycle, the point G moves about
maximum amplitude and f is the frequency of motion.
4rSinA (m) about the mean position. So the mean

velocity Vmean is given by
Vmean = 4rf Sin A
(11)
Mean torque required for actuation of fin is calculated

from the mean velocity
Fmean = 0.5V2maxSA
Tmean = Fmean .r = 0.5V2meanSAr
(12)
So, the mean power (W) of the motor is calculated by the

next equation.
Fig. 6.
Power = 2f Tmean = 16 CDf3r3(SA)Sin2A
Simple model for forces acting on the fin
(13)
As per the fin size assumed from equation 7, G is the
When the mean power required is less than the power of
C.G of the fin and the distance between the hinged
the motor, the motor continues to drive the caudal fin.
portion and the G is assumed to be r (m) and A (in
The torque calculated from propulsive power was nearly
degrees) is the amplitude of the caudal fin. Now let us
matching the value derived from that of simple equations
consider an instantaneous position H along the stroke
of the caudal fin.
of the fin at a distance of X from the G with f (Hz)

as the frequency of caudal fin oscillation andt (s) is
6. ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONICS DESIGN
time. Thus the equation for the X is written as:
REVIEW
X = (rSinA) (Sin (2ft))
In the initial design phase, the minimum actions of a fish
(6)
would be mimicked. The AquaBot would propel as

9
76

preprogrammed. The distance would be an input initially
other a flexible fin with neoprene rubber. The power
to the controller unit. The turning motions are achieved
from fish to water is related with frequency and
by holding the tail fin in one direction so that the robot
amplitude of fin oscillation and it was observed from the
can turn either left or right side. A block diagram and the
tank trials that increasing frequency or amplitude of tail-
detailed wiring diagram are given below.
beat result in higher power or velocity of the vehicle

output of the fish. The observations by Webb [10]
Battery
(6V, 5.4 Ah)
Microcontroller
Temp.
sensor
Motor
(Caudal fin)
Camera
+
-
suggest that speed of the vehicle linearly varies with the

scale related to power and energy.
Initial trails were conducted using only the internal hull
to check the dynamic behavior of the vehicle in 3 m deep
tank for surface swimming. The pitch or heave motion of
Fig. 7.
DC in
Battery
(NiMH,6V/5.4Ah)
the vehicle is yet to be tested with the pectoral fins.
AquaBot - Block Diagram

GND
Microcontroller 3.3V
I/O 3
(Arduino Due) 5.0
V
I/O 9
Temp.
Sensor
Data in
GND
DC in
VGA Camera
DC Servo Motor
(VIGOR, VS-10)
DC in
R/C Receiver
Control
Fig. 8.
Detailed Wiring diagram
From the figure, it may be observed that the

microcontroller sends control signals to the motor to
control the tail fin motor direction like clockwise or
counter clockwise and holding the tail in either left or
right side. Currently a temperature sensor is incorporated.
The control system interfaced with the drive motors
actuates
the
system.
The
vehicle
motions
are
preprogrammed and initial command for the start is sent

through Zigbee module on the surface of water. During
the
underwater
motion,
measurements
would
Fig. 9.
Tank Test with internal hull
be
continuous and would be chosen through a single
During the trails, the vehicle behavior was tested
channel on the surface before the dive and it would be
physically by varying the caudal fin material, frequency
transmitted in real time. In case of fish moving away
of fin and amplitude of oscillation. It was observed that
from line of sight, the data would be sent through GPRS
when the fin material was flexible, the vehicle speed is
in the form of SMS from the temperature sensor.
more compared to that of the rigid fins. These

observations are made physically and measurements for
7. TESTS CONDUCTED
velocity and power are yet to be done using an
Tank tests were conducted using two different fin types
experimental setup.
The vehicle speed was nearly
of same size. One is a rigid fin made of Aluminium and

9
77

around 0.2-0.25 m/s in the tank which was measured
The Authors express sincere thanks to Ministry of Earth
based on the time required to reach specific distance.
Sciences for the financial support extended to the work.

Our sincere gratitude to our beloved Director Dr. M.A.
Later tests were conducted by varying the oscillation
Atmanand, NIOT for providing us the opportunity as
frequency and amplitude of the fin. As the frequency/
well as the necessary facilities to carry out the work.
amplitude of the oscillation is increased, the rigid fin

propulsion did not show any observable change in
Also we are thankful to the Staff of OOS group for their
vehicle speed whereas with the flexible fin, the velocity
help in the successful completion of the work.
was found to be more which need to be validated with

the dynamometer for the propulsive force generated. This
10. REFERENCES
paper presents the initial development with physical

observations
which
needs
to
be
validated
1.
by
http://www.offshoremag.com/articles/print/volu
me-62/issue-1/news/in-select-applications-auvs-
experimental measurements.
work-faster-cheaper-than-tethered8. CONCLUSIONS AND FUTURE WORK
vehicles.html.
2.
The initial prototype which was developed is based on
Frank E. Fish, Donna M. Kocak, Biomimetics
the preliminary assumptions and calculations to arrive at
and Marine Technology, Marine Technology
the initial sizes of the fish and the power requirements.
Society Journal, Volume 45, Number 4,
Now 3D solid models have been modeled to study
July/August 2011.
3.
hydrodynamics over the body shape through CFD. As in
Dimitrios Tzeranis, Evangelos Papadopoulos,
the present case, the fish robot body oscillation is
and George Triantafyllou , On the Design of an
unavoidable in ostraciiform mode due to the nature of
Autonomous Robot Fish.

4.
propulsion mechanism. But, the oscillations were
Triantafyllou, M.S., & Triantafyllou, G.S, An
damped with heavier and larger hydrodynamic moment
efficient
of inertia of fish robot body compared to caudal fin,
American; Vol. 272 Issue 3, p64, Mar95.

5.
however, the maneuvering ability and acceleration has to
swimming
Safakcan
machine,
Tundemir,
Scientific
Design
of
mini
be checked accordingly. A computational study would be
swimming robot using piezoelectric actuator,
conducted to compliment the results obtained with
Master of Science Thesis, December 2004.

6.
mathematical equations. In addition with these, force
Wei Wang, Jiajie Guo, Zijian Wang and

Guangming
analysis using experiments would be planned.
Xie,
Neural
controller
for
swimming modes and gait transition on an
In future, an obstacle avoidance sensor would be

incorporated. But the capability of the vehicle under the
obstacle would checked on trial basis by shifting the
ostraciiform
fish
Conference
on
robot,
International
Advanced
Intelligent
Mechatronics (AIM), 9-12 July 2013.
system from preprogrammed algorithm to obstacle

7.
avoidance algorithm and later again finishes the initially
http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/Gallery/Descript/
honeycombCowfish/honeycombcowfish.html
fed program.
8.
9. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Christophe Eloy, Optimal Strouhal number for

swimming animals, Journal of Fluids and
Structure 30, 205-208.
78

9.
http://www.nmri.go.jp/eng/khirata/fish/experim
ent/upf2001/punit_e.html
Prasad Punna presently holds the position of Scientist-C
10. Webb, P. W.Is the high cost of body caudal fin
Ocean Observations system (OOS) group at National
undulatory swimming due to the increased
Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT),Ministry of Earth
friction drag or inertial recoil, Journal of
Sciences, Chennai, India. He holds a Masters Degree in
Experimental Biology, Vol. 162, pp. 157-166,
Machine design from the Indian Institute of Technology,
1992.
Bombay. He is responsible for the development of new

ocean observatory systems and for the operation and
maintenance of developed moored boy systems. He has
experience in carrying Finite Element Analysis in
mechanical systems.
Jagadeesh Kadiyam presently holds the position of
Project Scientist, Ocean Observations system (OOS)
group at NIOT, Chennai, India. He holds a Bachelors
Degree in Mechanical
Engineering
from Andhra
University. He is responsible for mechanical design and

development of underwater observatory systems mainly
Robofish and underwater glider.
D Gowthaman presently holds the position of Project
Scientist, Ocean Observations systems (OOS) group at
NIOT, Chennai, India. He holds a Masters Degree in
Electronics Engineering from SRM University. He is
responsible for the electronics interfacing of underwater
observatory systems mainly Robofish and underwater
glider.
Dr R Venkatesan (Scientist G) presently holds the
position of Programme Director and Group Head, Ocean
Observations system (OOS) group at NIOT, Chennai. He
holds a Ph.D.degree from the Indian Institute of Science,
Bangalore and a PG diploma in Marine Environmental
Pollution and Management. He is responsible for the
NIOT programme on moored buoys, deep ocean tsunami
buoy systems and new ocean observatory systems
development. He is holding the position of Vice
chairman
for
Asia
of
Data
Buoy
Cooperation
Panel(DBCP) of WMO and UNESCO-IOC
79

International Conference on Computational and Experimental
MARHY 2014
Numerical Study of Self-Propulsion and Manoeuvring Characteristics of 90t AHTS Vessel

[Praveen] [Kachhawaha], [IIT Madras], [India]
[Prof. P] [Krishnankutty], [IIT Madras], [India]
ABSTRACT
This paper deals with computational fluid dynamics simulation of ship in bare hull condition and with the propeller
working to study hull propeller interaction. Modelling includes ship and propeller in ANSYS ICEM. Steady State
simulation is carried out with STAR-CCM+ CFD solver which is based on Finite Volume Method (FVM).
Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is a branch of Fluid Dynamics which provides a cost-effective means of
simulating real flows, heat transfer, and other related physical processes by solving mathematical model of the
ReynoldsAveraged NavierStokes (RANS) equations. This numerical approach involves discretizing the spatial
domain into finite control volumes using a mesh. The governing equations of mass and momentum are integrated over
the control volume, such that the relevant quantities are conserved. Turbulence flow is assumed in the simulation.
Numerical results obtained from analysis are compared with experimental results. At each radial position a local inflow
velocity to blade is determined from the average velocity on surface section; the velocity distribution gives non-uniform
wake conditions in the vicinity of the propeller. Two types of Manoeuvring tests are performed, turning circle test to
determine turning ability and zigzag Manoeuvre to determine control characteristics under rudder action of vessel.
NOMENCLATURE
b) Thrust deduction
[Symbol]
Fn
J
K T KQ
n
T, R
t
VA
w
2.
1.
[Definition] [(unit)]
Propeller pitch angle (rad)
Froude number
Advance coefficient
Thrust and Torque coefficient
Revolution per seconds(s-1)
Thrust and Resistance (N)
Thrust deduction
Advance velocity of propeller (m/s)
Wake fraction
OPEN WATER TEST OF PROPELLER
2.1 GEOMETRIC MODELING OF PROPELLER

The propeller geometry is made up of cylindrical
sections from inner hub to the outer radii. Geometry of
NACA [2] profile is transformed to obtain the cylindrical
sections with varying pitch along the radial direction.
First, the sections are transformed for the required pitch.
Then for propeller sections to lie on cylindrical surface,
circular arc transformation is performed. Geometric
modelling of domain consist outer cylindrical surface,
inlet and outlet. The dimensions used are 1D in front of
propeller 3.5D in the aft part and 2.5D as the diameter of
cylinder, where D is the diameter of the propeller,
following ITTC guidelines [4].
INTRODUCTION
When the propeller is working in water which has been

disturbed by the passage of the hull, behaviour of the
propeller is affected by the ships forward motion, in
similar way the operation of propeller behind the ship
hull affects the pressure distribution around ship. There
is mutual interaction between hull and propeller, which
is called hull propeller interaction. It has following
effects on performance of the propeller and the ship
taken together for analysis.
2.2 PHYSICS AND BOUNDARY CONDITIONS

Rotating Reference Frame is used for steady-state
analysis. The reference frame is assigned to fluid region,
and for outer wall and nozzle to remain stationary w.r.t
propeller, absolute zero tangential velocity is assigned
for these boundaries.
a) Wake fraction
2014:The
Institution
of Naval
andUKIIT
Copyright
2014Royal
by IIT Madras,
Chennai,
IndiaArchitects
and the RINA,
Madras
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MARHY 2014
trimmer model is used to generate the volume mesh in
fluid domain. The prism layer model is used near surface
of hull, in order to improve the accuracy of the viscous
flow solution.
2.3 SIMULATION RESULTS

Mesh of different cell sizes is generated and mesh
dependency study is performed. RPM is kept constant
)
and inlet velocity is varied for various J,
(ranging 0 to 0.9. Total thrust from propeller and nozzle

vs. advance coefficient is plotted as shown in figure 1.
40
T (N)
20
Expt. [1]
CFD
0
0
-20
0.2
0.4
J
0.6
Figure 3: Volumes mesh of stationary ship region
0.8
3.3 PHYSICS AND BOUNDARY CONDITIONS
Figure 1: Propeller + nozzle thrust in open water
Steady model was chosen for analysis. In this, each

iteration involves calculation of pressure and velocity to
converge the solution for continuity and momentum
equations. The Volume of Fluid [5] model was used to
simulate the behaviour of two fluids, air and water. As
these two fluids were of different phases, Eulerian
Multiphase Model was used. New Eulerian phases
water and air as Constant Density fluid created and
defined. The effect of gravity was simulated using the
Gravity Model. Simulation of free surface is made
possible by choosing the VOF Waves option. The
turbulence effects are simulated by selecting the KEpsilon Turbulence in the turbulence model. The
boundaries of fluid region are velocity inlet, symmetry,
top, bottom, and port side wall and pressure outlet. The
velocity and pressure boundary condition are given as
field function of surface wave. Velocity is given as
Velocity of surface wave and pressure boundary
condition as Hydrostatic pressure of surface wave in
CFD simulation. And the Port side, top and bottom
boundaries are given as wall with slip condition.
The figure 2 velocity vector plots indicates higher

velocity on the inner side of the nozzle and lower
velocity on the outer side, thus lowering pressure on
inner-side results in component of thrust force in forward
direction; we can conclude that accelerating nozzle
contributes to propeller thrust and increases efficiency.
Figure 2: Velocity plot around propeller and nozzle

3.
CFD ANALYSIS OF HULL RESISTANCE
3.1 GEOMETRIC MODELING OF HULL DOMAIN
The offsets of ship hull are obtained from the AutoCAD

geometry of the ship. The axial coordinates of ship
centre line and coordinates [7] of frames are obtained
from the profile plan and body plan of ship respectively.
The AutoCAD tool- Auto-lisp is used for generating the
coordinates of the curves. As the ship is symmetric in the
port and starboard sides, the half ship geometry is used
for the analysis.
Three different mesh sizes are generated and mesh

dependency study is carried out. The comparison of
results is shown in the table below.
Table 1: Mesh dependency study for CFD analysis
S.
No.
1.
2.
3.
3.2 MESH PREPARATION

A surface and then volume meshes are generated using
the meshing tools in STAR-CCM+. The surface remesher model is used to generate the surface mesh. The
Number of
cells(in Lac)
3.37
4.97
5.67
Total R from
CFD (N)
39
56
32.73
Expt.
(N)
30.4
30.4
30.4
[1]
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MARHY 2014
In the following figure 4, CFD results of ship resistance
are compared with the Experimental results [1].
From velocity vector plot in figure 6, it can be seen the

lower velocity in bulb and stern region indicating
stagnation points.
4.
35
30
In self-propulsion test, the propeller is fitted behind the

ship model as in the case of the real ship and all the
conditions prevailing in the prototype has to be kept in
the case of model test also. In this test the ship model
moves only due to the thrust produced by its model
propeller.
Force (N)
25
20
Expt. [1]
15
CFD
10
CFD ANALYSIS OF SELF-PROPULSION
5
0
4.1 GEOMETRY PREPARATION:

0
0.1
0.2
Fn
0.3
0.4
The propeller shaft, skeg, port side Thrusters and rudder
are created in hull geometry used for resistance test.
Cylindrical domain of same dimension of rotating
propeller domain is created in stationary domain for
defining interface between rotating and stationary ship
region. ANSYS-ICEM is used for geometric modelling
of fluid regions.
Figure 4: Resistance force on hull
4.2 MESH PREPARATION:

Stationary and Rotating regions are imported in STARCCM+ separately. These regions represent the fluid
domains for ship and propeller. Two different Mesh
continua are created for stationary and rotating region
and assigned to regions. Volume mesh as shown in
figure 7 is generated using trimmer in each region. In
stationary region, prism layers are created to improve the
accuracy of the viscous flow solution.
Figure 5: Free surface contour plot
From the free surface contour plot as shown in figure 5,
the kelvin wave pattern created in flow, can be seen.
Figure 7: Volumes mesh of stationary ship region

4.3 PHYSICS CONDITIONS:
The self-propulsion CFD simulation requires rotation
motion given to propeller. For dynamic simulation
implicit unsteady model is used. In the implicit unsteady
approach each physical time-step involves some number
Figure 6: Velocity vector along free surface of water
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MARHY 2014
of inner iterations to converge the solution for that given
instant of time. The time step is chosen such that
propeller rotates by 5 degrees in each time step, thus
time step is 5E-4 seconds calculated from propeller
RPM. The interfaces are created that allows mass and
momentum transfer between rotating and stationary

regions. Ship Velocity inlet is given as field function of
velocity of surface wave, pressure outlet boundary as
hydrostatic pressure of surface wave.
In Self-propulsion test, the ship model moves, due to the

thrust produced by its model propeller, and propeller
thrust and hull resistance are same for ship model. The
RPM of rotation motion is changed to match propeller
thrust with ship model resistance, when both are equal;
self-propulsion point is achieved.
Where r= radius of hub, R=propeller radius.
Table 2: Ship resistance and propeller thrust
Table 3: Velocity at propeller plane
S. No.
RPM
1.
2.
3.
4.
4000
3700
3500
3200
Ship resistance
(N) in selfpropulsion
45.16
45.16
45.16
45.16
The average wake using above formula is 0.55 and Wake

from Experimental tests is 0.23
Total thrust
Propeller +
nozzle (N)
54.7
55.6
50.6
41.46
Radial position
(r/R)
.1
.2
.3
.4
.5
.6
.7
.8
.9
1
Number of Cells is 6.9 Lac in the simulation. At

Propeller RPM 3200 the Propeller thrust is close to ship
resistance, this is taken as self-propulsion point.
4.4 (a) Thrust deduction
Model speed
Bare hull resistance
Self-propulsion thrust
Thrust deduction coefficient
Surface Average
velocity (m/s)
0.527404
0.553160
0.576087
0.587380
0.603539
0.603539
0.706674
0.639781
0.811608
0.984331
Wake fraction
0.676439
0.660638
0.646572
0.639644
0.629731
0.629731
0.566458
0.607496
0.502081
0.396116
From the following velocity contour plot figure 8, it can

be seen that the propeller wake is higher in the hub
region as the inflow velocity is low and the wake
decreases at the tip of the blade.
.
: 1.63 m/s
: 30.45 N
: 45.16 N
: 0.33
The average experimental thrust deduction factor is 0.47

[1]; The CFD result for thrust deduction factor 0.33 is
lower compare to the experimental value.
4.4 (b) Wake fractions:
The water around the stern acquires a forward motion in
the same direction as the ship changes the advance
velocity of propeller. The difference between the ship
speed and speed of advance is called as wake speed.
The average wake [3] can be calculated by radial
integration using following formula
Figure 8: Velocity contour plot at propeller plane
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MARHY 2014
5.
applied in a certain state of turning, such as heading

overshoot reached before yawing tendency has been
cancelled by counter rudder in a standard zigzag
manoeuvre [8].
MANOEUVRING CHARECTERISTICS
For surface ships, the basic dynamics of Manoeuvring

and course keeping can be analysed using Newton's
equations of motion. Manoeuvring involve primarily
forces, moments, and motions acting in all directions in
the horizontal plane. The force components X, Y and
moment component N, are functions of velocities and
accelerations of the ship. The forces and moments
calculation requires theoretical development of
hydrodynamic coefficients for the linear range using
Taylor series expansion [9]. The equations of motion are
integrated numerically to obtain path of ship under the
hydrodynamic forces.
5.1 TURNING ABILITY
Figure 10: Zigzag Manoeuvre tests for 20/20o

Turning ability is measure of the ability to turn the vessel
using hard-over, the result being a minimum advance at
90 change of heading and tactical diameter defined
by transfer at 180 change of heading. The rudder
angle is executed following a steady approach with zero
yaw rates. Essential information to be obtained from this
manoeuvre is tactical diameter; advance and transfer.
The zigzag manoeuvre as shown in figure 10 has been

performed using the Manoeuvring equations integrated
over a time for applied rudder angle of 20o, changing
from port and starboard direction and vice versa, in
intervals of 30 seconds. The angle is the vessels
angular displacement in plane of motion from initial
position aligned along x-axis and c is rudder angle
applied in zigzag manoeuvre. Essential information to be
obtained from this manoeuvre are first and second
overshoot angle and distance travelled before vessel has
changed its course by amount of rudder angle applied.
6.
CONCLUSION
The open water thrust values are obtained from

simulation and compared with experimental tests [1].
The thrust values are close to actual test at higher speeds;
at lower speed CFD simulation gives higher values of
thrust force.
Wake field study is important to see the thrust and torque
variations. At each blade position along circumfacial and
radial direction the inflow velocity can be determined.
This velocity is then can be used to determine
instantaneous thrust and torque from the open water
performance characteristics (KT and KQ).
Figure 9: Turning circle test

The figure 9 indicates turning circle for AHTS vessel,
obtained from integrating Manoeuvring equations [10]
over time using MATLAB.
5.2 INITIAL TURNING AND YAW CHECKING
ABILITY
Change in thrust and torque arises from variation in flow

into propeller along the circumference at each radius.
This results in periodic variation of the relative velocity
of the flow with respect to a point on the propeller and
produces an unsteady loading on propeller blades.
The initial turning ability is defined by the change of

heading response to a moderate helm, in terms of
heading deviation per unit distance covered before
realizing a certain heading deviation. The yaw checking
ability of vessel is measure of response to counter rudder
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Two types of manoeuvring tests are performed, turning
circle test to determine turning ability and zigzag
manoeuvre to determine control characteristics rudder
action of vessel. Numerical Integration of equations of
motion is done for calculating path of ship under
hydrodynamic forces using MATLAB. The results of the
Manoeuvring tests are checked with the IMO
requirements.
7.
graduated in Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering

branch from IIT Madras in 2013.
Prof. P. Krishnankutty holds the current position of
Professor at Department of Ocean Engineering, IIT
Madras. His teaching work includes Ship Propulsion,
Ship Resistance, Manoeuvring of Ships, Sea-keeping of
Ships, Marine Hydrodynamics, Ocean Waves and
Effects, Guidance and Control of Marine Vehicles.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
His research work Includes Computational Marine
Hydrodynamics, the numerical simulation of wave
interaction with offshore and coastal structures,
Numerical Estimation of Hydrodynamic Derivatives,
Second-Order Wave Force Estimation Using ThreeDimensional FEM etc.
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Professor

P. Krishnankutty for his guidance; I would also like to
thank Prof. V. Anantha subramanian for his continuous
support during the project. I would like to thank the
Department of Ocean Engineering and IIT Madras for
providing me with the facilities and the academic
wisdom to carry out this project.
8.
REFERENCES
1 Anantha Subramanian, V and Krishnankutty, P.,

Experimental Determination of Resistance and SelfPropulsion Characteristics of 90t AHTS, Report, Dept.
of Ocean Engg., IIT Madras, May 2012
2 Ghose, J.P. and Gokarn, R.P., Basic Ship Propulsion,
3 Lewis, E., Principle of Naval Architecture Volume 2,
Section 3, Resistance, Page No. 13, 1988
4 ITTCRecommended Procedures and Guidelines,
Practical Guidelines for Ship CFD Applications
5 Hirt, C. W. and Nichols, B. D., Volume of Fluid
(VOF) Method for the Dynamics of Free Boundaries,
Journal of Computational Physics, 1981
6 Lewis, E., Principle of Naval Architecture Volume 3,
Section 6, Analysis of Turning Ability, Page no. 209,
1988
7 Det Norske Veritas, Rules for the Construction and
Classification of Steel Ships, Oslo, 1975
8 ITTCRecommended Procedures: Full Scale
Measurements
Manoeuvrability,
Full
Scale
Manoeuvring Trials Procedure, 2002
9 Wilson, P.A. and Lewis, G.D.W. Estimating Ship
Manoeuvring Characteristics for Preliminary
10 Fossen TI., Guidance and control of ocean vehicles,
John Wiley & Sons.
9.
AUTHORS BIOGRAPHY
Praveen Kachhawaha holds the current position of

Assistant Surveyor at Indian Register of Shipping. He is
responsible for structural plan approval. He has
6
85
International Conference
on Computational and
Advances in Computational and Experimental Marine Hydrodynamics
(ACEMH 2014)
Experimental Marine Hydrodynamics

MARHY 2014
INVESTIGATION ON EFFECT OF SKEW ON NATURAL FREQUENCY

FOR A MARINE PROPELLER BLADE IN WATER USING F.E.M
Md. A. J. Khan, Tolani Maritime Institute, India
S. D. Pohekar, Tolani Maritime Institute, India
R. B. Ingle, Cummins College of Engineering, India
ABSTRACT
A screw propeller consists of a number of blades attached to a hub fitted to the propeller shaft. A propeller is said to be skewed
when the line obtained by joining the mid points between the leading and trailing edges of a blade at different radii from the axis,
bends or curves towards the trailing edge. This paper deals with a vibration analysis of a propeller blade submerged in water, for
different cases of skewness using finite element method. The effect of immersing the propeller in water is to cause a reduction in
the frequency at which a particular mode of vibration occurs. This reduction is not a constant value for all modes of vibration and
was found to be larger for the lower modes than for the higher modes.
1.
NOMENCLATURE
( kg m-3 )
( kg m-3 )
( rad s-1 )
s
w
o air
air
o (water)
(water)
A
Cm
Material density of solid

Density of water
Angular velocity
Frequency reduction ratio
Angular frequency in air
Rotation frequency in air
Angular frequency in water
Rotation frequency in water
Ratio of flat plate height to width
Immersion ratio
Area of cross section
Added mass density coefficient
( rad s-1 )
( rad s-1 )
( rad s-1 )
( rad s-1 )
c
ch
Blade mean chord length
(m)
Blade chord at root section
(m)
Young's modulus
Finite Element Method
Frequency
Acceleration due to gravity
Moment of inertia
Flat blade length
Mass per unit length
Tip radius
Rotation radius
Root radius
( N m-2 )
Blade mean thickness
(m)
Blade thickness at root section
(m)
E
FEM
f
g
I
L
m
R
r
rh
t
th
INTRODUCTION
Vibration is relatively small amplitude oscillations around a rest

position. It can be transverse, longitudinal or torsional. The
modes of vibration of a marine propeller blade are extremely
complex due to non-symmetrical outline of the blade, variable
thickness distribution and the twist of the blade caused by
changes in the radial distribution of pitch angle. In addition, the
effect of water in which the propeller is immersed, causes a
reduction in modal frequency with a modified mode shape [1].
Hydrodynamically, the pressures on the propeller changes
across the blade, along the length of the blade, follow the
contours of the blade and are in accordance with the speed of
rotation and relative speed of water impacting on the
blades. Blade frequency is the number of blade times the
number of revolutions per second. Each propeller generates its
own resonance frequency. With the increase of ship size and
speed, shipboard vibration becomes a great concern in the
design and construction of the vessels. Excessive ship vibration
is to be avoided for passenger comfort and crew habitability. In
addition to undesired effects on humans, excessive ship
vibration may result in the fatigue failure of local structural
members or malfunction of machinery and equipment.
( m2 )
( Hz )
( m s-2 )
( m4 )
(m)
( kg m-1 )
(m)
(m)
(m)
Concept design stage is where the vibration avoidance process

must begin. It is clear that if the vibration problems, repeatedly
identified by experience as the most important, are addressed at
the earliest design stage, ultimately serious problems, involving
great cost in correction efforts, may be reduced or the difficult
countermeasures and corrections at the subsequent design stages
may be avoided in most cases.
2014:The
Royal
of NavalIndia
Architects
IITUK
Madras
Copyright
2014
by IITInstitution
Madras, Chennai,
and theand
RINA,
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MARHY 2014
The propeller induced vibrations are important as they effect
the deckhouse which is located just above the engine room.
The constraints put up by classification societies such as
Indian Register of Shipping (IRS), American Bureau of
Shipping (ABS) [2], Lloyds Register of Shipping (LR), and
so on, regarding vibration criteria for various parts of the
hull structure, machinery and other parts of the ship are
stringent and hence demand proper design of the structure at
an early stage so as to comply with the requirements.
1.1
ADDED MASS
SYSTEM
MODEL
FOR
SUBMERGED
Fully or partially submerged structures, such as propellers,

reinforced concrete bridge pillars and in general any off-shore
and coastal installations encounter particular difficulties for
their design because here a strong interaction takes place
between the structure and the surrounding environment. When a
structure is partially or totally immersed, it interacts with the
surrounding fluid through a process referred to as fluid-structure
interaction (FSI). The accurate modeling of FSI is highly
challenging because of the inherent computational difficulties in
analyzing two coupled fields which mutually interact each other
in time. On the other hand, simple added mass model may be
adopted to investigate this domain [6]. The term added mass is
given to the body of water mobilized by the structure and the
term virtual mass refers to the total effective mass of the
system that participates in the vibrations and is defined as the
sum of the structural and the added mass.
To guard against blade failure by vibration, the natural

frequency of the blade should be calculated by suitable
means. The result of this calculation then needs to be shown
to lie outside the primary operating frequency ranges of
other propulsion system components. This is because all hull
components have natural frequencies and resonance can
occur when the natural frequency of hull components
matches with that of an imposed vibration.
The finite element method offers a solution technique which
can define blade natural frequencies and mode shapes with a
greater accuracy than by the conventional estimation
formulae. FEM when applied to propeller calculations relies
on the adequate representation of the effect of the water in
which the propeller is immersed.
When a structure vibrates in water, it induces motion and

consequently acceleration in the fluid, thus producing an extra
force on the structure called hydrodynamic pressure. This extra
force can be conveniently modeled as the product of an
equivalent mass of fluid and the acceleration of the structure, as
stated in the work of Lamb [7] and discussed by Han and Xu
[8]. The exact solution for free vibration of flexural beams
immersed to full height was reported by Han and Xu, who
solved analytically the differential equations associated with
structure-water coupled system when the fluid is assumed ideal
and inviscid. The solution is limited to the case where both the
effects of compressibility of fluid and presence of surface waves
are negligible. Authors also investigated an approximate
estimation of added mass coefficient useful for rapid
computation of natural frequencies of submerged structures.
The objective of present work is to emphasize that in making

the natural frequency calculations, the appropriate method
and allowance needs to be made for the effects of water on
the different forms of blades rather than simply undertaking
a calculation based on the assumption of blades being in air.
The present work is an attempt to adopt means of making
realistic predictions of natural frequencies for different
forms of blade in water using numerical method which can
be useful in the new design to be evolved with respect to
vibration analysis.
From a practical point of view, it is highly desirable to have a

simple and reasonably accurate formula for calculating natural
frequencies of any component submerged in water. Starting
from the assumption that, when a submerged structure vibrates
it induces acceleration in the surrounding fluid, the extra
hydrodynamic effect can be accounted for by a hypothetical
mass of fluid which is considered moving rigidly with the
structure. The added mass concept, successfully adopted by Han
and Xu to facilitate the computation of wet natural
frequencies of cantilever systems, is extended in this paper to
the case of flat plate blade vibration. This is used further for the
validation of FEM program (ANSYS-APDL) for computing the
natural frequency in water.
Burrill [3] conducted a series of model and full-scale

experiments on propeller vibration in air. The propeller
chosen was a four-bladed, 1320 mm diameter having a mean
pitch ratio of 0.65 and a blade area ratio of 0.524.
Ghassemi et.al [4] studied the influence of the skew angle on
the hydro-elastic behavior of a composite marine propeller.
The hydrodynamic load acting on the propeller is
determined by the boundary element method, and the
deformed propeller is then obtained by the finite element
method. The numerical results indicate that the skew angle
affects the performance of the propeller and the stress field.
The free vibration characteristics of a composite marine
propeller blade were studied by Lin and Tsai [5].
Composites with symmetric, balanced and unbalanced
stacking sequences were analyzed. Rotational effects and
added mass were considered using the finite element
method.
1.2
EFFECT OF CENTRIFUGAL STIFFENING
Blades on rotating hub deform as beams under dynamic loads

due to additional inertial forces. This result in centrifugal
stiffening and the blade natural frequencies may increase with
rotor speed. Such an effect is very important in design of high-
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MARHY 2014
In view of above equations, for an oscillating model submerged

in water it is assumed that the fundamental frequency in water is
equivalent to the fundamental frequency of a model oscillating
in air but having virtual density [s + Cm w], [6]
speed compressors and turbines. For low speed conventional

propeller designs the centrifugal stiffening effect is not
thought to be significant. In the various empirical
approaches to the prediction of blade vibratory
characteristics, the blade is assumed to be stationary and so
the effect of centrifugal stiffening is not considered.
o (water) = 3.5156
In the present paper, to investigate the effect of skewness,

the rotation contribution on natural frequencies of bending
vibration of propeller blade is considered. For a rotating
blade attached to a rigid axis with radius r and rotating with
angular frequency , the fundamental angular frequency in
air is given by [9]
air = o air 1 +
m 2 r 4
EI
where Cm is the added mass density coefficient which can be

obtained using following relation with coefficients estimated as
a=12.01 b=3.811 c=0.7023 d=4.282.
1 2 1
C m = a b + c d
2
2
1 L
1 L
1 L
2
(Cos )

+
r
r
8
10
.
6
12
.45 r

3
In general terms, equations of the above type are very useful for
estimating purposes at the design stage. They provide an
approximation to the basic vibration characteristics of the
propeller blade. However, for more detailed examinations, it is
necessary to employ finite element based studies which enable
the further exploration of the blade vibration problem.
This formula assumes a blade of uniform cross section

slanted at the so-called stagger angle (in the present case,
=0).
2.
MODAL ANALYSIS OF BLADE IN

WATER
2.1
ADDED MASS COEFFICIENT METHOD
2.2
= frequency of mode in water

frequency of mode in air
If the blade is considered as a single degree of freedom

system at each of the critical frequencies, then the following
relation holds from simple mathematical analysis for
undamped motion,
1
2
o air
k
m
1/ 2
0.62 to 0.64.
2.3
EI
s AL4
rad/s
f3 = 17.456*f1
FINITE ELEMENT METHOD
2.3 (a) Propeller Blade Data
Using Eulers beam theory, the fundamental angular

frequency for the non-rotating case in air is given by,
f2 = 6.2681*f1
gE t
ch t h
s c
1/ 2
equivalent mass of the blade

equivalent mass of the blade + added mass due to water
o air = 3.5156
0.305
=
( R rh ) 2
0.305 gE t
o water =
ch t h
2
( R rh ) s c
where the value of would normally take a value in the range
Now by assuming that the stiffness remains unchanged, then

by combining above equations,
=
ESTIMATION METHOD
Estimation techniques are normally confined to the

determination of the fundamental flexural mode of vibration in
air and a correction factor applied to account for the
immersion of the blade in water. In the case of the propeller
blade, the method proposed by Baker still finds fairly
widespread use as an initial estimation technique for non-highly
skewed propellers. According to Baker [1], the fundamental
frequency (in inch-pound-second units) of a propeller blade in
air and water approximates respectively to,
The influence of immersing a blade in water is chiefly to

introduce an added mass term due to the inertia of the water
which is set in motion by the blade. Defining a frequency
reduction ratio as
f =
EI
[ s + Cm w ]AL4
Following details gives the propeller blade section data at

different r/R ratio. The value at 18th interval (x) or column is the
chord length, YO and YU are the thicknesses at particular
intervals.
f1 = 1 air Hz
2
f4 = 34.381*f1
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88

MARHY 2014
Diameter
Pitch
Pitch Ratio
Area
Area Ratio
PROPELLER PARTICULARS
mm
mm
Disc
m2
Expanded
m2
Projected
m2
Disc
Expanded
Projected
-
Type of section
6700
4822.26
0.7197
35.25
17.62
15.90
0.500
0.451
0.902
Aerofoil section [ NACA66 SECTION]
Typical blade section
Zero skew blade
2.3 (b) Marine Propeller Blade Modeling

The generating line for a propeller blade is obtained by
joining the mid points between the leading and trailing edges
of a blade at different radii. A propeller is said to be skewed
when the generating line bends or curves towards the trailing
edge. Several different sections, at progressive radial
distance and pitch angles, blend together to form one blade
as shown in figure-1. A CAD model of 12 sections of blade
was developed. Each section was divided into 18 stations or
parts. For different r/R ratio and generating-line of blade, all
the 12 sections were blended to form a complete 3-D single
propeller blade model. Figure-1 shows the elevation layout
and CAD model of propeller with different degrees of
skewness. The generating line is perpendicular to base of
blade in case of zero skew blade but bends slightly for
moderate skew and for heavy skew the blade periphery can
be seen bent to a greater extent.
Moderate skew blade
Heavy skew blade
Figure 1: Single blade showing degree of skewness

2.3 (c) Pre-Processing Stage
To analyse the propeller vibrations using finite element method,
a cantilever model of blade was considered. Under preprocessing, creation of nodes and element was done. For
modeling propeller blade submerged in water, fluid elements
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MARHY 2014
were configured around the blade as a cylinder as shown in

figure-2. The fluid was assumed as extending only to a finite
radius where the pressure is zero. The pressure at outer
radius was set to zero. The problem was solved using 3-D
acoustic fluid elements (FLUID221) with quadrilateral shell
elements (SHELL63) and because of fluid-structure
interaction and coupling involving unsymmetric matrices,
UNSYM modal analysis method of ANSYS was used. For
modeling the end conditions of blade, the bottom most nodes
at hub radius or blade root were fixed for all degree of
freedom.
b) Non interfacing fluid elements

Figure 3: Zones of meshing
3.
VALIDATION USING FLAT PLATE

BLADE MODEL
For validation, one of the ANSYS Verification Manual

problem was run and compared with present paper data values
of flat plate model. A blade is cantilevered from a rigid rotating
cylinder as shown in figure-4 with following details [9].
Figure 2: Fluid elements around blade and cantilevered

model in sectional view
As it is a coupled structure of fluid and blade, for modeling
the boundary condition for blade submerged in water, three
zones of finite element meshing were made, as shown in
figure 3a and 3b.
a. First is solid structure i.e. blade with shell elements,
second are fluid elements interfacing with structure
surrounding the blade surface.
Material
Properties
Geometric
Properties
Loading []
(rad/s)
E = 217 x 109 Pa
= 7850 kg/m3
= 0.3
r = 150 mm
l = 328 mm
b = 28 mm
t = 3 mm
i. Zero
ii. 50
iii 100
A static prestress analysis was performed to include the inertial

effects resulting from the rotation of the cylinder.
b. Third zone of elements are non-interfacing fluid

elements or uncoupled fluid elements till far field
boundary.
Figure 4: Verification model
a) Interfacing fluid elements on blade

5
90

MARHY 2014
Table 2: Natural frequency of blade in air and water
The fundamental frequency of vibration of the blade, f, was

calculated when the cylinder was spinning at a rate of
rad/s. In accordance with the flat plate model of propeller
blade, orientation of verification model was altered as shown
in figure-5 and validated for natural frequency calculations
in air and water. The results are shown in table-1.
FREQUENCY (Hz) : In AIR

1
No-Skew
19.22
Mid-Skew
14.19
Heavy-Skew
14.39
30.73
32.12
30.54
47.40
39.19
46.72
52.89
50.28
59.14
55.61
57.86
72.40
FREQUENCY (Hz) : In WATER
Figure 5: Verification model of flat plate blade

Table 1: Flat plate blade in air and water
Beam
Theory
Estimation
Method [1]
FEM
(present)
o (air) (Hz)
23.68
24.17
o (water) Hz)
18.07
15.23
42.79
42.62
50.76
14.19
14.39
23.18
50
22.17
16.45
18.08
17.90
100
28.28
24.01
21.64
1 mode frequency (Hz) :
In WATER at different rotation speeds
st
[Ref : 6 and 9]
FEM (present)
(air) rotation (Hz)
24.82
24.38
o (water)
19.99
18.29
4.1
Heavy-Skew
6.60
15.43
21.08
39.97
19.22
Frequency Mode-1
4.
Mid-Skew
6.30
12.47
17.22
28.04
Effect of centrifugal stiffening (rotation at 50 rad/s)
rotation
No-Skew
7.84
13.19
19.03
31.51
Table 3: Effect of rotation on the natural frequencies of

bending vibration of propeller blade
1st mode frequency (Hz) :
In AIR at different rotation speeds
Rad/s No-Skew
Mid-Skew
Heavy-Skew
Validation with flat plate model

Natural
frequency
1
2
3
4
(Hz)
Rad/s
No-Skew
Mid-Skew
Heavy-Skew
7.84
6.30
6.60
50
8.56
6.65
8.12
100
13.85
17.54
18.31
RESULT AND OBSERVATION
POST-PROCESSING
An FEM based Modal analysis APDL program was

executed for computation of natural frequency and mode
shapes in air and water. The output data obtained upon
execution of programs is listed in table 2. Each case of
skewed blade model was computed for frequency in air and
water. The effects of rotation on different skewed blades
were also explored and results are shown in table 3 and plots
1a and 1b. Data obtained was further analyzed for any trend
in reduction of natural frequency value in air than in water.
Plot-1a : Effect of rotation on the natural frequencies of

bending vibration of propeller blade in air
6
91

MARHY 2014
5.
Resonance can occur when the natural frequency of hull

components matches with that of an imposed vibration. To
guard against blade failure by vibration, the natural frequency of
the blade should be calculated by suitable means. The result of
this calculation then needs to be shown to lie outside the
primary operating frequency ranges of other propulsion system
components. The present work emphasizes that in making
realistic predictions for the natural frequency calculations, the
appropriate method and allowance needs to be made for the
effects of water on the different forms of blades rather than
simply undertaking a calculation based on the assumption of
blades being in air. The propeller has different complex modes
of vibration for different degree of skewness. The effect of
immersing the propeller in water is to cause a reduction in the
frequency at which a particular mode of vibration occurs. This
reduction is not a constant value for all modes of vibration and
and using finite element method it was found to be larger for the
lower modes than for the higher modes.
Plot-1b : Effect of rotation on the natural frequencies of

bending vibration of propeller blade in water
4.1 (a) Effect of immersion in water: The principal effect
of immersing the propeller in water is to cause a reduction in
the frequency at which a particular mode of vibration occurs.
From table-4 and plot-2, the general trend of increasing
values of with increasing complexity of the modal form
can be seen.
6.
FREQUENCY REDUCTION RATIO

No-Skew
Mid-Skew
Heavy-Skew
0.407
0.444
0.459
0.429
0.388
0.505
0.401
0.439
0.451
0.595
0.573
0.675
0.769
0.736
0.701
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors wish to express their gratitude and admiration for

Cdr. Bhasker Walimbe and Mr. Anand Tappu for their
contribution towards this paper and for guiding us throughout
the work.
Table 4: Frequency reduction ratio trend for different

degrees of skewness
Case /
Mode
CONCLUSION
7.
REFERENCES
1.
Carlton John, Marine Propellers and Propulsion,

Butterworth-Heinemann, Elsevier Ltd. 2nd Edition,
USA, 2007.
ABS, Guidance Notes on Ship Vibrations, NewYork,
2006.
Burill L.C., Marine Propeller Blade Vibration: Full
Scale Tests, Transcription, NECIES 65,
1946.
Lin H.J. and Tsai J.F., Analysis of Underwater Free
Vibration of a Composite Propeller Blade, Journal of
Reinforced Plastics and Composites, Vol. 27, No.
5,447-458, March 2008.
Ghassemi Hassan, GhSaryazdi Maryam and
Ghassabzadeh Morteza Influence of Skew Angle on
the Hydroelastic Behavior of a Composite Marine
Propeller Proceeding of Mechanical Engineer, Part
M: Journal of Engineering For The Maritime
Environment, Vol. 226, No. 4, 346- 359, November
2012.
Lozzo Da, Auricchio F. and Calv G.M., Added Mass
Model for Vertical Circular Cylinder Partially
Immersed in Water, Proceeding, 15th World
Conference of Earthquake Engineering, Lisboa, 2012.
Lamb H., Hydrodynamics, Cambridge University
Press, 1932.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Plot-2 : Frequency reduction ratio trend for different

degree of skewness .
7
92

MARHY 2014
8.
9.
Han R.P.S and Xu H, A Simple and Accurate

Added Mass Model for Hydrodynamic FluidStructure Interaction Analysis, Journal of the
Franklin Institute, 333:6, 929-945, 1996.
Carnegie W. Vibrations of Rotating Cantilever
Blading, Journal Mechanical Engineering Science,
Vol. 1, No. 3, pg. 239, 1959.
8.
AUTHORS BIOGRAPHY
Md. Ayaz J. Khan holds the current position of Senior

Assistant Professor at Tolani Maritime Institute. He is
responsible for CAD and FEA subjects. His experience includes
research work in the area of propeller induced vibrations on hull
and ship structures.
Dr. Sanjay D. Pohekar holds the current position of Professor
at Tolani Maritime Institute. He is responsible for thermal
engineering subjects and is faculty-in-charge for undergraduate
projects at the institute. His experience includes research work
in the area of energy and ship structures.
Dr. Ravindra B. Ingle holds the current position of Head of
Mechanical Department, at Cummins College of Engineering.
He is responsible for design subjects and undergraduate
projects. His experience includes research work in the area of
vibrations in hull and ship structures.
8
93

Conference
on -Computational
and Experimental
Proc. of Conf. MARHY-2014 held on 3&4International
Dec. , 2014 at IIT
Madras, India
Vol.2 (ISBN: 978-93-80689-22-7)
Marine Hydrodynamics,
MARHY 2014,
Effect of Environmental Loads on the Maneuverability of a Tanker

Deepti B. Poojari1, Indian Register of Shipping, India
A.V Saj2, Indian Register of Shipping, India
S.Janardhanan3, SCMS School of Engineering and Technology, India
A.R. Kar4, Indian Register of Shipping, India
ABSTRACT
Oil spill resulting from the poor maneuverability of tankers has been a serious concern over years. Now the International Maritime
Organization (IMO) is keen on the full-fledged maneuverability of tankers so that the accidents and the subsequent ecological
imbalance of marine life can be out casted. Present work focuses on the determination of maneuverability aspects of a tanker subjected
to the environmental loads such as wind, waves and current. At the outset, the hydrodynamic derivatives of the hull been obtained for
deep water conditions using RANSE based CFD. The mathematical model representing the equations of motions encompasses the
terms for wind, wave and current forces. The equations of motion have then been numerically integrated to obtain the maneuvering
characteristics in standard maneuver. Obtained trajectories give an input for operating tankers in calm water and where environmental
effects are quite pronounced.
NOMENCLATURE
X
X Co-ordinate of Global Axis System
Y Co-ordinate of Global Axis System
x co-ordinate of C.G. from Mid ship
Lpp
Length between perpendiculars (m)
Mass of the ship (kg)
Surge Velocity (m/s)
Sway Velocity (m/s)
Yaw Velocity
Vessel speed (m/s)
Rudder angle (degrees)
Heading angle (degrees)
Drift angle
Representation of wind, wave or current angles
Representation of wind, wave or current velocities.
Wavelength
Non-dimensionalised Sway Velocity
Non-dimensionalised Yaw Rate
Non-dimensionalised Surge Force
Non-dimensionalised Sway Force
Non-dimensionalised Yaw Moment
FP
Forward Perpendicular
AP
Aft Perpendicular
1. INTRODUCTION
Marine transportation is the prime means of global trade, of
which chemical transportation is a major aspect. The perilous
nature and a significant growth of transportation in recent
years have triggered immense concern in maritime industries
over chemical transport. Even though the risks of accidents are
considered small due to the existing high safety standards,
they do occur. Most of the accidents are caused either by
negligence or by an unexpected and uncontrollable vessel
behavior. The later being a much more complex phenomena,
one would appreciate an accurate prediction of vessel behavior
under different complex scenarios. Consequently determining
the vessels maneuverability aspect has become crucial.
Maneuvering has earned more serious attention when IMO
started emphasizing more on navigational safety. With
emergence of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and its
successful applications in hydrodynamics makes it easier to
analyze the vessels behavior in its early design stage.
Maneuvering studies to calculate the first order derivatives
dates back to the works [14] and [15] where simulation of both
static and dynamic maneuvers have been attempted followed
by [5], [10], [11], [18], [19], [21] and [22] to name a few.
Determination of the hydrodynamic derivatives by duplicating
the straight line and planar motion mechanism tests
conventionally carried out in towing tanks, by means of static
and dynamic maneuver simulations were focused upon.
Rotating arm tests are very difficult to be accomplished
numerically. However simulations with circular motion test
has been shown in [14] using a package WISDAM which
resulted in considerable amount of deviations in yaw moment
94
International Conference on Computational and Experimental Marine Hydrodynamics,

MARHY 2014,
predictions. Solver SHIPFLOW includes an inbuilt algorithm

that numerically simulates the rotating arm tests which
otherwise practically requires mammoth sized and
prohibitively expensive facilities. This package has been used
for the maneuverability of a container vessel through the
simulations of static drift and rotating arm tests in [7]. The
results obtained had been encouraging enough for its
extension to other ships.
The present study focuses on understanding the behavior of
the tanker vessel in calm sea and when subjected to external
environmental loads. The tanker vessel KVLCC2 is used as an
example for the investigation. Using the steady RANS based
solver XCHAP in SHIPFLOW, conventional towing tank tests
like static drift test, rotating arm test and the combined drift
and rotation test are duplicated. The velocity dependent
hydrodynamic derivatives and the cross coupled derivatives
are obtained from these numerical towing tank tests [11]. All
these aforementioned derivatives are called into the in-house
developed MATLAB code to generate the trajectory of the
vessel indicating its maneuverability characteristics. The
estimation of maneuverability in calm sea and the action of
environmental loads in the form of wind, wave or current on
the behavior of the vessel helps assess the operational cost.
The paper also assesses the effect of strong wind, wave and
current effect on the trajectory of the vessel.
3. MATHEMATICAL MODEL
Here a modular type mathematical model is used by separating
the forces and moments into four components hull, rudder,
propeller and external loads described below:
X = X Hull + X Rudder + X Pr opeller + X external
(1)
Y = Y Hull + Y Rudder + Y Pr opeller + Y external
(2)
N = N Hull + N Rudder + N Pr opeller + N external
(3)
which further can be rewritten as follows

.
X = X . u + X uuu 2 + X vv v 2 + X rr r 2 + X vr vr + (1 t )T
u
+ (1 tr ) FN sin + X wind + X wave + X current
(4)
.
.
Y = Y. v + Y. r + Yvv + Yr r + Yvvvv3 + Yrrr r 3 + Yvvrv2r + Yvrrvr 2

v
(5)
+ (1 + aH )FN cos + Ywave + Ywind + Ycurrent

.
N = N . v + N . r + N v v + N r r + N vvv v 3 + N rrr r 3 + N vvr v 2 r +

v
(6)
N vrr vr + ( X R + a H X H ) FN cos + N wave + N wind + N current
The rudder, propeller, wind, wave and current effects are

brought in by means of empirical relations when required
(trajectory simulation).
2. CO-ORDINATE SYSTEM:
Figure 1 shows the typical co-ordinate system used for
maneuvering studies
4. SIMULATIONS
The simulations have been carried out using SHIPFLOW
[3], a Naval Architect specific solver for predicting flow
around the vessel and around its components. The code is
purely a steady state potential and viscous based solver. The
solver has five basic modules to fulfill the need of the
computation.
XCHAP-the finite volume code is used for the RANS based
viscous computation in. The solver provides two approaches
Global and Zonal approach.
The zonal approach divides the computational domain into
different zones based on the flow characteristics. The global
approach treats the domain as one and solves the Navier
stokes equation in the entire domain. The present work uses
the global approach.
Figure 1: Coordinate System
95

MARHY 2014,
SST and BSL turbulence model.

The default turbulence model EASM (Explicit Algebraic Stress
Model) which is the most advanced model in XCHAP solver
is used This model takes into account the non linear terms as
well.
4.3 DISCRETIZATION SCHEME
The convective terms are discretized with Roe scheme. The
Roe scheme is only first order accurate and to obtain higher
accuracy a flux correction is added. This correction is a
combination of two different second order schemes, the
central and the TVD (Total Variation Diminishing) scheme.
The diffusion and production terms are discretized using
central differences scheme. The dissipation terms are treated
implicitly.
4.4 SOLVER
Figure. 2 Zonal approach in SHIPFLOW
The Inflow and Outflow boundaries are the Inlet and Outlet
respectively. The flat free surface is considered at z=0 i.e. at
the draft level, is set as slip condition. while the cylindrical
outer boundary extending to 3.0LPP from the hull surface is
also set as slip. No slip condition is satisfied on the hull
surface and appendages if any. The boundary conditions used
are shown in Figure.3
Alternating Direct Implicit Method (ADI) is used to solve the

equations. A local artificial time step is calculated on the basis
of CFL and Von Neumann numbers.
5. CASE STUDY: KVLCC2 TANKER
5.1 SHIP PARTICULARS:
The study is carried out on KVLCC2 Tanker hull form which
is widely accepted as a benchmark vessel for Tankers. The
details of the vessel are given in the Table 1
Table 1 Principle Particulars of KVLCC2
Figure 3: Boundary conditions in SHIPFLOW
4.1 GRID
SHIPFLOW employs an automatic grid generation with user
defined boundaries and panels.. The solver module XGRID
generates grid for the computation. SHIPFLOW uses
structured H-O type grid. The Grid extends from 0.8 Lpp ahead
of forward perpendicular to 0.8 Lpp astern of aft perpendicular
in the longitudinal direction and has a radial section of 3 Lpp.
Figure 8 shows the grid used.
Length (L)
320 m
Breadth (B)
50.8 m
Draft (T)
20.8 m
Block coefficient (CB)
0.8098
Vessel Speed (U)
7.6 m/s
Displacement Volume
312622 m3
5.2 METHODOLOGY
Captive model test [6] and Planar Motion Mechanism (PMM)
are the two experimental means for determining the
hydrodynamic coefficients for a mathematical model of ship
maneuvering motion. The study concentrates on the numerical
duplication of captive model test. The SHIPFLOW -CFD
solver is used to duplicate the captive model tests numerically
as explained [7].
4.2 TURBULENCE MODEL

Turbulence modeling is indispensable in RANS method. The
model SHIPFLOW uses for the same are the EASM ,
96

MARHY 2014,
5.2 (a) Test 1: Straight Line/Static Drift Test
N vrr X vr The forces and moments obtained from the

.
numerical tests are plotted shown in Figure 6 and 7
The static drift test is carried out to determine the

velocity dependent hydrodynamic derivatives or damping
coefficients
namely X vv , Y v , Yvvv , N v and N vvv . Figure.4
shows the results of the test for various drift angle, in a
numerical static drift test.
Figure 6: Surge force for combined drift and rotation test
Figure 4: Surge force, sway force and yaw moment for static drift test
5.2 (b) Test 2: Rotating Arm Test/Constant Rotation Test

The angular velocity dependent hydrodynamic
derivatives, X rr , Y r , Y rrr , N r and N rrr . are determined by
rotating arm test. The forces and moments from the test are
presented in Figure 5:
Figure 7: Sway force and yaw moment for combined drift and
rotation test
6. NUMERICAL IMPLEMENTATION
Grid independency study using auto mesh property of the
solver was carried out to choose the appropriate mesh set up.
Coarse H-O type structured grid as shown in Figure 8 with
0.39 million cells are used for the computation. Viscous solver
XCHAP is used for the computation. XCHAP is a finite
volume RANS (Reynolds Averaged Navier Stokes) based
solver with EASM turbulence model. The numerical
descritization is done using Roe and central differences
schemes. The time step is local artificial time step that is
added into the equations.
Figure 5: Surge force, sway force and yaw moment for rotating arm
test
5.2 (C) Test 3: Coupled/Combined Test

The combined test is a combination of static drift and
rotating arm test. With this test we can determine the cross
coupled non-linear hydrodynamic derivatives Yvvr , Yvrr , N vvr ,
97

MARHY 2014,
on the trajectory is minimal. Our major concern is the major

importance derivatives which have a solid impact on the
trajectory and these are observed to be within acceptable
range.
Grid independency study was carried out and an appropriate
mesh size (of about 0.39 million cells) was chosen.
The results obtained from CFD simulations and curve fitting
were compared with that available from experiments. Table 2
shows the results comparison of both linear and angular
velocity dependent coupled, uncoupled and cross coupled
hydrodynamic derivative determined using experiments and
that using numerical method.
Table 2 Velocity dependent derivatives for deep water
Derivati
Grading(Str
ves
EXP
CFD
om-Tejsen,
1965)
Static Drift Test
X 'vv
- 0.0372
-0.081
Y 'v
-0.3123
-0.306
Major imp
Y 'vvv
-1.4447
-1.112
Minor imp
N 'v
-0.1375
-0.122
Major imp
-0.0049
-0.059
Rotating Arm test
Minor imp
N 'vvv
Figure 8: Grid on the entire domain of computation and the hull
7. RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

Fifteen of the velocity dependent hydrodynamic derivatives
have been predicted for simulating the vessels trajectory.
Extraction of derivatives is done in three steps:
Modeling and auto-meshing of the model in
SHIPFLOW.
Numerical analysis of the forces and moments
computed using the steady state solver SHIPFLOW
and
Obtaining the hydrodynamic derivatives by curve
fitting the forces and moments obtained from CFD
simulations.
Numerical duplication of the straight line test, rotating arm
test and combined drift and rotating arm tests provides us
with linear and angular velocity dependent hydrodynamic
derivatives. These derivatives have been obtained using the
forces and moments from the steady state computational fluid
dynamics tool. Comparison of the estimated derivatives with
the experimental data shows deviations within the acceptable
range whereas some of the negligible derivatives show higher
deviations which is not of much concern because their effect
Minor imp
Y 'r
0.0587
0.051
Major imp
Y ' rrr
0.0083
0.0034
Negligible
N 'r
-0.048
-0.038
Major imp
N 'rrr
-0.0136
-0.021
Minor imp
-0.0107
-0.009
Combined motion test
Minor imp
Y 'vvr
0.2252
0.1384
Major imp
Y 'vrr
-0.3912
-0.4334
Negligible
N 'vvr
-0.2931
-0.243
Major imp
N 'vrr
0.0544
-0.0286
Negligible
X 'vr
0.223
0.2308
Negligible
X ' rr
8. TRAJECTORY SIMULATION
One of the major steps in assessing the vessels
maneuverability is finding out the trajectory of the vessel. The
98

MARHY 2014,
trajectory is predicted by first order numerical integration of

the equations of motion expressed in terms of acceleration to
obtain velocity and further integration of the velocity to get
the position of the vessel at any instant of time. The in-house
developed MATLAB code for trajectory simulation is used for
predicting the vessels trajectory using the numerically
obtained hydrodynamic derivatives.
The trajectories for KVLCC2 are obtained for calm sea
condition and under the action of environmental loads. The
wind, wave and current are specified constant. There were no
explicit experimental data available for comparison and hence
the effects of environmental loads are compared with the
trajectory obtained in calm sea. The trajectory simulated for
maximum rudder angle of 35 in calm sea, with wave action,
with current ,with wind and when all these loads act together
are presented in detail below in Figure 9,10,11 ,12 and 13
respectively:
Figure 10: Trajectory of the vessel under the action of wave
8.2 CURRENT EFFECT:

The current load [6] with a constant current speed of 0.7m/s is
applied to the motion equation at an angle of c=90 i.e
perpendicular to the X axis axis and the resulting tajectory is
as shown in Figure 11.Refer [6]
.
Figure 9: Turn circle of the vessel for the calm sea condition
8.1 WAVE EFFECT:

The wave effect is studied for an irregular sea considering sea
state 5 [16] to check the effect of wave action on the
trajectory.The ratio /L of 0.127 and a significant wave height
of about 2.7 m was chosen from the sea state conditions.The
wave height has major impact on the vessels drift.Refer [6]
and [12] for further details.
Figure 11 Trajectory of the vessel under the action of wind
8.3 WIND EFFECT:

The wind effect [8] is also computed for a beam wind i.e
(a=90) applied on the vessel at an absolute wind speed of
11 m/s. The trajectory for the above condition is plotted.Refer
[6],[8] [12] for details.
99

MARHY 2014,
Figure 12: Trajectory of the vessel under the action of wind
8.4 COMBINED ENIVORNMENTAL LOADS EFFECT:

The combined effect of all the external forces i.e
wind, wave and current together on the trajectory with the
aforementioned conditions is presented below.
Fifteen velocity dependent hydrodynamic derivatives

have been predicted using steady state RANS based
solver. The four of the major importance
hydrodynamic derivatives are under predicted
whereas the other two are over predicted by a small
margin.
Drift, yaw and combined test were duplicated in a
quasi steady manner. The test gives good prediction
of the trends of forces and moments qualitatively.
The deviation in some derivatives can be attributed to
numerical limitations of the solver observed in the
current version, as also to the meshing characteristics
which can be explored for further improvement of
results. Investigation on the latest version is being
carried out.
The trajectories are predicted for calm sea, wind,
wave and current conditions
The trajectories of the vessel in calm sea condition
attains a steady turning circle whereas the action of
wind or wave or the current drifts the vessel from its
path in the direction of action of the load restricting
the vessel to take a steady turning circle. Beam sea
wind effect is more pronounced compared to wave
and currents.
This kind of prediction leaves the captain with ample
anticipation in the vessel controllability in congested
and restricted areas.
Thus it can be claimed that Steady RANS solver is a
strong tool to provide a preliminary guess on
unsteady maneuverability predictions, implemented
in a quasi steady way.
10. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
We deeply acknowledge Mr. Sharad Dhavalikar (Indian
Register of Shipping) for his valuable inputs and for the
support and timely suggestions.
11. REFERENCES
1.
Figure 13: Trajectory of the vessel under the combined action of
wind, wave and current
2.
The trajectories are only indicative of the effects the

environmental loads can have on the motion of the vessel. The
results could be useful reference for initial design stage in
projecting the vessel behavior at calm as well as other sea
conditions.
3.
4.
9. CONCLUSIONS
Abkowitz, MA (1964) Testing techniques used for

the measurement of hydrodynamic derivatives,
Lectures on Ship Hydrodynamics- Steering and
Manoeuvrability, pp 53-62.
Bertram, V, Practical Ship Hydrodynamics,
Butterworth Publications, pp 151-201. (2000)
Broberg, L, Regnstrom B, and Ostberg M,
SHIPFLOW Theoretical Manual, Gothenburg,
Sweden, FLOWTECH International AB. (2013).
Crane, CL, Eda, H and Landsburg, A
Controllability, Principles of Naval Architecture,
Vol 3, pp 200-258. (1989)
100

MARHY 2014,
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
Cura-Hochbaum, A Prediction of hydrodynamic

coefficients for a passenger ship model,
International Conference in Marine Hydrodynamics,
NSTL, Visakhapatnam, pp 933-942. January 5-7,
(2006)
Carl A Thoresen, Port Designers handbook, Thomas
Teford publication,Chapter 2
Deepti Poojari, Sheeja Janardhanan, A.R Kar,
Maneuverability Assessment of a container ship
Using Steady RANS method, Proceedings of the
Twenty-fourth (2014) International Ocean and Polar
Engineering Conference, Busan, Korea, June 15-20,
2014
H.Yasukawa, T.Hirano, Y.Nakayama, K.K. Koh,
Course Stability and yaw motion of a ship in steady
wind, Journal of Marine Science and Technology
(2012)
ITTC Recommended Procedures, ManeouvrabilityCaptive model test procedure, Proceedings of 23rd
ITTC. (2002)
Janardhanan S and Krishnankutty, P, Estimation of
sway-velocity based hydrodynamic derivatives in
surface ship maneuvering International Journal of
Ocean and Climate Systems, Vol 1, No 3 and 4, pp
167-178. (2010),
Janardhanan S and Krishnankutty P, Prediction of
Ship Maneuvering Hydrodynamic Coefficients Using
Numerical Towing Tank Model Tests, 12th
Numerical Towing Tank Symposium, Cortona,
Tuscany. (2009)
Min-Guk Seo,Yongwan Kim,
Effect of Ship
Motion on Ship Maneuvering in Waves, 26th
International Workshop on water and Floating
Bodies,Athens Greece, 2011
Nonaka, K, Miyazaki, H, Nimura, T, Ueno, M, Hino,
T and Kodama, Y (2000) Calculation of
hydrodynamic forces acting on a ship in maneuvering
motion,
Proceedings
of
MARSIM
2000,
International Conference on Marine Simulation and
Ship /Maneouvring, Orlando, Florida, pp 307-317.
Ohmori, T, Fujino, M and Tatsumi, K A study on
flow field around the ship in maneuvering motion:
flow field around ships hull in steady turning
condition, Journal of the Society of Naval Architects
of Japan, Vol 179, pp 125-138. (1996)
Ohmori,T, Fujino, M and Miyata, H A study on
flow field around full ship forms in maneuvering
motion, Journal of the Society of Naval Architects
of Japan, Vol 176, pp 241-250. (1994)
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Vehicles, Wiley-Interscience Publication, (1978)
SIMMAN (2008). http://www.simman2008.dk/.
Strom-Tejsen, J A digital computer technique for
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the prediction of standard maneuvers of surface

ships, DTRC Report 2130. (1965)
Sulficker, AN, Murali, K, Subramaniam, VA and
Dhinesh, G On the prediction of hydrodynamic
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Offshore mechanics and Arctic Engineering,
Hamburg, June 4-9. (2007)
Toshifumi Fujiwara,Yoshiaki Tsukada,Fumitoshi
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Experimental
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Yoshimura,Ueno,Tsukada, Analysis of steady
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1.
2.
3.
4.
Deepti B Poojari (Deepti.Poojari@irclass.org)

currently holds the position of Assistant Surveyor
(Hydrodynamics
Group-Research
&
Rule
Development division) at Indian Register of
Shipping. She leads the maneuvering research team
and is involved in other consultancy work carried out
in the division.
A V Saj (AV.Saj@irclass.org) is an Assistant
Surveyor (Hydrodynamics Group-Research & Rule
Development division) at Indian Register of
Shipping. He is actively involved in the Maneuvering
Research team.
Sheeja
Janardhanan
(sheejajanardhanan@gmail.com)
is
Associate
Professor in the Department of Mechanical
Engineering, SSET. She has a doctoral degree in
Numerical Ship Hydrodynamics. Formerly she
worked as a Surveyor in the R & D of Indian Register
of Shipping. She is actively involved in numerical
hydrodynamics research
A R Kar (kar@irclass.org) holds the position of
Senior Principal Surveyor at Indian Register of
Shipping. He is the Head of
the Dept of
Hydrodynamics and Risk & Reliability Group-R&D
division
101

, 2014 at IIT Madras,
India
Vol.2 (ISBN: 978-93-80689-22-7)
International
Conference
on-Computational
and Experimental Marine Hydrodynamics
MARHY 2014

HEAVE DAMPING CHARACTERISTICS OF A BUOY FORM SPAR BY CFD SIMULATION AND
EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES
N. Senthil Kumar, Department of Ocean Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, India.
S. Nallayarasu, Department of Ocean Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, India.
ABSTRACT
Spar hulls with standard configuration such as classic Spar with or without heave damping plates have been in use
for several decades. Spar buoy, a deviation from vertical cylinder has been proposed as a support system for oil and
gas exploration. A study to establish the heave damping characteristics of such system has been carried out using
both CFD simulation and experimental studies in a laboratory wave flume. A classic Spar of 31 m diameter and two
buoy form Spars of 20 m and 25 m diameter were considered for investigation. All the Spars have an equal
moonpool diameter of 12.5 m. The Spar hulls have been designed for a topside load of 10000 tonnes with a total
displacement of 65000 tonnes. The displacement and metacentric height were same for all the Spars. The
experimental and the numerical investigation were conducted on a 1: 100 Froude scale model of the spar. The free
decay test was conducted in the wave flume. Numerical investigation of the heave damping was carried out using
STAR-CCM+ software. Three dimensional, shear stress transport (SST) K-omega turbulent viscous regime domain
(of size 2 m 2 m 3 m) with multiphase material mixture (sea water and air), with water depth of 2 m is
considered. Volume of fluid (VOF) method was used to solve the Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS)
equation.
circular hull, the Buoy Form Spars (BFS) and
compared with the classic spar configuration, by CFD
simulation and experimental studies.
NOMENCLATURE
BFS
CFD
DFBI
DOF
EXP
KC
PIV
RANS
SST
VIM
VOF
Added mass in heave motion

Restoring stiffness in heave motion
Displaced mass of the spar
Natural heave period of the spar
Density of Water
Radius of the spar hull
Radius of the moonpool
Draft of the spar
Buoy Form Spar
Computational fluid dynamics
Dynamic fluid-body interaction
Degrees of freedom
Experiment results
Keulegan-Carpenter number
Particle image velocimetry
Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes
SST Menter turbulent model
Vortex-induced motion
Volume of fluid
2. LITERATURE REVIEW
CFD free decay simulation was performed in the Spar
with appurtenances in sway direction to verify the
natural period [3]. The flow domain is considered up
to the free surface corresponds to the top of the spar
hull. The top surface of the domain is assigned with
free slip boundary condition and wall function is
used to describe the flow adjacent to the model to
achieve 'no slip' condition. The sway natural period
from CFD match well with the experiment.
CFD free and forced oscillation test on the individual
components of a spar platform (like heave plate, truss
assembly etc.,) were performed to compute the
Morison coefficients [4]. In the free decay test, the
structure is modeled as a suspension spring system in
single degree of freedom. The mass and the spring
stiffness were adjusted to match with the natural
period. Single and multiple plates with and without
holes were considered for the study. CFD forced
oscillation test were compared with experiment. The
difference in estimated coefficients was significant for
KC < 0.5 and for higher KC values the coefficients
match well.
1. INTRODUCTION
Heave motion of spar hull is one of the governing
parameter in deciding the acceptability of a platform
operation. The hydrodynamic response (heave) of the
spar platforms can be reduced by decreasing the water
plane area and/or increasing the draft, the added mass
[1]. The hydrodynamic response characteristic of noncircular spar hulls with experimental and numerical
investigation proved that non-circular hulls forms
(octagonal and hexagonal) are effective in reducing the
pitch response but the heave remains the same as the
circular hull form [2].
CFD free and forced oscillation test were performed in

Spar models with and without heave plate to
investigate the damping characteristics in heave DOF
[5]. The CFD added mass compares well, and are 5 to
20 % less than the experimental results. Also the
viscous flow and the vortex pattern were simulated
with CFD. The flow patterns match well with particle
image velocimetry (PIV) experiment.
In the present paper, an attempt is made to investigate

the heave damping characteristics of the spar with
curved cross section near the water plane area with
1
102

MARHY 2014
CFD free decay test were performed on a barge in

surge, sway and yaw DOF to compute the added mass
and damping characteristics [6]. The flow domain is
considered up to the free surface corresponds to the top
of the barge. The CFD underestimate the surge
damping by 30 % at higher amplitude oscillations.
The principal parts of the spar are the topside deck,

hard tank, mid-section and soft tank. Typically, a deep
water drilling and production platform may have a
topside load of 10,000 tonnes. Hence, a payload of
10,100 tonnes is assumed for the design of the spar at a
water depth of 200m.
Latest CFD works on framing the guidelines for CFD

simulations of Spar VIM using STAR-CCM+
suggested three ways to simulate the motions of Spar:
Overset mesh, Dynamic fluid-body interaction (DFBI)
and Mesh morphing [7]. In overset mesh approach,
the mesh around the model is considered as a separate
domain and the mesh is connected to the domain by
grid-grid interface. The overset mesh is defined with 6
DOF and the domain mesh is stationary. The DFBI
approach uses the moving mesh technique, where the
entire mesh moves along with the model without mesh
distortion. This method is applicable when the body
rotations are expected to be small. In the mesh
morphing method, the mesh near the vicinity of the
moving object is distorted to allow the motion. In the
present paper the CFD simulations were performed
combining the overset and DFBI approach.
The classic spar is a deep draft, constant diameter,

hollow cylindrical floating vessel. The buoy form spar
is a cylindrical floating vessel with varying diameter
near the water plane area with deep draft. The models
were fabricated to 1:100 Froude scale using Acrylic
material. Here "CS-31" refers to a classic spar with 31
cm diameter; "BFS-25" and "BFS-20" refers to the
deep draft buoy form spars with 25 cm and 20 cm
diameter at the water plane respectively. The geometry
and static stability parameters for the scale models are
summarized in Table 1.
15 m
103 m &
105 m
Hence it can be deduced that only limited studies have

been carried out on the free decay test in heave DOF of
the spar.
200 m
3. PROPOSED SPAR CONFIGURATION

Table 1: Geometry and static stability
parameters of the spar scale models
Figure 1: Proposed deep draft buoy form

4. EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION
Description
Prototype
Draft (m)
100
Water depth (m)
200
Froude Scale 1:100
CS-31
1.00
BFS25
BFS20
1.03
1.05
2.00
1000 kg/m3
Water density
Diameter of the
spar(m)
31.0
0.31
Free board (m)
15.0
0.15
12.5
0.125
Moonpool
diameter (m)
Waterplane
diameter (m)
The experimental investigations were carried out in a

laboratory wave flume at the Department of Ocean
Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Madras,
Tamil Nadu, India. The wave flume is 72.5 m long, 2m
wide and 2.7 m deep. The Spar model is installed at 15
m from the wave maker with a mooring system
comprising of four slack mooring lines, 90 degrees
apart. One end of each mooring line is connected to the
fairleader points (exactly in between center of gravity
and center of buoyancy) on the Spar model and the
other end to a rigid concrete block placed at floor.
Water depth of 2.0m was maintained constantly
throughout the experimental investigation.
31.0
0.31
0.25
Displacement
63200t
63.200 kg
Pay load
10100t
10.100 kg
Self weight +
steel Ballast (kg)
0.20
40.10
36.06
40.90
KB (m)
50.0
0.50
0.5021
0.5009
KG (m)
45.0
0.45
0.4521
0.4509
GM (m)
5.0
The measurement of heave accelerations is carried out

using accelerometer mounted on the deck of Spar
model, as shown in Figure 2. The wave surface
elevation was measured with a resistance-type wave
probe placed at a distance of 1.5 m from the model on
the seaside to measure wave surface elevation. The
measured responses were recorded in a digital
computer via A/D converter. The sampling rate of data
acquisition was set to 25Hz in regular wave test.
0.05
2
103

MARHY 2014
The mesh size varies approximately from 6.22 lakhs to
6.51 lakhs control volumes. The spar surface is first
meshed with "Surface remesher" option, which
remeshes and improves the quality of the surface mesh
and optimize it for the volume mesh. The domain
volume is meshed with "Trimmer" option. This
generates structured hexahedral mesh, trimmed with
the spar surface which improves the quality of the
volume mesh near the curved buoy form surface.
"Overset mesh" option is used to have spar body with
the surrounding volume and background domain as
separate volume with overlapping meshes. The overset
mesh region is treated as a separate volume which can
be translated without affecting the background domain.
This option is useful to translate the model in heave
direction without altering the domain mesh, and hence
ease the parametric and mesh optimization studies.
The space near the water surface is fine meshed by
modeling "volume shape" of 10 cm above and below
the water surface. The mesh optimization studies were
carried out by modeling additional "volume shapes"
such that the control volumes near the spar model will
have fine size mesh and the volumes near the wall
have the coarse mesh as shown in figure 4. The
dynamic fluid structure interaction motion with six
degrees of freedom is specified. To study the free
oscillation characteristics in heave motion, the other
degrees of freedoms were also kept active to ensure the
quality and stability of the model.
Figure 2: Experimental setup

Free decay tests were conducted to obtain the damping
ratio for the heave motion in the Froude scale models
by
Logarithmic
decrement
method.
Initial
displacement is given to the model. The maximum
radiated wave elevation generated due to buoy form
spar oscillation, measured at 1.5 m from the buoy was
less than 2 mm. Hence the side wall effects are
negligible.
Free decay test is conducted by translating the spar in

heave direction. Three tests were conducted by giving
translations 3 cm, 5 cm and 7 cm.
Figure 3: Free decay test - Radiated wave elevation Experiment - measured at 1.5 m from "BFS-25" model
5. CFD SIMULATION
The CFD simulation was carried out in STAR-CCM+
software. The software solves the Reynolds Averaged
Navier-Stokes (RANS) equation by Volume of fluid
(VOF) method. The density is assumed invariant
throughout the Eulerian multiphase fluid (water and
air) domain. A square domain of length 2 m, width 2 m
and depth 3 m is considered. A water depth of 2 m is
considered by specifying position variable in "field
function" option. This function is assigned to the
volume fraction in water phase. This method is
superior to the "VOF wave" method of defining water
hence the later method requires a larger domain, since
the pressure outlet has to be defined for the 'flat wave'.
Relatively smaller domain can be used when defining
the water level with field function option with pressure
outlet at the top surface with 100% air phase.
Symmetric boundary condition is applied at front and
back walls (XX axis). The side walls were defined
with wall boundary (YY axis).
Figure 4: CFD Simulation - Domain showing Mesh

with Volume fraction of Water.
6. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
6.1 VALIDATION
The radiated wave elevation are measured on XX and
YY axis at 25 cm from the origin, i.e, model center, to
ensure the presence of standing wave in the model
vicinity. The maximum wave height is 5.8 mm. The
radiated wave amplitude is small and damp well within
the tank boundaries, both in experiment and CFD
3
104

MARHY 2014
simulations. Hence no significant standing wave effect
was observed within the considered simulation time 7
s, the considered domain size is valid.
Table 2: Heave natural period

Models
Experiment
CFD
% difference
CS-31
BFS-25
BFS-20
2.4
2.58
3.63
2.4
2.61
3.67
0.0
1.16
1.0
Heave natural period,
The heave displacement plots from the CFD were

validated with the experimental results to ascertain its
accuracy. The CFD plots follow the same pattern and
trend as that of the experiment, as shown in Figure 6
and 7.
8.0
EXP initial displacement = 3.20 cm; damping ratio = 2.67 %
Heave damping ratio (%)
Heave displacement (cm)
3.0
1.0
Equation: 1
6.2
EFFECT OF GEOMENTRY ON HEAVE
DAMPING RATIO
CFD initial displacement = 3.00 cm; damping ratio = 2.45 %
-1.0
For the buoy form spars the restoring stiffness are

lower due to the reduction in water plane area. Hence
the natural period of the buoy form spars are higher
than the classic spar. Also the added mass for the buoy
form spars were higher than the classic spar due to the
sustained water in the neck.
Figure 5: Free decay test - Radiated wave elevation CFD - on XX and YY axis measured at 0.25 m from
origin for "BFS-25" model
5.0
( )
EXP-CS 31
CFD-CS 31
7.0
EXP-BFS 25
CFD-BFS 25
6.0
EXP-BFS 20
CFD-BFS 20
5.0
4.0
3.0
2.0
1.0
-3.0
0.0
2
4
5
6
Initial Heave displacement (cm)
-5.0
Time (s)
Figure 8: Heave damping ratio
Figure 6: Free decay test - Buoy form spar - BFS-25
The heave damping ratios predicted by CFD were

lesser than the experimental result. For the Classic spar
the damping ratio from CFD reduce by 3 to 9% and for
the buoy form spars BFS-25 and BFS-20 it reduces by
8 to 10% and 10 to 15% respectively. This may be due
to the curvature effects of the buoy form spars near
water plane. Also the difference in the damping ratio is
least for 3 cm initial displacement, and increases with
the increase in the initial displacement.
6.3 EFFECT OF GEOMENTRY ON ADDED MASS
In the free decay test, the hydrodynamic parameters
decay with time. Also In buoy form spars, the heave
restoring stiffness is non linear, since the cross section
of the hull at the water plane is non linear, due to the
curved profile. Integrating the hydrodynamic pressure
can yield time dependent added mass. Hence the added
mass is determined by approximate method.
Figure 7: Free decay test - Buoy form spar - BFS-25

The heave natural period computed from CFD and
experiment match well.
4
105

MARHY 2014
hemisphere mass of water below the water line
(deducting the volume of hull and moonpool) for the
buoy form spars. The calculated added masses are 6.91
kg and 8.41 kg for 25 cm and 20 cm diameter buoy
form spar respectively.
Newman calculated the axial added mass (heave for

spar), by numerical investigation on a semi-infinite
cylinder as 2.064r3, where is the mass density of the
fluid and r is the radius of cylinder [8]. The heave
added mass of a classic spar without moonpool can be
approximated to the mass of an inverted hemisphere
below the keel. The heave added mass of a classic spar
with moonpool can be assumed in the following ways
according to the moonpool behavior:
7. CONCLUSION
The heave damping characteristics of a classic and two
buoy form spars were investigated by CFD simulation
and experimental studies.
Bottom closed, unbounded fluid

Bottom open, unbounded fluid
Bottom open, surface piercing
The CFD heave damping ratios are less than

the experiment by 2% to 15% for the initial
displacement ranging from 3cm to 7 cm.
The heave natural period and the free decay
plot trend of CFD simulation match well with
the experiment.
CFD fluid velocity plots can be used to
predict the added mass pattern.
8. REFERENCES
1.
2.
Figure 9: CFD - Classic spar - Fluid Velocity plot
CFD velocity plot of the multiphase fluid (water and
air), Figure 9, clearly shows that the water below the
moonpool is not disturbed in the test. Hence the
theoretical added mass for the classic spar is calculated
as 5.31 kg by bottom open and surface piercing
formula given by
= ( )
3.
4.
Equation: 2
Added mass
5.
6.
Figure 10: CFD - Buoy form spar - Fluid Velocity plot
Figure 10, CFD velocity plot of the multiphase fluid,
shows that added mass can be computed assuming a
HASLUM H. A, AND FALTINSEN O. M.,

'Alternative shape of Spar platforms for use in
Hostile
Areas',
Offshore
Technology
Conference (OTC 10953) - Houston, Texas,
1999.
MUTHUSELVI THANGAM. K, AND
NALLAYARASU
S.,
'Hydrodynamic
response characteristic of non-circular spar
hulls', Journal of Ship Technology - Vol. 6(2)pp.119, 2010.
ATLURI, S. HALKYARD, J. AND
SIRNIVAS S., 'CFD simulation of truss spar
vortex-induced motion', Proceedings of 25th
International Conference on Offshore
Mechanics
and
Arctic
Engineering,
Hamburg, Germany, 2006.
ATLURI,
S.,
MAGEE,
A.,
AND
LAMBRAKOS, K., 'CFD as a design tool for
hydrodynamic loading on offshore structures',
Proceedings of the ASME 2009 28th
International Conference on Ocean, Offshore
and Arctic Engineering, Honolulu, Hawaii,
USA, 2009.
NIMMY
THANKOM
PHILIP,
NALLAYARASU
S.
AND
BHATTACHARYYA
S.K.,
'Damping
characteristics of Heave plates attached to
Spar hull', Proceedings of ASME 2012 31st
and Arctic Engineering (OMAE2012) Brazil,
2012
ALESSIO PISTIDDA, HARALD OTTENS
AND RICHARD ZOONTJES, 'Using CFD to
assess low frequency damping', Proceedings
of ASME 2012 31st International Conference
on Ocean, Offshore and Arctic Engineering
(OMAE2012) Brazil, 2012
106

MARHY 2014
7.
8.
CHARLES
LEFEVRE,
YIANNIS
CONSTANTINIDES, JANG WHAN KIM,
MIKE HENNEKE, ROBERT GORDON,
HYUNCHUL JANG, GUANGYU WU,
'Guidelines for CFD simulations of spar
VIM', Proceedings of ASME 2013 32st
and Arctic Engineering (OMAE2013) France,
2013
NEWMAN J. N, 'Transient axisymmetric
motion of a floating cylinder', Journal of
Fluid Mechanics, Vol. 157, pp. 17-33, 1985
N. Senthil Kumar is a research scholar in the
Department of Ocean Engineering, Indian Institute of
Technology Madras, Chennai, 600036. India
(email:nsktamil@gmail.com)
S. Nallayarasu is a Professor at Department of Ocean
Chennai, 600036. India (email:nallay@iitm.ac.in)
107

International
Conference
Computational
Experimental Marine
Dec. , 2014 at
IIT Madras,on
India
- Vol.2 (ISBN:and
978-93-80689-22-7)
Hydrodynamics,
MARHY 2014,
CFD SIMULATION AND EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES ON FREQUENCY AND

AMPLITUDE DEPENDENCY OF HEAVE DAMPING OF SPAR HULL WITH AND
WITHOUT HEAVE PLATE
J. Mahesh Rao, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, India
S. Nallayarasu, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, India
S. K. Bhattacharyya, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, India
ABSTRACT
The present work is aimed at CFD simulation and experimental study on frequency and amplitude dependency of
heave damping of Spar hulls by forced oscillation along heave direction in calm water condition. Conventionally,
the heave damping is obtained by free decay test of a scale model which gives damping only at the heave natural
frequency, but the damping at frequencies other than natural frequency cannot be determined by this method. So the
forced heave oscillation of Froude scaled Spar models were conducted in calm water condition over a range of
frequencies and amplitudes of oscillation and the forces were measured along the heave direction to calculate added
mass and damping from the equation of motion. The experimental investigations were performed on a classic Spar
model with and without heave plate in a laboratory wave flume. The CFD simulations were carried out in a
numerical tank using commercial CFD software. The measured heave force is compared with that obtained from
CFD simulation. Further, the added mass and damping coefficient have been calculated by solving equation of
motion from both experiment and simulation using the forces and heave motion as input. The amplitude and
frequency dependency of heave added mass and heave damping for spar with and without heave plate are presented
and discussed.
KEYWORDS: Forced heave oscillation; CFD; heave added mass; heave damping ratio; heave plate.
NOMENCLATURE
Abbreviations
BDC
Bottom Dead Center
CFD
Computational Fluid Dynamics
MAE Mean Absolute Error
PIV
Particle Image Velocimetry
RANS Reynolds-Averaged Navier Stokes
SDOF Six Degrees of Freedom
SST
Shear Stress Transport
TDC
Top Dead Center
TLP
Tension Leg Platform
UDF
User Defined Function
Notations
Area of water plane (m2)
Heave damping coefficient (N-s m-1)
Frequency parameter
Added mass coefficient
Drag Coefficient
Diameter of Spar (m)
Radial mesh size (mm)
Azimuthal mesh size (mm)
Time interval between two successive
measurements (s)
Normal mesh size (mm)
Damping ratio
Frequency of oscillation (Hz)
External force (N)
Drag force (N)
Combined added inertia and damping force

(N)
Acceleration due to gravity (m s-2)
Keulegan Carpenter number

Mass of scaled model (kg)
Heave added mass (kg)
Theoretical heave added mass (kg)
Kinematic viscosity (ms-2)
Angular frequency of oscillation (rad s-1)
Natural frequency (rad s-1)
Damped Natural frequency
Phase shift (s)
Reynolds number
Projected Area obstructing the flow (m2)
Time (s)
Time period of oscillation (s)
Amplitude of heave oscillation (m)
Displacement, velocity and acceleration in
heave direction (m)
Adjacent peaks in heave displacement time
history of free decay test (m)
1. INTRODUCTION
Spar is a floating offshore structure with deep draft and
is designed in such a way that their heave natural
frequency is away from wave frequency. Its low heave
response characteristics, protected center well and
applicability over a large range of water depths have
ensured its success over the last decade. However at
severe metocean conditions, (since the heave natural
period is the lowest among six degrees of freedom for
spar) heave responses can be large, leading to
increased downtime in production and drilling risers.

Copyright 2014 by IIT Madras, Chennai, India and the RINA, UK1
108

MARHY 2014,
After the research conducted by Cavaleri et al.[1] on
the effect of heave damping plate at keel of a spar buoy
to reduce the heave response by increasing heave
added mass and damping coefficient, heave plates have
been used as damping elements in spar buoys and other
deep draft floating structures like TLPs. Newman [2]
studied floating vertical cylinder and theorized that the
heave added mass is mainly due to the mass of the
fluid entrapped by the bottom surface of the cylinder in
the form of a hemisphere. By introduction of heave
plate at keel, heave added mass increases since the
volume entrapped increases, which shifts the natural
frequency away from operating wave frequency range
such that the responses are less. The increase in heave
damping is mainly due energy dissipation by vortex
generation and vortex shedding around the edges of
heave plates which reduce heave response at resonant
region.
Usually the hydrodynamic coefficients such as added
mass and damping of any floating offshore structure is
obtained only at natural frequency from free decay test
of a scaled model and it is assumed to be constant with
respect to frequency for most of the potential flow
analysis, despite the structure is subjected to operate at
wave frequencies other than the natural frequency.
Hence the damping obtained experimentally from free
decay test of a floating body is split into viscous
damping (from vortex generation and vortex shedding)
and radiation damping (from radiated wave) and the
viscous damping is given as an additional input to the
potential flow codes to numerically simulate total
damping (Nallayarasu et al.) [3]. Because of the
assumption of constant viscous damping, the predicted
responses deviate slightly away from actual responses
of the floating structure. Even though some potential
flow codes can be given manual inputs of
hydrodynamic coefficients as a function of frequency
from experiments or theoretical relations involving
impulse response functions proposed by Newman [2],
the code by itself cannot account for viscous effects of
the fluid.
From literature it is evident that two main nondimensional parameters are responsible in governing
the flow around an oscillating bluff body in heave
mode, namely Keulegan Carpenter number (KC
number) and parameter which are defined in
equation (1) and (2) respectively.
(1)
(2)
body (diameter of spar for spar without heave plate and

diameter of heave plate otherwise) as shown in
equation (3), where the terms inside parenthesis is
maximum velocity in a cycle during forced oscillation.
Thiagarajan et al. [4],[5] have performed forced heave
oscillation of vertical cylinder without and with
appendages at natural frequency, in calm water
condition and at different amplitude of oscillation to
study the increase in damping and amplitude
dependency of hydrodynamic coefficients. Damping
coefficient was found to follow a linearly increasing
trend with increase in KC number and remained almost
constant for added mass. Flow visualization using
Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) technique was used
to study the flow field, around the sharp edges of the
vertical cylinder without and with appendages to
understand the phenomenon of vortex formation and
vortex shedding, which is responsible for increase in
damping by Lake et al.[6] and Tao et al.[7].
Extension of such work to numerical simulations were
also performed by Tao et al.[5],[7] and [8] by solving
Navier Stokes equation to compare the numerical flow
field with actual flow field obtained from flow
visualization and to study different vortex generation
and shedding regimes and the effect of thickness of
heave plate. Dependencies of hydrodynamic
coefficient on the amplitude and frequency of
oscillation were studied by Li et al [9] but for porous
heave plates and a marginal increase with respect to
frequency was reported for both Ca and Cd. CFD was
used as an effective tool by Atluri et al.[10] for
predicting the hydrodynamic coefficients from forces
acting on heave plate under forced oscillation relating
to its application on truss spar. Heave response of spar
model was determined experimentally with different
heave plate configurations and forces acting on a
restrained spar models were used to calculate
hydrodynamic coefficients by Philip et al. [11], [12]
and CFD was also used as a tool to estimate the
horizontal and vertical forces acting on a restrained
spar models.
Most of past experiments on forced oscillation were
concentrated only at natural frequency and some with
the presence of current. In order to determine the
frequency dependency of hydrodynamic coefficients
by accounting for the viscous effects, CFD simulations
of forced heave oscillation of spar with and without
heave plate were performed. And these numerical
results are validated with experiments that were
conducted in wave flume laboratory, at Indian Institute
of Technology Madras.
2. EXPERIMENTAL SETUP
(3)
The product of KC and parameter gives the Reynolds

number based on the characteristic dimension of bluff
The Spar hull with and without damping plate, scaled

at a ratio of 1:100, based on Froude scaling were
chosen for study. The details of the models are given in
Table 1 and the models are fabricated in Perspex

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MARHY 2014,
material. The displacement and forces acting upwards
along z axis are taken as positive.
Table 1: Details of the models chosen for study
Parameters
Prototype
Mass (kg)
3017735
(3018 tons)
10
38.5
60
10
14.15
19.25
5.26
Diameter (m)
Draft (m)
Water depth (m)
Freeboard (m)
KG (m)
KB (m)
GM (m)
Heave Plate
Diameter (m)
Thickness (m)
---
Model
Spar
Spar with
without
heave
heave
plate
plate
3.018
3.018
0.1
0.385
0.6
0.1
0.1415
0.1925
0.0526
0.1
0.385
0.6
0.1
0.141
0.1892
0.0498
---
0.15
0.003
force applied externally by actuator to the model can

be measured. This external force is the sum of inertial
and hydrodynamic forces acting on the spar model.
Accelerometer is used to measure the motion provided
to the model. Two wave gauges, one at 0.3 m and other
at 0.5 m from the center of the spar, along the same
direction as shown in the schematic diagram [Figure 1]
were used to measure radiated wave elevations
generated from the heave oscillation of spar models.
The details of the instruments used are given in Table
2.
2.1 FREE HEAVE OSCILLATION

The free decay tests of spar with and without heave
plate were conducted at wave flume of dimensions:
length, breadth and height, 20 m 0.6 m 0.8 m with
the model kept at the center. A single axis
accelerometer with its sensing axis vertically up was
used to measure heave acceleration, from which the
heave displacement is obtained from numerical
integration. The free decay was performed for different
initial displacement ranging from 1 cm to 3.5 cm by
pushing the model down and releasing it gently to
undergo free heave oscillations at damped natural
frequency.
The natural period, added mass and damping
coefficient were determined using logarithmic
decrement method, by considering first four peaks, for
which the equations are shown below.
( )
Figure 1: Schematic diagram of experimental setup

Table 2: Details of devices and instruments used for
forced oscillation test
Device /
Sensor
Vertical
electro
mechanical
actuator
Single axis
piezo-electric
accelerometer
Single
component Ztype force
transducer
Input /
Measurement
Sensitivity
Range
Prescribed
Sinusoidal
Motion
--
15 cm
(total
sweep)
Heave
acceleration
1000 mV/g
5g
Vertical Force
33.33
m/m/N
100 N
(~10
kg)
Radiated wave
elevation
--
25 cm
(4)
Wave Gauges
(5)
The spar models were oscillated in heave mode at time

period of oscillation ranging from 0.75 s to 2 s at
intervals of 0.125 s corresponding to frequency
ranging from 0.5 Hz to 1.33 Hz and for amplitudes
ranging from 1.5 cm to 3.5 cm in steps of 1 cm. A
sampling frequency of 100 Hz was used to acquire data
from the instruments through a data acquisition
system, ensuring at least 75 samples per cycle for time
period of oscillation of 0.75 s. A Butterworth 5 Hz low
pass filter was used to remove noise from acceleration
data, which was then used to determine velocity and
displacement by using numerical integration technique.
The experimental setup for forced oscillation is shown
in Figure 2.
(6)
2.2 FORCED HEAVE OSCILLATION

The forced oscillation of the spar hulls at calm water
condition, were also performed at the same facility. A
vertically mounted actuator kept at the center of the
flume, was used to provide sinusoidal motion of
specified amplitude and frequency to the spar model.
The spar hull and actuator are connected through a
single component z-type force transducer, so that the

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MARHY 2014,
used with implicit body force in addition to pressure
based RANS solver.
3.1 MESH SENSITIVITY STUDY
Figure 2: Experimental setup for forced heave

oscillation
The obtained motion parameters and forces are used to
solve the equation of motion [equation (7)] for forced
heave oscillation of Spar hulls. The two unknowns
(heave added mass and heave damping coefficient) in
rearranged equation of motion [equation (8)] can be
determined by considering two adjacent time samples
tn and tn+1 corresponding to equation (9) and (10) with
the assumption that the change in hydrodynamic
coefficient is small for a small t (tn+1 tn). The known
terms on the right hand side of the equation (8) are
replaced by a term which is combined added inertia
and damping force.
(
) ( )
( )
( )
(
( )
( )
)
)
(7)
( )
( )
( )
(
(8)
( )
( )
)
The mesh sensitivity study for cylindrical inner domain

was performed by monitoring the maximum
hydrodynamic force (Fhyd) acting on Spar with heave
plate within a single cycle. Since the flow complexity
is more at higher Reynolds numbers, the highest
Reynolds number in the test matrix was chosen for
mesh sensitivity study. Hence if the flow complexities
are properly captured by the converged mesh for this
particular case, then the same mesh size can be
adopted for other smaller Reynolds number. So the
Spar with heave plate undergoing forced heave
oscillation at za = 3.5 cm and tp = 0.75 s corresponding
to maximum Reynolds number (Re = 42615) was
chosen for mesh sensitivity study. The mesh size is
first varied in the normal direction (direction along
heave oscillation) from coarse to fine mesh to
determine optimum normal mesh size (z). After
optimizing the mesh in normal direction, convergence
study is performed on radial mesh size (r) and
azimuthal mesh size (), which led to optimized mesh
size of 5 mm for both normal and radial directions near
the model. However the azimuthal mesh size did not
have much effect on the monitored parameter, so 18
divisions per quadrant was chosen as optimal .
(9)
)
(10)
3. NUMERICAL STUDY
Figure 3: Schematic diagram of computational domain

used for simulation of free and forced heave oscillation
The free decay and forced heave oscillation of Spar

hull scale model with and without heave plate, in calm
water condition were simulated using commercial CFD
software, ANSYS Fluent. The 3D simulations were
carried out on a cuboid shaped numerical tank of size 2
m 0.6 m 0.8 m with a cylindrical inner domain of
radius 0.25 m. The computational domain were
modeled and meshed with the spar hull at the center of
the domain using meshing software, GAMBIT. A
dynamic mesh is used for both free and forced
oscillation, where the mesh moves like a spring, to
simulate the moving model and the simulations were
started from quiescent state. To simulate the free
surface and the presence of two phases (air and water)
inside the domain, Volume of Fluid (VOF) model was
The radial mesh size distribution is made finer in the

vicinity of spar model and coarser outwards to obtain
better resolution of the flow parameters like velocity
and pressure near the oscillating model. To capture the
radiated waves, a finer mesh zone of 80 mm height is
used with the undisturbed free surface at its center and
with a normal direction mesh size, z = 1 mm. Three
nodes are used along the thickness of the heave plate.
The schematic diagram of domain used is shown in
Figure 3 and the sectional view of un-deformed 3D
dynamic mesh at cut plane ZX used for simulations is
shown in Figure 4. The total number of cells used for
simulation was 8.6 105.

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MARHY 2014,
4. RESULTS
4.1 FREE HEAVE DECAY
Figure 4: Mesh used for free and forced oscillation in

heave
It is necessary to use appropriate turbulence model as a
closure model for RANS equation, so the simulated
force is compared with the experimental force within a
single cycle for three turbulence models, namely
laminar, Realizable k- and SST k- and it was found
that SST k- model gives close comparison with that
of experiment.
The sample heave displacement time history for free

decay tests for spar without heave plate and spar with
heave plate are shown in Figure 5 (i) and (ii)
respectively. It is observed from Figure 5 that the
introduction of heave plate at keel damps the heave
motion. The damping coefficients for different initial
displacement are shown in Figure 6 and as the added
mass and natural period remained fairly constant for
different initial displacement, the average values are
shown in Table 3.
3.2 FREE DECAY SIMULATION

For free decay of spar models in pure heave mode the
Six Degree Of Freedom (SDOF) properties such as
mass, moment of inertia and center of gravity of the
model are specified using a User Defined Function
(UDF). A time-step of 0.001 s was used with 20
maximum inner iterations and the free decay
simulation were performed for physical time of 15 s.
The free decay motion of the spar is obtained by area
weighted averaging of the coordinates of the surface
mesh on the spar model.
(i)
Spar without heave plate
3.3 FORCED HEAVE SIMULATION

For forced oscillation, a rigid body motion modelled
with a gradually increasing sinusoidal displacement
which becomes purely sinusoidal after 3 s as given in
equation (11) was imposed on Spar models using a
UDF to avoid transient shoot-ups and sudden changes
at the beginning of the simulation.
( )
(11)
The forces acting on the model from the simulation is

obtained by integrating the pressure and shear forces
on the surface of spar model along the vertical
direction. The same time step size was used as that of
free oscillation simulation and the simulations were
performed for 10 cycles. All the combinations of
frequency and amplitudes were analyzed both
experimentally and numerically and the results are
presented in non-dimensional form of Ca and . While
analyzing, the first 3 cycles were omitted from the time
record so that the specified motion becomes purely
sinusoidal in nature.
(ii)
Spar with heave plate
Figure 5: Free decay test results comparison
The free decay simulation results of spar without heave
plate matches very well with that of experiment as
shown in Table 3 but for spar with heave plate the
added mass is slightly overestimated because of which
a small over estimation of natural period is observed.
On the other hand, the damping ratio from CFD
simulations provided a good match with the damping
ratios from experiment for both the models. The

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MARHY 2014,
damping ratio increases almost linearly with initial
displacement and the slope is more for spar with heave
plate.
accelerates at varying degrees. The time dependency of

the damping could be due to the vortex formation and
vortex shedding happening at the sharp edges of the
hull.
Table 3: Added mass and natural period comparison

Model
Spar without
heave plate
Spar with
heave plate
Added mass (kg)

Expt
CFD
Natural period (s)

Expt
CFD
0.2771
0.3236
1.30
1.31
0.926
1.212
1.423
1.473
The instantaneous damping ratios of the models

obtained at up-crossing of displacement (model moves
upwards) were lesser than those obtained from down
crossing (model moving down) for both the cases. This
is because both the oscillating models are not
symmetric about the plane perpendicular to plane of
oscillation. Less frontal area is offered to the direction
of motion, when the model moves up for Spar with
heave plate and hence there is less damping coefficient
at up-crossing than down-crossing.
Figure 6: Damping ratio vs. initial displacement

4.2 FORCED HEAVE OSCILLATION
It was observed during experiment that the radiated
wave elevation arising from forced heave oscillation of
spar models were of the order of few millimeters
which is in-line with the observations made by
Thiagarajan et al. [4], indicating that damping other
than viscous damping, like radiation damping is not of
comparable scale, or in other words insignificant. If the
spar undergoes pitch, then the change in water plane
area may lead to a significant radiation damping in
pitch mode, radiating larger waves to the surroundings.
The restrictions in the domain size is not experienced
by the computed flow, since the radiated wave
elevations are of the same order as observed in
experiments for almost all the cases and the radiated
waves die out soon before reaching the side walls.
Figure 7: Time series of displacement, force, added

mass coefficient and damping ratio for a single cycle
for spar without heave plate oscillating at za = 3.5 cm
and tp = 0.75 s
4.2 (a) Instantaneous Damping Ratio and Added Mass

Coefficient
The sample comparison of experimental and simulated
values of forces and the hydrodynamic coefficient
obtained from the equation of motion are shown within
a single cycle in Figure 7 for spar without heave plate
and Figure 8 for spar with heave plate. It was observed
from that the time series that both damping ratio and
added mass coefficient is time dependent in nature.
This time dependency of added mass can be attributed
to the fact that the fluid particles around the body
Figure 8: Time series of displacement, force, added

mass coefficient and damping ratio for a single cycle
for spar with heave plate oscillating at za = 3.5 cm and
tp = 1.5 s
The same reasoning holds good for spar without heave
plate also but when moving up, only the vortex formed

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MARHY 2014,
at keel and viscous stress side walls of spar are
responsible for resisting the motion and hence the
experimentally obtained damping ratio in up-crossings
are less than that of down-crossings. When the model
moves down more damping is offered by the fluid to
the model for both the cases, but the magnitude being
more for spar with heave plate case.
4.2 (b) Dependency on Amplitude
Even though the instantaneous added mass coefficient
and damping ratio gives the insight on instantaneous
characteristics of the model, the average added mass
coefficient and average damping ratio over a cycle is
used as a representative value which helps in
evaluating the frequency and amplitude dependencies
of the hydrodynamic coefficients.
Figure 10: Damping ratio variation with amplitude of

heave oscillation (points connected by dashed lines
indicate experimentally obtained values)
4.2 (c) Dependency on Frequency
Figure 9: Added mass coefficient variation with

amplitude of heave oscillation (points connected by
dashed lines indicate experimentally obtained values)
An increasing trend in added mass coefficient with the
increase in amplitude of heave oscillation is observed
from Figure 9. The added mass of classic spar remains
fairly constant with respect to amplitude and a
marginal increase is noticed as time period of
oscillation increases. For spar with heave plate, slope
of the increasing trend of added mass coefficient is
more than that of spar without heave plate. For both
the models the intercept keeps increasing marginally
with increase in time period of oscillation.
An increasing trend is observed for the damping ratio
variation with respect to amplitude of oscillation
(Figure 10) from forced oscillation similar to that of
the damping ratio variation with initial displacement
from free decay (Figure 6).
The damping ratios observed for spar without heave
plate at low frequency oscillations appear to be too
low. This may be due to the small combined added
inertia force and damping force ( ) acting at stiffness
dominated low frequency region.
Figure 11: Added mass coefficient variation with

frequency of heave oscillation (points connected by
dashed lines indicate experimentally obtained values)
The added mass coefficient gradually reduces with
increase in frequency and then remains fairly constant
after the natural frequency of the model as seen in
Figure 11. A small peak in added mass for both models
were observed at low frequency region which was also
observed in potential flow simulations carried out by
Alves et al. [13], showing that this particular
phenomenon is free of viscous effects i.e., both from
the solid to fluid friction and fluid to fluid friction as
well. This constant mean added mass with respect to
frequency can be related to the mass of the fluid
entrapped by a sphere for spar with heave plate and
hemisphere for spar without heave plate as suggested
by Newman [2] given in equation (12), which still has
scope to incorporate the effect of amplitude of
oscillation and can be quite significant in estimation of
responses of the structure.
(12)
The damping ratio for spar with heave plate increases
with increase in frequency as seen in Figure 12 which
is due to increase in drag force acting on the model as
the velocity (
) increases. The increasing trend

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MARHY 2014,
suggests that the analysis can also be made using
quadratic model of damping force given by equation
(14) against linear model equation (13) as performed
by Thiagarajan et al.[4] and Li et al [9] but however by
doing so, the added mass may not change and the
damping estimated gives a notion of linearized total
damping in the system.
(13)
| |
(14)
The damping ratio for spar without heave plate also

gave similar trend till the damping dominant region,
but in the stiffness dominant low frequency region the
damping force components becomes too small to be
read by force transducer even though it has a resolution
of 0.03N. Because of this, the damping value estimated
by linear model varies widely within a cycle and hence
the mean damping ratio with respect to frequency for
this model is not presented.
very high damping ratio in time series (Figure 7 and 8).

The shed vortex gets convected radially outwards.
Also a kink like contour near the sharp edge generating
vortex shows that the motion of the model is at rest
indicating velocity is changing sign at that instant. At
t/tp = 0.375, the vortex ring being generated at the edge
of heave plate interacts with the previously generated
vortex ring shed at t/tp = 0.25 of opposite sign, which
reduces the heave damping momentarily.
The contours of vortices at t/tp = 0.5 shows that a part
of the vortex shed after reaching TDC breaks after
interacting with the vortex under generation into a
smaller one and sheds away which is again supported
by a marginal increase in damping ratio at t/tp =0.5.
And the marginal reduction occurring at t/tp = 0.625
region can be attributed to the fact that the model had
begun to slow down and the vortex has initiated to
shed off the edge of heave plate (or sharp edge for the
case of spar without heave plate)
A similar observation to that of the model at TDC can
be made when the model is at Bottom Dead Center
(BDC) (at t/tp = 0.75), which also corresponds to a
high damping ratio region in a cycle but not as high as
that of t/tp = 0.25 because of the disruption to the
vortex from the side walls of spar model for both with
and without heave plate.
Figure 12: Damping ratio variation with frequency of

heave oscillation
4.2 (d) CFD Simulations
The results of the added mass coefficient and damping
ratio from the simulations are compared and validated
with that of experiments and it is found that added
mass coefficient of spar without heave plate has Mean
Absolute Error (MAE) of 12, 14 and 12% for
amplitudes 1.5, 2.5 and 3.5 cm respectively. For added
mass coefficient of spar with heave plate, the MAE is
7, 6 and 12% and for damping ratio the MEA is 15, 20
and 17% for amplitudes 1.5, 2.5 and 3.5 cm
respectively.
The contours of vortices for spar with and without
heave plate undergoing forced heave oscillation at tp =
1.5 s and za = 3.5 cm are shown in Figure 13 at eight
different stages of a cycle. These vorticity contours can
be related to the damping time series for a single cycle
shown in Figure 7 and 8 to understand the transient
nature of damping ratio.
Near t/tp = 0.25 the model would have moved to TDC
and the vortex ring is completely shed away from the
edge of heave plate downwards, which corresponds to
Since the flow similarity exists for rest of the cycle, the
rise and fall of the damping ratio for rest of the cycle
can be explained in a similar manner, only that the side
wall effect of the spar model on the shed vortex
persists because the shed vortex propagates upwards
(relative to the model).
7. CONCLUSION
The free decay tests and simulations were performed to
determine natural frequency, added mass and damping
ratio. It was found from free decay test that the
introduction of heave damping plate improves the
added mass and damping characteristics. The damping
ratio increases, but the added mass remains fairly
constant with increase in initial displacement for both
the models. After determining the natural frequency
and added mass coefficient and damping ratio from the
forced oscillation tests and simulation in heave mode
for different amplitude and frequency were obtained.
The trend of increasing damping ratio with increasing
frequency was observed. The added mass on the
contrary remained fairly constant with increase in
frequency. The added mass coefficient and damping
ratio for spar without and with heave plate increases
with increase in amplitude. The CFD simulations gave
a close match to the experimental values obtained. The
dependency of hydrodynamic coefficients on
frequency and amplitude can be incorporated in
potential flow codes to improve prediction of response.

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MARHY 2014,
t/tp = 0
t/tp = 0.5
t/tp = 0.125
t/tp = 0.625
t/tp = 0.25
t/tp = 0.75
t/tp = 0.375
t/tp = 0.875
Color scale for Spar without heave plate
Color scale for Spar with heave plate
Figure 13: Vorticity contour plots for spar without heave plate and spar with heave plate undergoing forced
oscillation at tp = 1.75 s and za = 3.5 cm

9
116

MARHY 2014,
8. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
10.
The authors would like to acknowledge the

Department of Ocean Engineering, IIT Madras and
Naval Research Board (NRB), a DRDO establishment
by Government of India, for providing research grant
under which this research was carried out. The authors
would also like to thank P.G. Senapathy Center
Computing Resources, IIT Madras for providing high
performance computing resources.
ATLURI, S., MAGEE, A. & LAMBRAKOS,

K. CFD as a design tool for hydrodynamic
loading on Offshore structures, Proceedings of
ASME 2009 28th International Conference of
Ocean Offshore Arctic Engineering. 19 (2009).
11.
PHILIP, N. T., NALLAYARASU, S. &

BHATTACHARYYA, S. K. Damping
Characteristics of heave plates attached to spar
hull Proc. ASME 2012 31st International
Conference on Ocean, Offshore and Arctic
Engineering, 112 (2012).
12.
PHILIP, N. T., NALLAYARASU, S. &

BHATTACHARYYA, S. K., Experimental
investigation and CFD simulation of heave
damping effects due to circular plates attached
to spar hull, Ships and Offshore Structure. 117
(2013). doi:10.1080/17445302.2013.835146
13.
ALVES, M., TRAYLOR, H. & SARMENTO,

A. Hydrodynamic Optimization of a Wave
Energy Converter Using a Heave Motion Buoy,
7th European Wave Tidal Energy, 18 (2009).
9. REFERENCES
1.
CAVALERI, L. & MOLLO-CHRISTENSEN,

E. Wave Response of a spar buoy with and
without a damping plate. Ocean Engineering,
Vol. 8, 1724 (1981).
2.
NEWMAN, J. N., Transient axisymmetric

motion of a floating cylinder. Journal of Fluid
Mechanics, Vol. 157, 1733 (1985).
3.
4.
5.
NALLAYARASU, S. & SARAVANAPRIYA,

S. Experimental and Numerical Investigation
on Hydrodynamic Response of Spar with Wind
Turbine under Regular Waves. International
Journal of Ocean Climate Systems, Vol. 4, 239
260 (2013).
THIAGARAJAN, K. P. & TROESCH, A. W.
Effects of Appendages and Small Currents on
the Hydrodynamic Heave Damping of TLP
Columns, Journal of Offshore Mechanics and .
Arctic Engineering. Vol. 120, 3742 (1998).
TAO, L. & CAI, S. Heave motion suppression
of a Spar with a heave plate Ocean
Engineering. Vol. 31, 669692 (2004).
6.
LAKE, M., HE, H., TROESCH, A. W.,

PERLIN, M. & THIAGARAJAN, K. P.
Hydrodynamic coefficient Estimation for TLP
and Spar Structures. Journal of Offshore
Mechanical and Arctic Engineering. Vol.122,
118124 (2000).
7.
TAO, L. & THIAGARAJAN, K. Low KC flow

regimes of oscillating sharp edges I. Vortex
shedding observation, Applied Ocean Research
Vol. 25, 2135 (2003).
8.
TAO, L. & THIAGARAJAN, K. Low KC flow

regimes of oscillating sharp edges. II.
Hydrodynamic
forces,
Applied
Ocean
Research, Vol. 25, 5362 (2003).
9.
LI, J., LIU, S., ZHAO, M. & TENG, B.

Experimental
investigation
of
the
hydrodynamic characteristics of heave plates
using forced oscillation. Ocean Engineering.
Vol. 66, 8291 (2013).

J. Mahesh Rao is a research scholar at the Department
of Ocean Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology
Madras,
Chennai
600036
(Email:
mahesh.j90@gmail.com)
S. Nallayarasu is a Professor at the Department of
Ocean Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology
Madras, Chennai 600036 (Email: nallay@iitm.ac.in)
S. K. Bhattacharyya is a Professor at the Department
Madras, Chennai 600036 (Email: skbh@iitm.ac.in)

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MarineConference
Hydrodynamics
2014)
International
on(ACEMH
Computational
MARHY 2014
REDUCTION IN SHIP'S RESISTANCE BY DIMPLES ON THE HULL?

A COMPLEMENTARY CFD INVESTIGATION
S. C. Sindagi, Tolani Maritime Institute, India
Md. A. J. Khan, Tolani Maritime Institute, India
A.S. Shinde, Tolani Maritime Institute, India
ABSTRACT
It is a well known fact that, non-streamlined bodies, like spheres have significant pressure drag due to flow separation.
Pressure drag can be reduced through separation delay. It is understood that dimples are placed on a golf ball to trip the
boundary layer from laminar to turbulent in order to delay flow separation. This paper is concerned with the
computational fluid dynamics (CFD) investigation of the turbulent flow over dimpled hull surfaces. Shallow dimples
distributed regularly over the hull with large aspect ratio are used to study their effect on the friction drag. The objective
was to clarify whether or not dimples cause reduction in the ship's drag. Initial study has been carried out on the flat plate
for varied pressure gradient to finalize the requisite dimple configuration. Two hull models were created, one model
whose resistance model test was available to validate results and the other one modified with requisite dimples. Analysis
has been carried out to study the effect on the friction and form drag. Based on investigations, it can be determined that,
the hypothesis was neither proved nor disproved providing motivation for further investigation.
1.
INTRODUCTION
In an environmentally conscious society, fuel

efficiency is more important than ever. Green seems
to be the theme of every major marketing campaign.
Car manufactures are competing to have the most fuel
efficient vehicle. Supermarkets are giving away free
reusable shopping bags. Saving the environment
means using less fossil fuel. Much advancement has
been made in the Naval Architecture field to improve
the efficiency of ships, including innovative
streamlined designs, bulbous bows, and multi-hulled
vessels. A vessel can be optimized for efficiency
during the design phase.
Consider for a moment, the game of golf. It was
noticed in the late 19th century that old battered golf
balls performed better than smooth new ones.
Advancements in the game coincided with
advancement in science. In 1905 Ludwig Prandtl,
hypothesized the existence of the boundary layer.
Shortly after in 1906, William Taylor invented the
modern dimpled golf ball. The relationship between
the two is the drag reducing properties of the turbulent
boundary layer.
It is the intent of this paper to explore the relevance of
turbulent boundary layers to reduce ship resistance.
The theory is based primarily on the fluid mechanics
of a golf ball; for this reason vessel selection plays an
essential role in the success of the simulation. The
streamlines over the unmodified hull must be
subjected to the adverse pressure gradients that cause
separation. If correct, dimples will create turbulent
Copyright
2014
IIT Madras,
Chennai,
India and
the RINA,and
UK IIT
2014:
The by
Royal
Institution
of Naval
Architects
boundary layers that will delay the separation of the flow

on the hull, reducing pressure drag. By reducing drag, the
hull becomes more efficient, requiring less power for a
given speed.
2.
THEORY
2.1 TURBULENT BOUNDARY LAYERS

Considering an infinite flat hydraulically smooth plate,
downstream flow becomes unstable as the local Reynolds
number increases. If the local Reynolds number exceeds
the critical Reynolds number then the flow transitions
into turbulence. According to Kundu [1] the critical
Reynolds number is a function of surface roughness, free
stream instabilities, and the shape of the leading edge.
Under these circumstances, transition to turbulence is not
instantaneous. As the name implies, there exists a region
of transition where the laminar flow becomes unstable
before becoming turbulent. Figure 1 demonstrates the
transition from laminar to turbulent flow.
Figure 1: Transition from Laminar to Turbulent

Boundary layer
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MARHY 2014
To estimate the coefficient of friction in the turbulent
boundary layer, Pai [2] assumes that transition occurs
all at one point. Pai [2] identifies that the coefficient
of friction is higher in a turbulent boundary layer than
it is in the laminar boundary layer for a smooth flat
plate. Kundu [1] agrees that turbulent boundary layers
generate more frictional resistance due to the greater
macroscopic mixing in a turbulent flow. Transition
can be nearly instantaneous if the plate abruptly shifts
from hydraulically smooth. Roughness elements can
disturb the laminar flow causing turbulent transition
much further upstream. To keep viscous drag low,
roughness is usually avoided.
positive and pushes back against the flow. According

to White [4]) this causes points of inflection in the
velocity profile of the boundary layer, u1/x2. If the
pressure gradient decreases at the wall until it reaches
zero, u1/x2=0, then the flow separates from the surface.
Further downstream of the separation point u1/x2 is
both negative and positive, meaning that fluid is back
flowing near the wall. This can be seen in Figure 3.
2.2
SEPARATION AND THE EFFECTS OF
TURBULENCE
On a flat plate, turbulent boundary layers increase
frictional resistance; but what about curved surfaces?
Anderson [3] defines the dAlemberts paradox as the
conflict between theory and experiment when dealing
with the subsonic flow over a sphere or infinitely long
cylinder with the axis normal to the direction of flow.
Theoretically speaking, if the flow were inviscid the
streamlines would remain attached to the wall as seen
in Figure 2. The pressure at the leading and trailing
edge, =0o and =180o respectively, are equal. This
means there is no drag.
Realistically, as the flow diverges about the centreline
at the leading edge, the pressure gradient, p/x1, is
negative and the flow accelerates around the high side
of the sphere, =90o, while the streamlines converge.
As the flow progresses beyond =90o to =180o it
converges back onto the centreline on the downstream
side of the sphere.
Figure 3: Pressure and velocity distribution

This pressure gradient is known as pressure drag or form
drag. For objects of curvature, the total resistance is a
function of frictional resistance and form drag.
Kundu [1] states the flow around a sphere with a
Reynolds number less than 3x105 has a laminar boundary
layer. This flow would separate at =82o. If the Reynolds
number is increased beyond 3x105 the boundary layer
becomes turbulent and separation occurs at =125o. In
other words, a turbulent boundary layer has the ability to
delay flow separation. Because of the spheres geometry,
this would reduce the size of the downstream turbulent
wake. In two dimensional terms, the area of separation is
reduced. If the flow separates further downstream then
the pressure gradient from leading to trailing edge is
smaller and form drag is reduced.
Figure 2: Flow over the sphere

Here the streamlines diverge and the flow is forced to
slow down because the pressure gradient, p/x1, is
Figure 4: Flow over the sphere and Golf ball
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MARHY 2014
If the boundary layer is naturally laminar, turbulence
can be forced to achieve separation delay. As
mentioned earlier, alterations from a hydraulically
smooth surface can cause instabilities and turbulence.
This surface roughness can take the form of
convexities or concavities. Figure 4 represents the
effects of dimples on boundary layer transition and
separation specifically in the case of a golf ball and
demonstrates how dimples are used to induce
turbulent boundary layers.
In other words, flow over a concave surface is likely
to become turbulent. On a small scale, dimples are
concave surfaces.
Since a single dimple is relatively small compared to
the surface area of the sphere, about 0.1%, the effects
of a dimple can be estimated as a roughness element;
therefore, a pattern of dimples can be estimated as
surface roughness. The effect of roughness on
transition is highly influenced by element shape, size,
and spacing. Pai [2] acknowledges that no surface is
perfectly smooth. For this reason, a permissible
amount of roughness should be determined so that
smooth surface boundary layer approximations can be
used in spite of the roughness. To determine the
admissible roughness, hsa, the following equation can
be used.
(U*hsa)/v = 100
This equation assumes the surface is covered with
uniform sand roughness where hsa is the maximum
allowable grain size before the roughness effects
turbulent transition. The effects of a roughness
element on turbulent transition can be seen in Figure
5.
Figure 5: Boundary layer transition and the effects of

roughness
For engineering purposes, if the dimple dimensions
are greater than the admissible roughness shown in
above equation, the dimples will influence turbulent
transition. Designed correctly, dimples can almost
instantly transition laminar boundary layers to
turbulent boundary layers. This increases viscous
resistance but delays separation, therefore reducing
pressure drag. Given the correct circumstances
dimples can be used to reduce the total drag on an
object.
Based on the aerodynamic study carried out on the
Golf Ball [5], it was clearly mentioned that, drag of
the Golf ball reduces, due to induced turbulent
boundary layer and delay in the separation of flow.

Similar philosophy was used [6] to check whether there is
possibility of reduction in the resistance of necked hull
due to the dimples. As per the author, the hypothesis
could not be proved or unproved. To check the reduction
in drag of flat plate, research on effect of dimples on drag
of a flat plate has been carried out [7], [8], [9] and [10].
The dimple depth to diameter ratio was found to have a
noticeable effect on flow through the dimple. In all
investigated flow regimes, the flow through a very
shallow (depth to diameter ratio of 0.05) dimple was
found to be nearly steady, even if the flow for the same
case with depth to diameter ratio of 0.10 was highly
chaotic. Dimples of a depth to diameter ratio of 0.15 were
found to behave very similarly to the same case with a
depth to diameter ratio of 0.10. A dimple depth to
diameter ratio of 0.25 seemed to swallow much of the
flow mixing and reduce the downstream effect of the
dimple.
As shown above, dimples are placed on a golf ball to trip
the boundary layer from laminar to turbulent in order to
delay flow separation. This decreases the pressure
gradient from leading to trailing edge and therefore
decreases pressure drag. It is believed that the same
concept can be adapted for use on a ship to decrease total
resistance.
In order for the geometry of the vessel to accommodate
flow separation the aft portions of the vessel must taper
back towards the centerline. This would allow for the
creation of the adverse pressure gradient that causes
separation. If separation occurs then pressure drag is a
contributor to the total resistance. Here the concept of
separation control can be applied.
The vessel must also operate at relatively lower speeds to
ensure the boundary layer is naturally laminar. Dimpling
the hull, as done with a golf ball, will trip the boundary
layer from laminar to turbulent, delay flow separation
further downstream, and decrease drag. If the boundary
layer is naturally turbulent, then dimpling will have no
effect on the mean flow. To check the hypothesis
presented here, author has carried out the CFD
investigation on Flat plate with & without dimples to
decide the configuration of dimples, hull of ship with and
without dimples. Results obtained from CFD
investigation are compared with experimental and
analytical results. Observations are presented in section 4.
3. CFD INVESTIGATION
Computational Fluid Dynamics is a very complex
process. Each stage, grid generation, flow solving, and
visualization, must be understood in order to be used
properly. Each step must not be viewed as a "black box".
The strengths and weaknesses of different methods and
software must be understood along with their application
to the specific problem to be investigated.
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3.1 RESEARCH APPROACH
Dimples of varying depths have been analyzed with
the commercial Computational Fluid Dynamics
(CFD) code Ansys - Fluent. An infinite span of
dimples have been simulated. To simulate the
condition of separation, an adverse pressure gradient
has been implemented. This investigation aims to
further the understanding of flow characteristics
within the dimple. Essentially, this investigation
studies the flow behavior in dimples of various depth
to diameter ratios on a flat plate in an adverse pressure
gradient enforced by a diverging top wall. Study of
dimples on flat plate proved reduction in Drag of flat
plate. Similar study has been carried out on two
similar hull forms viz. one without dimples and other
with dimples on it.
3.2 VESSEL PARAMETERS
Compared to a sphere or an infinite cylinder, a ship is
relatively slender. For this reason, vessel selection
plays a key role in testing this hypothesis. Planing
hulls were eliminated as an option for this study for a
number of reasons, primarily because the geometry of
most planning vessels does not allow for flow
separation. Very commonly, planning vessels have
square transoms where the waterlines do not taper
back towards the centerline. This is not conducive for
separation delay. The fluid separates from the hull
because the hull no longer exists downstream. In a
sense, separation delay is like reattaching the flow to
the object surface. If the object does not exist
downstream, then the flow cannot be reattached.
Eliminating planning hulls also eliminated the
complexity of the air/sea surface interface and
narrowed the field of selection to displacement hulls.
The geometry of a displacement hull remains
submerged below the surface. This means the hull is
exposed to one fluid. This is a simpler approach for a
proof of concept. Additionally, displacement hulls
commonly have waterlines with tapered aft portions
and operate at relatively lower speeds. Displacement
hulls are a far better hull form to test this hypothesis.
Figure 6 Geometry of hull with dimples on it

3.3 FLOW SOLVER
Fluent was the CFD solver used in this investigation.
Ansys Fluent is a control volume based flow solver. It
functions by transforming the governing equations for
mass and momentum into discretized algebraic equations.
It then linearizes these equations to obtain a solution to
update the variables.
Fluent applies the above differential equations to the

domain using a control volume approach. The governing
equations are integrated about a control volume to give
discrete conservation equations in each control volume.
This equation is applied to each cell in the domain. The

resulting variable value is stored at each cell center.
3.5 GRID LAYOUT
Grid Layout used in Ansys Fluent software is shown in
Figure 7.
Vessel parameters for the vessel used in this study, at

the tested displacements, are shown in Table 1 and
the hull form used in shown in Figure 6.
Table 1 Vessel parameters
Parameters
Length (m)
Breadth (m)
Draft (m)
Block coefficient ( CB)
Speed ( knots)
Displacement ( Tonnes )
Wetted Surface area (m2)
Value
223
32.25
14.5
0.888
14.65
94945
12542
Figure 7. Grid layout

4. RESULTS & DISCUSSION
4.1 FLAT PLATE ANALYSIS
Initial study has been carryout on the flat plate without
dimples. The result is then compared with numerical /
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MARHY 2014
experimental result. On this plate the dimples of
different configurations have been tested in Ansys Fluent code to finalize the dimple configuration for
least drag of flat plate with dimples.
Steps shown below were followed for analysis.
Results obtained were verified by comparing the
pressure and friction drag, along with velocity and
pressure distribution with classical boundary layer
theory.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Problem Specification
Pre-Analysis and Start-Up
Geometry
Mesh
Physics Setup
Numerical Solution
Numerical Results
Verification and Validation
Problem Specification :
program:
Figure 8: Flat plate considered CFD verification
For validation of CFD
Consider a fluid flowing across a flat plate, as

illustrated in figure 8. Similar flat plate dimples on it
is shown in Figure 9. To obtain the drag force,
velocity and pressure distribution when the Reynolds
number based on the plate length is 10,000. This
Reynolds number is obtained by using the following
settings. The plate length is 1 m. The incoming fluid
is flowing in the x-direction with a velocity of 1 m/s.
The density of the fluid is 1 kg/m3 and the viscosity is
10-4 kg/(m-s). These values are not necessarily
physical. They have been picked to yield the desired
Reynolds number.
For an external flow like this, one needs to determine
where to place the outer boundary. A rectangular
domain will be used for this simulation. The height of
the rectangular domain will be determined by the
expected boundary layer thickness.
For a flat plate boundary layer, one can use the
following approximation to find the boundary layer
thickness.
When x = L,
= 0.05m. The height of the domain
will be set to ten times the boundary layer thickness.
Thus, the height of the boundary will be set to 0.5m.
The following figure shows the dimensions of the
domain, and the boundary labels which will be used to
set the boundary conditions.
Figure9:Flatplatewithdimples
In all investigated flow regimes, the flow through a very

shallow (depth to diameter ratio of 0.05) dimple was
found to be nearly steady, even if the flow for the same
case with depth to diameter ratio of 0.10 was highly
chaotic. Dimples of a depth to diameter ratio of 0.15 were
found to behave very similarly to the same case with a
depth to diameter ratio of 0.10. A dimple depth to
diameter ratio of 0.25 seemed to swallow much of the
flow mixing and reduce the downstream effect of the
dimple.
Results obtained on the Flat plate with and without
dimples are placed at Table 2 and the velocity
distribution over the flat plate is placed at Fig 10. For the
modelled plate analytical the Drag value is 0.0066 N.
Table 2 Result of Drag (N) on Flat plate from CFD
Plate
Result of Drag (N) from
CFD
Flat
Plate
without 0.00591
dimples
Flat Plate with dimples
0.00638
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MARHY 2014
located correctly and exposed to laminar flow, than the
dimple diameter and dimple depth did not create
turbulence and separation delay did not occur. Without
separation delay, pressure drag remains unchanged. Here
the dimples may be too small and/or too shallow.
Improper dimple design could also contribute to
increased skin friction. Assuming the mean flow was not
over-exposed to dimples; an improperly designed
dimple could potentially create turbulence and delay
separation, but increase skin friction such that in cancels
out the decrease in pressure drag. Here, the dimples may
too large and/or too deep.
Figure 10: Velocity distribution on Flat plate with
dimples
From this analysis, it can be concluded that, CFD
results are comparable with the analytical results,
however drag value is increased by 7.95%.
4.2
HULL ANALYSIS
To mimic the design of the golf ball, design decisions

were based on the relationships defined in Table 3
Taylor Dimple Criteria. It wasnt until 1906 that
William Taylor developed the modern dimpled golf
ball. With a keen understanding of aerodynamics,
Taylor defined a range of criteria that identifies the
geometry of the dimple in order to optimize flight.
This concept was later patented in 1908.
Table 3 Taylor Dimple Criteria
Results obtained on the hull with & without dimples

are placed at Table 4. For the hull presented in Table
1, naked hull resistance at 14.65 knots obtained from
model test is 722 kN.
Table 4 Result of Drag (N) on hull from CFD
Plate
Result of Drag (kN)
from CFD
Hull without dimples
755
Hull with dimples
830
From this analysis, it can be concluded that, CFD
results are comparable with the analytical results,
however drag value has increased by 9.93%. There
are many reasons which justifies the increase in
resistance. The dimples could also have been
designed incorrectly. Assuming the dimples were
Another explanation for the lack of differences may be

vessel selection, meaning separation naturally does not
occur on this particular vessel. Here the tapered portions
of the stern do not curve fast enough to create an adverse
pressure gradient and separation does not occur. Pressure
drag is now negligible and therefore cannot be improved
upon; however, this is a weak explanation because the
presence of dimples in a flow that did not separate
should have logically increased skin friction. This effect
would have been reflected in the results.
5.
CONCLUSION
Study carried out on all Flat plate with & without dimples
and hull with & without dimples for the scenario
presented in the paper concludes in the negative way. It is
observed that, for both flat plate and the selected hull,
there is marginal increase in the drag value. One reason
for this increase could be, improper dimple design which
may cause increase in skin friction. Another reason could
be the absence of adverse pressure gradient in both
geometry. Dimpling the hull everywhere could be one
more reason for the increase in the drag. One thought is
that the dimples were incorrectly located, meaning they
were placed too far forward or too far aft. If they were
placed too far forward, assuming separation delay
occurred, then there was an even balance between
increased skin friction and decreased pressure drag.
Remember that separation delay is like reattaching the
flow. Since the flow is in contact with the surface longer,
skin friction increases. In addition, dimpling the hull
increases wetted surface area and makes the flow
turbulent, also increasing viscous resistance.
Before reinvestigating this topic, flat plate testing should
be performed to better understand the effects of dimples.
A flat plate in the presence of an adverse pressure
gradient would act as the baseline. By modifying the size,
depth, and pattern of the dimples on the plate, it could be
better understood how different dimples affect separation
with respect to different pressure gradients. The
information from these experiments would allow for
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MARHY 2014
educated decisions when it comes time to modify one
of the model boats.
When a vessel is selected a wake survey should be
performed on the control model to verify that the hull
form is a candidate for separation delay. A wake
survey would demonstrate that separation naturally
occurs on the selected vessel and estimate the
proportion of total drag due to form drag. This would
act as a phase gate in the experimental process. Either
the selected vessel would meet the separation criteria
and move to the next step or it will reveal the hull to
be unworthy of study and a new vessel can be
selected.
Based on these results, it cannot be determined if the
reduction of ship resistance through induced turbulent
boundary layers was a success for this hull form;
however, it can be concluded that it was not a failure.
The hypothesis was neither proved nor disproved
providing motivation for further investigation.
6. REFERENCES
1. KUNDU, PIJUSH K. AND COHEN, IRA M.,
Fluid Mechanics Elsevier Inc., Ed. 4, pp 104-105,
340-400, 2008.
2. PAI, SHIH-I, Viscous Flow Theory, II Turbulent
Flow, D. Van Nostrand Company, Inc., pp 60-114,
1957.
10. HERMANN LIENHART, MICHAEL BREUER,

Drag
reduction by dimples? A complementary
experimental/numerical investigation, International
Journal of Heat and Fluid Flow 29 (2008) 783791, Mar
-2008
Sudhir S Sindagi working in TMI, Pune as Sr. Assistant
Professor. He has interest in sea going vessels operating
in shallow water. Earlier worked as Assistant Manager in
Larsen & Toubro, Powai. He was part of team which
designed India's first indigenously designed and
constructed High speed Boat (Interceptor Boat) for Indian
Coast Guard.. Presently working on Hydrodynamics of
Ships in Shallow water.
Md. Ayaz J. Khan holds the current position of Senior
responsible for CAD and FEA subjects. His experience
includes research work in the area of propeller induced
vibrations on hull and ship structures.
Amol S Shinde holds the current position of Senior
responsible for Marine Machinery Drawing and CAD
subjects. His experience includes research work in the
area of vibrations and ship structures.
3. ANDERSON, JOHN D., Introduction to Flight

McGraw Hill, Ed. 5, pp 348-352, 2005.
4. WHITE, FRANK M., Viscous Fluid Flow,
McGraw-Hill, Inc., Ed. 2. pp 218-495, 1991.
5. FIROZ ALAM, TOM STEINER, A study of golf
ball aerodynamic drag, Procedia Engineering 13
(2011) 226231, 2011.
6. KEVIN JOSEPH DONNELLY, Reduction of Ship
Resistance through Induced Turbulent Boundary
Layers, A thesis submitted to the Florida Institute of
Technology, Dec 2010.
7. ANKIT CHAUHAN, RAJ KUMAR SINGH,
Analysis of Drag & Lift Force on the Flat plate,
International conference of Advance Research and
Innovation, Feb- 2014.
8. ROBERT B. ETTER, CFD investigation of effect
of depth to diameter ratio on dimple flow dynamics,
Air force institute of technology, Wright-Patterson
Air Force Base, Ohio, Jul -2007.
9. JEFFREY MICHAEL MODE, Simulation of the
Flow Over a Flat Dimpled Plate,A Thesis Presented
to Arizona State University, Dec 2010.
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MARHY 2014
HYDRODYNAMIC ANALYSIS OF FLAPPING FOIL OF A NEAR SURFACE VEHICLE

P.Ananthakrishnan
Department of Ocean and Mechanical Engineering
Florida Atlantic University, FL 33431, USA
Email for correspondence: panantha@fau.edu
Abstract: Fully nonlinear and viscous wave-body interaction problem involved in the station-keeping of a near-surface
underwater body in a current using a flapping foil is analyzed using a finite-difference method based on boundary-fitted
coordinates. The governing Navier-Stokes equations together with exact boundary conditions are solved in primitive
variables using the projection fractional step method. The method is implemented using boundary-fitted coordinates
generated using a variational method based on reference space. By choosing the Jacobian of the mapping of the reference
space to the computational space as a function of flow vorticity, adaptive grids are generated. The software (numerical code)
used in the present work has been developed solely by the author over the years based on the above algorithm. Results are
obtained for a range of parameters in distinct flow regimes of sub-critical, super-critical and critical wave motions and low,
optimal and high Strouhal numbers; i.e., for Ugless than, greater than and equal to 0.25 and St less than 0.25, in the
range of 0.25 to 0.35 and greater than 0.35. Results demonstrate the significance of the free-surface effects on propulsive
characteristics of the flapping foil. It is found that at upstream propagating waves generated at sub-critical flow
(contribute to drag thereby adversely affecting the propulsive efficiency of the flapping fin. At critical wave motion
with continuously growing, and eventually breaking, standing wave is generated above the flapping foil. Both thrust
and efficiency are found to be low at At supercritical wave motion (proximity of the foil to the free surface
is found to increase the propulsive efficiency which is attributed to the momentum flux in the downstream propagating waves.
For all values of the thrust coefficient is found to be decreasing with decreasing submergence depth. In the presence of
free surface, the necessary conditions for optimal performance of the flapping foil are found to be Strouhal number St to
range from 0.25 to 0.35 (as found earlier by others for flapping foils in infinite fluid) and the unsteady frequency parameter
supercritical so that the waves are propagating only downstream.
i j
Nomenclature
A
AR
C
D
d
Angular amplitude of flap oscillation

Aspect ratio of the hull = L/D
Chord length of the flapping foil
Minor axis of the elliptical body
Depth of submergence of the vehicle
Fn
g
h
L
p
P
Q
Froude number = U/gL

Acceleration of gravity
Water depth
Length of the vehicle
total pressure
Dynamic pressure = (p+g y)
Torque
Re
Re
Reynolds number based on g: Re = gLL/

Reynolds number based on U:
Re =UL/= Re . Fn
Strouhal number = AC/U
Thrust
Current speed
Fluid velocity field
Auxiliary velocity field
Position vector of free surface particle
Propulsive efficiency
Coefficient of dynamic viscosity of water
St
T
U
u
u
X
Coefficient of kinematic viscosity of water

Fluid density
Pitching radian frequency of the foil.
Stress tensor component
Unsteady (frequency) parameter = U /g
1. Introduction. In recent years there has been

considerable research efforts on biomimetic propulsion, in
particular on flapping foil propulsion, for greening of
ships as well as for improving the endurance of small
marine vehicles with limited onboard power resources as
in autonomous underwater and surface vehicles (AUV and
ASVs) used for coastal surveillance and large time
oceanographic measurements [6] [14]. Studies on aquatic
animals (e.g., [5] [10][18]) have shown that flapping foils
can be an efficient means of propulsion for marine
vehicles. While designing flapping foils for large ships
may come to fruition only in a distant future for it may
require drastic design changes of lines and general
arrangement, it is certainly feasible now for small AUVs
and ASVs. Most of the research done to date on
biomimetic flapping foils are for flapping foils in
unbounded fluid and without the interference of the hull
and surface waves.
In the case of near-surface or
shallow-water vehicles, surface wave effect on the
1
125
hydrodynamic performance of underwater flapping foils

can be significant. Besides from applications viewpoint,
the basic physics of flapping foil and wave interactions is
also not yet fully understood. Thus motivated by both
fluid physics and applications, we have pursued our
research on flapping foils in a free surface including
viscosity and hull wake effects using theoretical and
computational methods [1]. Some new results and
findings of our current research as reported in [2] [3],
together with formulation of the problem and finitedifference analysis of the governing Navier-Stokes
equation and nonlinear boundary conditions, are presented
in this paper.
where ij denotes the Kronecker delta.

On the solid boundary, viz. the hull and the foil, the
velocity is determined by the no-slip and no-flux
condition. On the stationary hull therefore,
=0
(4)
The foil is subject to pitch oscillation as per
= sin
(5)
where denotes frequency and A the amplitude of the

pitch oscillation of the foil. On the foil surface, as per no
flux and no slip of the fluid on the solid boundary, the fluid
velocity is given by
2.
Formulation of the Problem. As illustrated in
Fig 1, we consider a stationary body with a flapping foil
hinged to the aft in a uniform current with free stream
velocity U. The body is elliptical in geometry with major
axis (length) L and minor axis D. The foil is simply a plate
of chord length c. The depth of submergence of the body
is d from the calm free surface.
= cos [ sin + cos ]
(6)
where r denotes the radial distance from the hinge.

On the free surface, the dynamic condition is obtained
based on the continuity of the stress vector across the case
which in the present problem is given by [19]
(7)
where the constitutive equation for the stress tensor is
of a Newtonian fluid as per Eqn. (3) and is the unit normal
vector on the free surface. The normal component of the
above is used to obtain a Dirichlet condition for pressure
on the free surface. Upon solving the Navier-Stokes
equations, at each time step the free-surface boundary is
advanced using the kinematic condition of the free surface
[19]:
Figure 1. Illustration of an elliptical body station keeping

in a current with a flat plate flapping foil in the aft.
The far-field open boundary is denoted as As shown in
the figure, a rectangular coordinate system oxy with x axis
along the calm surface in the direction of the current and
y axis against gravity is used for problem formulation.
The open boundary is modeled approximately by

assuming the dynamic pressure to remain zero (i.e.,
radiating waves not to have reached the open boundary)
during the course of the numerical solution in the time
domain: i.e,
+ = 0,
(9)
(1)
( +

) = ( + ) + 2
(2)
where denoted velocity field, p the pressure field, the

fluid density, g the acceleration of gravity and the
coefficient of fluid viscosity. The fluid is assumed to be
Newtonian with the constitutive equation in the index
notation given by
= + ( + )
(8)
where
denotes the position vector of a particle on the
free surface.
The flow is governed by the incompressible NavierStokes equations [19] given by
=0
The fluid velocity on is determined through spatial

extrapolation. The above fully nonlinear problems is
solved in the time domain starting from rest. The initial
condition is thus
= 0 in the fluid domain and Y = 0, at time t =0
(10)
(3)
126
In Eq. (10), Y denotes the free surface elevation. The

solution is advanced in time using above equations.
+1 =
+ [ + +1 ]
At each time step, upon solving the governing NavierStokes equations with exact boundary conditions, the
dynamic pressure is integrated over the foil to determine
the thrust and torque generated on the foil; i.e.,
so that
+1 = 0
= ( + )
(11)
= [ ( + )]
(12)
Subtracting Eq.(16) from Eq. (15), we note that the

auxiliary velocity field can be decomposed into real
velocity and pressure gradients at discrete time n+1:
=
+1 +
2 +1 =
(13)
+1 =
(18)
+1
(19)
The solution is thus advanced in time from discrete time n

to n+1. The key to successful decomposition so that is in
making sure that the implementation of the boundary
conditions, as discussed below, also insure that the
decomposition is satisfied on the boundary.
(14)
where U denotes the free-stream current speed and C the

chord length of the foil. The efficacy of the foil is
determined based on thrust KT and efficiency . The foil
is defined to be optimal if both KT and are large.
On the solid boundary, a homogeneous Neumann

condition is satisfied by having the auxiliary velocity also
satisfy the no-flux condition [4]. With velocity from
discrete time n and normal component of the free-surface
dynamic condition (Eq. 7), Dirichlet condition for
pressure is obtained for the pressure Poisson equation
(18). The tangential component of Eq. 7 is used to
determine u* and the equation of continuity for v*. The
decomposition is completed as in the fluid domain to find
un+1 and vn+1 on the free surface. On the open boundary,
as assumed the dynamic pressure is zero. The auxiliary
velocity is obtained by extrapolation and the actual
velocity by extrapolation. Thus numerically solution is
advanced from n to n+1 and the process repeated until a
steady state, if it exists, is reached which is usually within
five periods of fin oscillation. In some extreme cases with
large amplitude of fin oscillation with body very close to
the surface, wave breaking will occur that will terminate
the numerical advancement of the solution. In cases
where a steady state exists without any wave breaking, the
equations (11), (12) and (13) are numerically integrated
over the final period of oscillation in the simulation to find
the mean thrust T, torque Q and propulsive efficiency
respectively, of the flapping foil.
3. Analysis Using a Finite-Difference Method. The

equations governing the nonlinear, viscous wave-foil
interaction problem is solved in primitive variables and in
the time domain using a finite-difference method based on
boundary-fitted coordinates [1] [4]. In this approach, the
incompressible Navier-Stokes equations us solved using a
fractional-step (projection) method [8]. The boundaryfitted curvilinear coordinates are generated using a
variational formulation [7] and the concept of a reference
space [16] [4]. As per the projection method, at each time
step the momentum equation without the pressure term is
integrated to determine an auxiliary velocity field:
=
+ [ + ]
(17)
and then substituting the pressure term in the

decomposition Eq. (17) to determine the velocity
where in above T* denotes the period of pitch (flap)

oscillation of the foil; i.e,, T* = 2 Further, from the
mean thrust T (Eq. 11) the mean thrust coefficients is also
determined as
= (0.5 2 )
+1
In the present work, the decomposition is achieved in

steps; first by solving the pressure Poisson equation
obtained by taking the divergence of Eq.(17)
In Eq. (12),
denotes the radial distance (moment arm)
from the hinge. Upon reaching steady state, the mean
efficiency of the foil is determined as
1 +

1 +

(16)
(15)
where Cn and Dn denote the discretized advection and

diffusion terms in the momentum equation, respectively.
Secomd-order upwind differencing is used for Cn and
second-order central differencing for Dn . The superscript
n denotes the discrete time; i.e, t = n t. With pressure term
included to insure the velocity field satisfies the equation
of continuity, the corresponding discretization of the
momentum equation can be written as
127
where J1 denotes the Jacobian of transformation from

(x,y,t) to ( t*):
4. Implementation of the Finite-Difference Method

using Curvilinear Coordinates. In order to exactly
implement the free-surface and other boundary
conditions, the finite difference method is implemented
using a boundary-fitted coordinate system (BFCS). In the
present problem, the curvilinear coordinates are generated
using a variational formulation [7] and the concept of
reference space [16] [4] [1]. The variational grid
generation allows a straightforward control of three
important grid properties, namely, the smoothness,
orthogonality and cell-area variation. The reference space
is used to specify desired grid properties smoothness, cell
area and orthogonality which then are replicated on the
physical space by minimizing the following functionals
[1]:
2
The reference space can be also a space of functions. For

example, by choosing reference space as [1]
(26)
where J3 denotes the Jacobian of the reference space to the

computational space, vorticity and a,b and c some
constants, one can generate adaptive grids with finer grid
resolution where vorticity is large and coarser resolution
in regions where is small. An example of the adaptive
grid so generated to resolve the vortices trailing the
flapping foil accurately is shown in Fig 2. As can be
observed, the resolution is finer over the vortex patches
than over regions where vorticity is negligible and the
flow is rather uniform.
|, | + |, |
(20)
(, ) = 2
(21)
(, ) = {, , } 13
(22)
In the above the subscript 1 denotes the mapping of the

physical space (x,y) to computational space (), 2 the
mapping of the physical space (x.y) to the reference space
() and 3 from the reference space to the computational
space. Js denote the Jacobian of transformations. Thus,
with subscript notation used to denote derivatives, J1 = x
yx y, J2 = x yx y and J3
Since the mappings are all one to one, J1 = J2 J3. Since the
computational space (and mesh) is fixed while the
physical space (and the curvilinear coordinates
discretizing the physical space) is time dependent, we use
t to denote time in the physical space and t* for time in the
computational space. The time derivative at a fixed point
in the physical space is therefore given by
Figure 2: Generation of adaptive grids to resolve vortices

trailing the flapping foil accurately.
5. Results. The following parameters govern the

hydrodynamics of the present problem: U, C, g, d, ,
A. Non-dimensionalizing with respect to U, C,and
using the Pi theorem, one can determine the nondimensional parameters governing the problem (to be
specific, thrust coefficient, efficiency etc) to be Froude
number
(23)
By chain-rule, the spatial derivatives transform as
1
[
1
Fn = U/(gC)0.5
(27)
non-dimensional depth of submergence d/C, Reynolds
number based on g
(24)
(25)
With such chain rules of differentiation, the governing

equations are transformed from the physical space to the
computational space.
(, ) = |, | + |, |
1 =
Re = C1.5 g0.5
= [ + ]
thefrequency parameter
128
f = (C/g)0.5
(29)
and the amplitude of oscillation A. The Reynolds number
based on the current speed, which truly represents the
ration of convective and diffusive time scales, can be
written as Re = U C = Re .Fn. Earlier research [5]
[18] have established Strouhal number defined as
Specifically, the radiating waves could affect the trailing

of vortices and the trailing vortices interacting with the
free surface could generate or affect body generated
radiating waves and these interactions could affect the
thrust and torque generated by the foil.
Case 1: Fn=0.3, St=0.3, = 0.94, Re =300, f = , A = 0.18
[radians] and d/C=1 & 0.25. The instantaneous vorticity
fields for this case with deeper submergence (d/C=1) at
four instants of time are given in Fig 3. Generation of
clockwise and counter-clockwise vorticity over the body
and foil surface can be clearly seen. The vorticity layer is
convected downstream which curl up to form alternate
positive and negative vortices in the wake. The trailing
vortex street is almost symmetric about the centerline of
the body implying that the free-surface effect on the wake
vortices is negligible. It is interesting to note that the
trailing vortices are in agreement with kinematic
interpretation of the Strouhal number. In the present case
St=0.3 which would mean by Eq. (27) that the length of
vortex trail per unit foil oscillation would be (1/0.3 =
0.3333) times the width of the wake at the trailing edge.
With C=0.5, A=0.18, it is therefore 2(0.5)(0.18)/0.33 =
0.54 times the body length as can be observed in Fig. 3 (in
other words, in the wake, the distance between two
consecutive vortices of same sign is about 0.54). Thus a
new general observation that smaller the Strouhal
number the longer will be the vortex wake and vice versa
is made here. Accordingly, one may look for longer
vortex streets in low Strouhal number results presented
later in this section.
St = W/ (T*U) = [2 A C] [ / U]
= A C / U
(30)
to be a key parameter determining the hydrodynamic

performance of the flapping foil as it is related to the
evolution of the trailing vortices. Note in the above, the
quantity W = 2 A C corresponds to the width of the wake
(or the stroke of the foil) at the trailing edge of the foil and
2 the period of oscillation of the foil. In terms of the
basic non-dimensional parameters, one can show that this
Strouhal number is
St = A f / ( Fn)
(31)
where f is the frequency parameter and Fn the Froude

number as defined above by Eqs (29) and (27),
respectively. Another parameter of the present problem,
representing the ratio of wave speed of the body generated
Kelvin waves and foil generated waves is the unsteady
parameter [19]
=U/g
(32)
The wave motion is critical for = 0.25, sub-critical for

< 0.25 and super-critical for 0.25. For a translating
pulsating point source, as per linear potential wave theory
[19], The wave propagate downstream in supercritical
case, both upstream and downstream in sub-critical case
and one mode of radiating wave continuing to grow
unbounded and solution becoming singular in the critical
case. Per momentum principle, the thrust generated on the
foil is reaction to jet-like mean flow. The jet-like
downstream flow is due to downstream propagating
waves, trailing vortices and their interactions. The flux of
momentum in the upstream propagating waves will only
contribute to drag. Earlier works and observations, eg.,
[5] and [18], on flapping foils in infinite fluid have
established that the Strouhal number St (Eq. 30) has to
range from 0.25 to 0.35 for optimal performance. With
above facts in the background, we examine the
hydrodynamic performance of the flapping foil near free
surface in following distinct regimes : Strouhal number St
< 0.25, St > 0.25 and St =0.25 and unsteady parameter
super-critical, critical, and sub-critical; i.e., (defined by
Eq. 32) greater than, equal to and less than 0.25. It should
be noted that in the present nonlinear problem the
interaction between the trailing vortices and waves could
also determine the hydrodynamic performance of the foil.
Figure 3: Instantaneous vorticity field plots for Fn=0.3,

St=0.3, = 0.94, Re =300, f = , A = 0.18 [radians] and
d/C=1 at t=4.0 T (a), t=4.25 T (b), t =4.5 T (c) and t =4.75
129
T where $T$ denotes the non-dimensional period of foil

oscillation T = 2 / f with f denoting the non-dimensional
frequency of foil oscillation.
wave is quite significant. The clockwise vorticity

generated over the body and flapping foil, interacting with
free-surface vorticity, gets disintegrated and rapidly
dissipated in the viscous fluid. In the wake, only the
counter-clockwise (positive) vortices remain prominent.
The trailing positive vortices (red colored in Fig. 4),
through interaction with the image vortices of the free
surface, remain close and parallel to the free surface as
they trail downstream of the body.
The time evolution of the free surface for this case over
five periods of oscillation is given in Fig. 5. Since the
wave motion is super-critical (i.e = 0.94 > 0.25) the
waves are only downstream (i.e. waves trail the body).
Upstream, except for the prominent bow wave, no other
waves are noticed upstream as to be expected at oscillation
frequency corresponding to super-critical case. The freesurface undulations observed in the near wake above the
flapping foil are generated by the interaction between the
trailing vortices and the free surface.

d/C=0.25 at t=4.0 T (a), t=4.25 T (b), t =4.5 T (c) and t
=4.75 T where T denotes the non-dimensional period of
foil oscillation T = 2 / f with f denoting the nondimensional frequency of foil oscillation.
The time histories of the thrust and torque generated by

the flapping foil for above two cases (i.e., Fn=0.3, St=0.3,
= 0.94, Re =300, f = , A = 0.18 [rad] with depths of
submergence d/C=1.0 and d/C=0.25) are given in Fig 6.
Note the mean thrust is negative meaning that, as per
choice of the coordinate system, it is in the direction
opposite of the current as to be expected for station
keeping against the current. The propulsive efficiency, as
defined in Eq.(13), is computed to be 65.4% for d/C=1.0
and 78.2% for d/C=0.25. The mean thrust coefficient KT
is calculated to be 0.48 for d/C=1.0 and 0.37 for d/C=0.25.
From simulations for an intermediate depth (not presented
in the paper), we find KT =0.44 and efficiency = 70.2%
for d/C=0.50.
Figure 5: Evolution of the free surface from t=0 to t=5T

(where T is the non-dimensional period of foil oscillation)
for the case of Fn=0.3, St=0.3, = 0.94, Re =300, f = , A
= 0.18 [radians] and submergence depth d/C=0.25.
Figure 6: Time histories of thrust and torque for Fn=0.3,

St=0.3, = 0.94, Re =300, f = , A = 0.18 [radians] with
submergence depths d/C = 1.0 and d/C=0.25.
The time evolution of the vortex field for the case of

shallower submergence d/C=0.25 at four instants of time
(as in the previous case) is shown in Fig. 4. Here the
interaction between the trailing vortices and the surface
Thus our results have shown that in the super-critical

regime ( > 0.25), the propulsive efficiency increases
130
The time evolution of the surface waves generated in this

case given in Fig. 8 show the generation of both upstream
and downstream propagating waves which is consistent
with linear wave theory for subcritical case of < 0.2. The
momentum flux in upstream propagating waves will only
contribute to drag but not thrust. We can therefore expect
propulsive efficiency to be low in this case. The time
histories of non-dimensional thrust and torque (note: non
dimensionalization is with respect to body length, density
and acceleration of gravity) for this case is given in Fig. 9.
while thrust coefficient decreases with decreasing depth

of submergence of the flapping foil from the free surface.
Case 2: Fn=0.2, St=0.16, = 0.2, Re =200, A = 0.2 [rad],
f=1and d/C= 0.5. In this case the Strouhal number is low
(St=0.16 < 0.25) and the unsteady parameter is that of subcritical wave motion (i.e., = 0.2 < 0.25). Instantaneous
vorticity field plot in Fig. 7 shown the generation and
trailing of positive and negative vortices in the wake. The
wake is nearly symmetric about the centerline of the body.
Figure 9: Time histories of thrust and torque for Fn=0.2,

St=0.16, = 0.2, Re =200, f = , A = 0.2 [radians] with
submergence depths d/C =0.5.

d/C=0.5 at t=4.0 T (a), t=4.25 T (b), t =4.5 T (c) and t
=4.75 T where T denotes the non-dimensional period of
foil oscillation T = 2 / f with f denoting the nondimensional frequency of foil oscillation.
The mean thrust coefficient for this case is found to be low

with KT= 0.047 and low efficiency of = 33.9%. Thus
we found sub-critical wave motion with low Strouhal
number to adversely affect the propulsive performance of
the flapping foil. The effect is found to be even more
significant for lower depths of submergence.
Case 3: Fn=0.16, St=0.31, =0.25, Re =533, A = 0.2 [rad],

f=1.5625 and d/C= 0.5 and 0.25. In this case with =0.25
the wave motion is critical (per linear theory for a point
source). The instantaneous velocity and vorticity fields
for d/C=0.5 at non-dimensional time t = 5T* (where T*=2
/f denotes the period of oscillation) is given in Fig. 10.
The generation of positive and negative vortices by the
flapping foil and their trail downstreamcan be clearly
observed. The wake is nearly symmetric about the
centerline of the body.
The generation of surface waves for this case (with depth
of submergence d/C=0.5) is shown in Fig. 11. Here the
propagating wave is downstream. Right above the body,
generation of a prominent standing wave can also
observed. Waves upstream are negligible. Time histories
Figure 8: Evolution of the free surface from t=0 to t=5T

(where T is the non-dimensional period of foil oscillation)
for the case of Fn=0.2, St=0.16, = 0.2, Re =200, f = ,
A = 0.2 [radians] and d/C=0.5.
131
of the thrust and torque generated by the flapping foil is

shown in Fig 12. In this case, the thrust coefficient is
calculated to be KT = 0.36 and efficiency to be = 50.1%
Figure 13. Instantaneous velocity and vorticity fields for

Fn=0.16, St=0.31, =0.25, Re =533, A = 0.2 [rad],
f=1.5625 and d/C= 0.25 at t = 4T* (where T* denotes the
period of foil oscillation)
Figure 10. Instantaneous velocity and vorticity fields for

Fn=0.16, St=0.31, =0.25, Re =533, A = 0.2 [rad],
f=1.5625 and d/C= 0.5 at t = 5T* (where T* denotes the
period of foil oscillation)
The instantaneous flow field for Fn=0.16, St=0.31,

=0.25, Re =533, A = 0.2 [rad], f=1.5625 with shallow
submergence of d/C= 0.25 is given in Figure 13. Here one
can observe the generation of a steep standing wave right
above the flapping foil. The standing wave continues to
grow and breaks at a later time and thereby ending the
simulation.
Figure 11: Evolution of the free surface from t=0 to

t=5T* (where T* is the non-dimensional period of foil
oscillation) for Fn=0.16, St=0.31, =0.25, Re =533, A =
0.2 [rad], f=1.5625 and d/C= 0.5.

t=4.5T* (where T* is the non-dimensional period of foil
0.2 [rad], f=1.5625 and d/C= 0.25.
The continuously growing and steepening standing wave
above the foil can be clearly seen in the tie evolution of
radiating waves shown in Fig. 14. Here, the simulation
couldnt be extended further because of the breaking of
Figure 12: Time histories of the thrust and torque

generated by the flapping foil for Fn=0.16, St=0.31,
=0.25, Re =533, A = 0.2 [rad], f= 1.5625 and d/C= 0.5
132
the standing wave above the body. The time histories of

the thrust and torque generated by the flapping foil in this
case is given in Fig. 15.
present case it is 1(0.3)(0.5)/0.15 = 2 which what is

approximately found in Fig. 16

generated by the flapping foil for Fn=0.16, St=0.31,
=0.25, Re =533, A = 0.2 [rad], f= 1.5625 and d/C= 0.25

t=5T* (where T* is the non-dimensional period of foil
0.3 [rad], f=0.9425 and d/C= 0.25.
In this case of Fn=0.16, St=0.31, =0.25, Re =533, A = 0.2

[rad], f=1.5625 and d/C= 0.25, the mean thrust coefficient
is found to be only KT = 0.148 and efficiency to be =
18.7% Thus at the critical frequency, the propulsive
performance of the foil was found to be rather poor,
particularly at small depth of submergence which
enhances the adverse free-surface effect.
Figure 16. Instantaneous vorticity field for Fn=0.3,

St=0.15, =0.28, Re =1000, A = 0.3 [rad], f= 0.9425 and
d/C= 0.25 at t = 5T* (where T* is period of foil oscillation)

generated by the flapping foil for Fn=0.3, St=0.15, =0.28,
Re =1000, A = 0.3 [rad], f=0.9425 and d/C= 0.25.
Case 4: Fn=0.3, St=0.15, =0.28, Re =1000, A = 0.3 [rad],

f=0.9425 and d/C= 0.25.
The evolution of the surface waves over five periods of

foil oscillation is given in Figure 17. One can observe the
generation of both upstream and downstream waves at this
near-critical frequency (=0.28) and free-surface
undulations in the near wake caused by the trailing
vortices. The generation of prominent bow wave and a
standing wave above the foil can also be observed The
time histories of the thrust and torque for this case are
given in Fig. 18. Here one observes the mean thrust to be
positive (i.e., in the same direction as the current). In other
words, at this low Strouhal number the flapping foil does
not produce thrust but only contributes to drag.
Generation drag at low Strouhal nuber has been observed
in studies involving flapping foil in infinite fluid [15].
Finally, let us consider a case where the wave motion is

supercritical but the Stouhal number is low as in this case.
The amplitude of oscillation is taken here to be large A =
0.3 [rad] = 17.2o The instantaneous vorticity field for this
case at t = 5T* (where T* is the period of foil oscillation)
is given in Fig 16. The length of the vortex wake (or the
distance between two consecutive vortices of same sign)
is considerably longer, because of low Strouhal number;
recall that we have earlier discussed in Case 1, the
relationship between the wake length and the Strouhal
number per which the distance between two consecutive
vortices of same sign in the wake is 2 A C / St. For the
133
6. Summary & Conclusion. In this section we summarize

the findings of our research on flapping foil in free
surface:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
3.
4.
The necessary conditions for optimal performance

including the free-surface effect are found to be (i)
Strouhal number ranging from 0.25 to 0.35 (as in
infinite fluid case) and the unsteady frequency
parameter > 0.25 (i.e. supercritical so that the
propagating waves are only downstream).
At super-critical frequency (i.e, > 0.25) the
propulsive efficiency is found to be an decreasing
function of the foil submergence; in other words,
smaller the depth of submergence larger will be the
propulsive efficiency.
Overall, the thrust coefficient is found to be a
decreasing function of the depth of submergence; in
other words, shallower the submergence lower will
be the thrust coefficient.
At sub-critical frequency, i.e., < 0.25, the upstream
propagating waves contribute to drag and thereby
lowering the thrust and efficiency of the flapping
foil. As in infinite fluid case, flapping foil generates
drag but not thrust at low Strouhal number.
At the critical frequency = 0.25, both thrust and
efficiency are found to be low.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
Our ongoing research is on propulsive characteristics of

a flapping compliant foil [9] [11] including free-surface
effect and results of this effort will be reported in a future
publication.
12.
13.
Acknowledgement: The support of the research by the
US Office of Naval Research by subcontract through the
Naval Engineering Education Consortium (NEEC) of the
University of Michigan at Ann Arbor to Florida Atlantic
University under the project titled Flow Control on
Marine Vehicles for High Maneuverability and Station
Keeping in Shallow Waters is gratefully acknowledged.
The help of Dr. Aneesh Goly with proofreading of the
manuscript is also gratefully acknowledged.
14.
15.
16.
8. References.
1.
2.
17.
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10
134

Proc. of Conf. MARHY-2014 held on 3&4International
Dec. , 2014 at Conference
IIT Madras, India
- Vol.2 (ISBN: 978-93-80689-22-7)
on Computational
and Experimental
MARHY 2014
APPLICATION OF DIRECT HYDRODYNAMIC LOADS IN STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS

Yogendra Parihar, Indian Register of Shipping, India
S. K. Satsangi, Indian Institute of Technology, India
A. R. Kar, Indian Register of Shipping, India
ABSTRACT
Accurate prediction of ship structural response is a key element in the design stage. The conventional design philosophy
of predicting loads using empirical relations or first principal based calculation is very well proven. But in case of
novel/complex ship structure, conventional methods may not be able to predict the accurate structural response
behaviour. In this context, various classification society rules/standards contain an advance framework to deal with such
complex designs. However, to assess the structural strength in veridical manner, it is essential to perform the structural
analysis using direct hydrodynamic loads. But, this kind of analysis is not straight forward and only few guidelines
explained the methodology. Present paper outlines the available numerical methods for hydrodynamic load computation
and its applications in Finite Element (FE) analysis of ships. It proposes a direct calculation procedure of determining
structure response of ship which can be utilized in realistic fatigue measurement or to assess the direct strength of ship.
1.
INTRODUCTION
In ship design, it is a common practice to use the
classification rules/standards to assess the ships strength
against the wave-induced loads. To improve the safety of
ship and to rationalize the rules of different classification
societies, International Association of Classification
Societies (IACS) issued the common structural rule
(CSR). These rules are specific to bulk carriers and oil
tankers. In current scenario, different types of ships with
innovative design are being developed using advanced
welding technology, high tensile steel etc. Also, the size
of ships is continuously increasing. Hence, new
structural designs of novel ships must be verified using
direct wave-induced load methods. The direct
calculation is based on mechanics and statistics which
predict loads with association of uncertainties. It is
common to use direct wave induced loads in offshore
industry rather than shipbuilding. The uncertainties
associated with load prediction and lack of
knowledge/experience is reasoned for that. Also, the
theoretical aspect is not sufficient for reliable prediction.
Various direct wave load computation approaches are
based on the linear and regular wave assumption, while
the fact is that the sea waves are irregular and the
dynamic effects of both the waves and the ship motions
are not considered. Therefore, it cant be said that
prediction of the actual extreme loads during ships
lifetime is 100% accurate.
In spite of having various limitations of using the direct
hydrodynamic load approach, it is considered to be more
realistic approach compared to conventional method of
using rules for structural analyses. This approach can be
utilised easily during the design stage. The factors needs

to be considered in a structural analysis are
the methodology applied for determination of
wave-induced loads.
application of wave-induced loads to evaluate
the structural strength.
Based on the type of structural analysis, the associated
assumptions and limitations must be examined carefully
before performing the analysis. This paper proposes a
method of direct wave load application using (FE)
model. Strip theory based program for the calculation of
loads is used for structural response analysis as a case
study.
2.
METHODS FOR HYDRODYNAMIC LOADS

COMPUTATION:
Based on linear assumptions, various sea-keeping
analysis methods are substantially established and well
proven with sufficient accuracy for practical purpose.
SWAN1[1] and IRSTRIP[2] programs are used in
current study for sea-keeping analysis. The waveinduced loads are used to determine the ship structural
response in various wave conditions.
2.1. PANEL BASED METHOD:
The boundary element method (BEM) is used to solve
the potential flow around the ship also known as panel
method. The integrals over the whole fluid domain
transform into integrals over boundary of the fluid
domain. Panel method divides the surface of ship into
discrete elements. Such methods use the Rankine source
as their element singularity known as Rankine Panel
Method. It distributes these singularities on the
discretized free surface as well as on the body and solve
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3.
NUMERICAL CALCULATION AND

VERIFICATION:
A dual classed (ABS & IRS) container ship is taken for
the present case study. The wave induced motions and
loads are calculated for this container ship. The main
Table 1: Main particulars of 6500 TEU container ship

Ship Particulars
Length overall
299.00 m
LBP
285.20 m
Breadth (moulded)
40.00 m
Depth (moulded)
24.40 m
Design Draught
12.50 m
Scantling Draught
14.50 m
Max Service speed
26.25 knots
HeaveRAO 180
1.2
IRSTRIP
HeaveTransferFunction(m/m)
2.2. STRIP THEORY BASED METHOD:

Strip theory is a linear superposition method. The ship is
idealized as being made up of a series of prismatic
sections or strips. A three dimensional problem is
dissected into a series of two dimensional problems.
Motions and forces of each strip is solved independently
and then integrated along the length of ship to provide
response of whole vessel. The strip theory is valid for
slender bodies. A further simplification results from
treating the wave height as infinitely small. Thus all
boundary conditions can be applied with linear
dependence on the wave height. Apparently, some
inaccuracies result from such simplifications, but due to
their superior computational efficiency. Strip theory
based standard tool are successfully used in industry for
sea-keeping analysis.
The IRSTRIP [2] and ISTRIP [3] (in-house developed)
programs are used for computation of ship motions and
wave induced loads. The code is largely based on the
strip theory presented by the Salvensen et al (1970) [4].
IRSTRIP is a frequency domain based linear program
and applicable for the monohull while ISTRIP [3] can be
used for sea-keeping analysis of monohull and multihull
also. In present analysis, the ship hull is divided into 25
strips. The 36 wavelengths (/L ranges from 0.1 to 5) are
considered in wave spectrum.
particulars of the ship are detailed in Table 1. The

motion and load RAOs are indicated using strip and
panel method shown in Figure 1-Figure .
SWAN1
ISTRIP
1
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0
0
/L
Figure 1: Heave RAO (=180, Froude No. = 0.18)

PitchRAO 180
1.2
PitchTransferFunction(ang/m)
for their strengths. This method gives the advantage of

using wide range of free surface boundary conditions. It
provides the flexibility of linearization of basis flow.
In present study, the Rankine Panel Method based
computer program SWAN1 [1] is used for estimation of
ship motion and wave induced loads. SWAN1 [1]
performs calculations in the frequency domain. This
program is capable of analysing the unsteady ship
patterns, ship motions, pressure distribution over ship
hull in forward-speed moving in finite and infinite water
depth. The pressure distribution over the ship hull can be
utilized for structural strength investigation. In present
study, the hydrodynamic model includes the 5915 panel
elements including the 561 panels for the half ship
model. The free surface mesh is set to be 2.5 times of
ship length and nineteen wave periods, ranging from 5
seconds to 23 seconds are used as the incident wave for
each wave heading.
IRSTRIP
SWAN1
ISTRIP
1
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0
0
/L
Figure 1: Pitch RAO ( = 180, Froude No. = 0.18)

The hydrodynamic analysis is conducted using the
SWAN1 [1], IRSTRIP [2] and ISTRIP [3]. The
numerical calculation done for Froude no = 0.18 with the
seven headings angles from 0 to 180 with interval of
30 and frequencies are considered in term of /L taken
from 0.1 to 5. The vertical bending moment, horizontal
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bending moment and torsional moment distribution
envelopes for 180, 120 and 90 headings are shown in
Figure 4 to Figure 6 respectively. The closure profile of
bending moment for all selected frequencies shows that
the model is in equilibrium. However, this must be
verified with the structural model by checking the end
reactions.
VBMRAO 180
0.035
IRSTRIP
SWAN1
ISTRIP
0.03
VBM/gBL2R
0.025
0.02
Figure 6: TM RAO along the length of ship for various

/L ( = 90, Froude no = 0.18)
0.015
0.01
0.005
4.
0
0
/L
Figure 3:VBM RAO ( = 180, Froude no = 0.18)
Figure 4:VBM RAO along the length of ship for various

/L ( = 180, Froude no = 0.18)
Figure 5:HBM RAO along the length of ship for various

/L ( = 120, Froude no = 0.18)
APPLICATION OF HYDRODYNAMIC
LOADS:
Based on the hydrodynamic modelling efforts,
computational time, limitation of programs and ease of
load application, a method can be chosen for sea-keeping
analysis and subsequent structural analysis [5][8]. The
most important part of analysis is load application on
structural model. In case of spectral fatigue analysis, a
large number of load cases need to be solved. Keeping
such criteria, the load application on FE model should
perform with minimum efforts and minimum
computation time with reasonable accuracy. Zhao et al,
(2013) [5] have shown the well suitability of Panel based
method due to ease of transferring the hydrodynamic
panel pressure to 3D finite element structural models.
But due to difference in mesh size (hydrodynamic model
- coarse mesh and FE model - fine mesh), mapping the
pressure to the finite element model causes imbalanced
forces and moments. Same problem encounters in case
of strip theory based sectional pressure application on FE
model. Balancing technique like moment-inertia relief
method rebalance or counter the model by applying
further set of correcting forces. But the changes in the
pressure profile may result the inaccurate structural
response. Also, to perform spectral fatigue analysis,
rebalancing of model for a large number of load cases is
not practical in that case [9].
Hence, some alternative approach/method must be
applied. Application of shear force/bending moment can
be applied on FE model alternative to pressure load.
Here discussing the technique of applying sectional
loads on FE model, due to limitation of program
SWAN1 ( factor see reference [1]), in present case
study, the sectional loads (shear force/moment) given by
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strip theory based program are used. The following
procedure is applied:
Computation of hydrodynamic loads in terms of
moments (VBM, HBM & TM) at selected
locations
Application of computed loads on FE model
Solution of the numerical problem
Check for balanced model
Verify the structural response
Strip theory/panel method based program determines
shear force/bending moment and torsional moment at
given sections. To get the total structural response, three
types of moment (Horizontal, vertical, and torsional) are
needed to be applied at the specified sections of FE
model of ship. The present FE model of container ship
contains the 369264 elements and 329229 nodes. The
evaluated bending moment and torsional moment values
are the wave response on the outer hull at given sections.
These computed loads (shear force or moments) cannot
be applied at one node of ship section. Hence, to get the
solution, the multi-point constrained (MPC) method [10]
is adopted for application of moments on ships hull. In
this method, a free key-point (master node) is created at
the neutral axis location of selected frame sections. At
each selected section, nodes of longitudinal members are
coupled to the master node as shown in Figure 7. The
degree of freedom of slave nodes are also coupled to the
master node. The force distributed coupling is created
between the slave and master nodes. The distribution of
force/moments is based on the shape functions of
elements. In FE solution, the multi-point constraint
equations are derived from equating the work done on
either side of mixed dimensional interface. Hailu et al
[11] studied the moments frames with (Reduced Beam
Sections) RBS using MPC method and verified the load,
displacement and stress. The structural response
verification is discussed under heading 5.
Using MPC method the vertical and horizontal bending
moment can be applied but in case of a container ship
which having large hatch openings, the torsional moment
cannot be applied at the master node using MPC method.
In such a case, certain approach is adopted which is
given in [12] and is shown in Figure 8. The torsional
moment calculated from sea-keeping analysis is directly
applied to FE model considering the shape of torsional
moments. The difference in the torsional moments
between consecutive cross sections at bulkheads are
taken, and then a set of equivalent vertical shear loads is
applied at each bulkhead [13] as indicated in Figure 8.
Figure 7: Creation of Master and slave modes

(multipoint constraint)
Figure 8: Application of torsional moment [12]

The process is automated to apply the wave-induced
loads (moments) and solve the large number of load
cases. A code in ANSYS parametric design language
(APDL macro) has been developed for automatic load
application. This code selects the one by one complex
load cases corresponding to each frequency and wave
heading. After solving the numerical problem it captures
the stress output and its distribution at selected locations
which is shown in Figure 13.
5.
VERIFICATION OF LOADS:
To solve the FE model two location points towards the
end of model are constrained to prevent the rigid body
motion. One nodal point at forward collision bulkhead
and two nodal points at engine room bulkhead are
constrained. For the balanced structural model, end
reactions of model must be zero or negligible. In the
current case study, the end reactions are negligible in
both the cases (shear force and moment application).
However, shear force application induces the high end
reactions compared to moment application. As shown in
Figure 11, the shear force profile is not zero at the other
end. This induces the unbalanced forces on the structural
model and also can be reasoned for high induce stress
values compared to moment application on FE model.
The negligible end reaction is noted in case of moment
application on FE model. Hence moment application is
used for structural response analysis.
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To verify the structural response of the ship using the

MPC method for moment application, a case of pure
vertical bending moment is taken. The vertical bending
moment profile (VBMR- real part of complex moment
RAO) as shown in Figure 9 is applied along the ships
length. The stress (x) at the bottom and the deck
locations are determined near to mid-ship section using
the ANSYS Post Processor tool. The distribution of
stress for selected web frame section is shown in Figure
13. This stress is compared with the stress determined
using simple beam theory formulation shown in Table 2.
The comparison shows that, the order of stress by FEM
and using simple beam theory are in acceptable range.
Simplified process is adopted just to verify the structural
response and to check whether the bending moment
using MPC method is transferred properly or not.
Similarly the horizontal bending moment distribution is
checked and torsional moment is applied as discussed
under heading 4.
The ship response are also checked and compared using
the application of vertical shear force and vertical
bending moments respectively as shown in Figure 10
and Figure 12.
VerticalBendingMoment(KNm)
400000
VBMR
Figure 10: Stress distribution on sectional loading

(moment)
15000000
SFR
SFi
10000000
VerticalShearForce(N)
Table 2: Stress response of ship at mid-ship section

(/L=1, heading=180deg)
Location
Bottom
Deck
SMI (m)
5.02E+2
5.02E+2
NA (m)
11.010
11.010
Moment (KN.m)
-7.0632E+05
-7.0632E+05
Stress (cal) (N/m2)
-15.49
18.84
Stress (FE) (N/m2)
-16.40
19.17
%difference
5.87
1.75
5000000
0
100
200
300
5000000
10000000
15000000
X(m)
Figure 11: Complex vertical shear force (real/img)

distribution along ship length (for /L=1, = 180)
Figure 12: Stress distribution on sectional loading (shear

force)
VBMi
200000
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
200000
400000
600000
800000
X(m)
Figure 9: Complex vertical bending moment (real/img)

distribution along ship length (for /L=1, = 180)
Figure 13: Stress distribution at the x=149.3m (only
VBM applied)
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6.
CONCLUSION:
The proposed approach shows the application of direct
wave induced load (moments) on FE model. It clearly
indicates that, the computational time and effort in
application of direct moments are low as compared to
pressure application on FE model. The proposed
approach can be utilised where a large number of load
cases are needed to solved. It does not use any kind of
interpolation technique such are required in panel based
method for pressure application. It not only increases the
accuracy of structural response against the applied direct
wave induced loads but also removes the requirement of
balancing of FE model. Also, this methodology can be
utilized with usage of general purpose software.
However one must consider the limitation of the method
regarding determination of dynamic response of
structures only. This is due to the consideration of only
dynamic part in given moments (sea-keeping analysis).
In proposed methodology, process of moments
application and structural response are verified. But it is
recommended to verify strip theory based structural
response with some other alternative method like panel
based method (pressure application) or with the
experimental analysis.
7.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:
Authors would like to thank to Indian Register of
Shipping for providing the support this work. Authors
express sincere thanks to Professor D. Sen IIT
Kharagpur for his kind assistance and discussions
regarding sea-keeping analysis. Authors would like to
thank to Mr. Karan Doshi for preparing the structural
model of the container ship.
8.

and Arctic Engineering, 2013, pp. 19.
[6]
Y. Kim, S. Park, S. Jun, and J. Heo, Spectral

Fatigue Analysis for Side Longitudinals and
Hopper Knuckle Connection in VLCCs and
FPSOs, vol. 3, pp. 157162, 2002.
[7]
Z. Li, J. W. Ringsberg, and G. Storhaug, Timedomain fatigue assessment of ship side-shell

structures, Int. J. Fatigue, vol. 55, pp. 276290,
2013.
[8]
A. Negi and S. S. Dhavalikar, Spectral Fatigue

Analysis of a Transportation Barge, in
Proceedings of the Twenty-first (2011)
International Offshore and Polar Engineering
Conference, 2011, vol. 8, pp. 936942.
[9]
Y. Parihar, Fatigue Assessment of Container

Ship, Indian Institute of Technology Kahargpur,
2014.
[10]
ANSYS, ANSYS Help Manual, 2014.
[11]
D. Hailu, A. Zekaria, and S. Kinde, A Multiple

Constraint Approach for Finite Element Analysis
of Moment Frames with Radius-cut RBS
Connections, pp. 110, 2005.
[12]
K. Iijima, T. Shigemi, R. Miyake, and a.

Kumano, A practical method for torsional
strength assessment of container ship structures,
Mar. Struct., vol. 17, no. 5, pp. 355384, Sep.
2004.
[13]
K. Iijima, T. Shigemi, R. Miyake, and A.

Kumano, A practical method for torsional
strength assessment of container ship structures,
Mar. Struct., vol. 17, no. 5, pp. 355384, Sep.
2004.
REFERENCE:
[1]
MIT, User Manual for Ship Flow Simulation in

Calm Water and in Waves (SWAN1), 2001.
[2]
W. G. Meyers, S. D. J., and N. Salvensen,

Manual - NSDRC Ship Motion and Sea-Load
Computer Program, Washington, D. C., 1975.
[3]
IRS, ISTRIP Theory Manual, Mumbai, 2014.
[4]
B. N. Salvesen, E. O. Tuck, and O. Faltinsen,

Ship Motions and Sea loads, in Society of
Naval Architects and Marine Engineers, 1970,
vol. 6, no. 6, pp. 250287.
[5]
C. Zhao, M. Ma, and O. Hughes, Applying

Strip Theory Based Linear Seakeeping Loads to
3D Full Ship Finite Element Models, in 32nd
AUTHORS BIOGRAPHY
Yogendra Parihar holds the position of Assistant
Surveyor in Research and Rule Development
Department, Indian Register of Shipping. He is involved
in carrying out the fatigue assessment, direct strength
analysis of ships using sea-keeping loads. He also
worked on various topics like fatigue analysis, ultimate
strength analysis and reliability based strength
assessment of ships.
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S. K. Satsangi holds the position of Professor at Ocean
Engineering and Naval Architecture Department, IIT
Kharagpur. He is mainly involved in ship and offshore
structural analysis, composite material and stiffened
plates analysis using FEM. He has published his work on
stiffened plates, composite material, ship structure
analysis and finite element methods in international
journals and international & national conferences.
A. R. Kar holds the current position of Senior Principle
Surveyor and heading the Hydrodynamics and structural
reliability teams of Research and Rule Development
Department, Indian Register of Shipping, India.
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SHIP SCALE CFD SELF-PROPULSION SIMULATION

AND ITS DIRECT COMPARISON WITH SEA TRIALS RESULTS.
Dmitriy Ponkratov, Senior Consultant, (Dmitriy.Ponkratov@lr.org)
Constantinos Zegos, Senior CFD Consultant, (Constantinos.Zegos@lr.org)
Technical Investigation Department (TID), Lloyds Register, London, UK.
ABSTRACT
Although Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) codes have been validated extensively by developers and
researches, most of it is done against model scale experiments. Due to the difference in scale between ships and
models it is important to validate against full scale measurements. However, these are scarce and even when
available they are usually incomplete for this purpose. Lloyds Register Technical Investigation Department has
capability to collect some specific data during operations which even under normal circumstances pose numerous
challenges and are costly to acquire. As part of the research work reported here, all these obstacles were overcome
to culminate in the successful ship scale validation of the code and methods.
1.
avoids complicated sliding meshes and long run times

whilst providing reasonable results, as shown in [1], [2].
INTRODUCTION
Thanks to recent advances in numerical methods and a

reduction in cost of computational power, complex
hydrodynamic modelling challenges, such as ship scale
self-propulsion, can nowadays be investigated by
researchers using CFD.
A second simplification to the computational set up is to

not take into account the free surface, consequently
avoiding uncertainties of the VOF model, as presented
in [3].
The third simplification is to calculate the free surface
but not calculate the dynamic sink and trim of the vessel
as reported in [1], [4]. This approach helps to avoid the
uncertainties caused by the DFBI model; hence the
simulation convergence is relatively fast.
The investigation, presented in this paper, required a

careful implementation of different numerical
approaches, such as the Volume of Fluid (VOF) method
to resolve the water free surface, Dynamic Fluid Body
Interaction (DFBI) model for free ship motions and
sliding mesh approach for propeller rotation. Each of
these approaches has to be validated in order to get an
accurate performance prediction of a ship using CFD.
Such validations are routinely carried out at model scale
where it is possible to control the experimental setup to
a high degree and variables can be monitored relatively
easily. As a result, researchers have a lot of information
about the comparisons between model tests and CFD,
especially for resistance tests of bare hulls and propeller
open water tests. The next logical step is CFD
calculation of a self-propelled vessel at model scale.
Until recently, these cases were still quite scarce due to
the computational power required to carry out
simulations so researchers were forced to implement
various simplifications.
With the increase in computational power it became

possible to avoid any simplifications and calculate the
self-propulsion using the actual towing tank set up [5],
[6], [7], [8] and directly compare the results with model
scale data. These calculations are very important from a
research point of view as they introduce a new
numerical towing tank concept allowing for model tests
to be carried out numerically.
Unfortunately, both model scale calculations and model
tests have a serious disadvantage, known as the scale
effect. In order to avoid this issue a direct performance
simulation or testing of self-propulsion at full scale is
required. The same simplifications mentioned before,
valid for the model scale calculations, can be applied at
ship scale simulations to the same effect. For example,
the concept of actuator disk for the full scale
simulations has been successfully used in [9], [10], [11].
One of these simplifications is to use an actuator disk

method instead of the actual propeller. This approach
1
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Undoubtedly, the most advanced scenario is to simulate
the self-propulsion in full scale without any
assumptions, i.e. with the free surface, with the real
propeller and free sink and trim. At the time of writing
this paper the authors were aware of one simulation
performed in these conditions and reported in [12]. As
these researchers did not have data from sea trials, they
had to compare the results with scaled quantities
obtained empirically according to the ITTC procedures.
presented CFD results are interim and calculated for a

fixed sink and trim condition.
Lloyds Register (LR), as the oldest classification

society and one of the leaders in hydrodynamic
research, had a unique opportunity to collect and
analyse data from model scale tests as well as full scale
trials for the purpose of validating CFD predictions
carried out in-house.
2.
SEA TRIALS DATA
2.1
REASONS FOR COLLECTING DATA
At the first stage, the comparison of CFD calculated

propeller open water characteristics, ship resistance and
propulsion against the model scale tests was performed.
This showed very good agreement in all characteristics
so the work progressed to the second stage which
included full scale simulations of sea trials.
As mentioned earlier the main technical challenge of

any full scale CFD self-propulsion simulation is to
calculate a case without major simplifications; e.g. with
free surface, rotating propeller and all appendages.
However, the principal difficulty is to make sure that the
calculated results are in line with the actual figures;
hence, the comparison and validation of the results is
required. In the case of model scale calculation, the
validation can be performed by direct comparison
because the major quantities such as resistance,
propeller thrust and torque are measured in a controlled
environment during the tests. In the ship scale case the
direct comparison is limited as usually only some basic
quantities are measured during sea trials. In this
situation there are two possible alternatives: either to
compare the full scale CFD results with the predictions
based on ITTC scaling procedures [13] or to measure
some additional quantities during actual sea trials.
Traditionally, the first alternative is the simplest one as
the ITTC procedures are well known (for example the
comparison with scaled ITTC procedure for KCS
containership has been done by F. Stern [12]). However,
it should be noted that these predictions are based on
empirical functions and hence may not be always
accurate. Special attention should be paid when the
scaling procedures are used for vessels with energy
saving devices such as ducts, pre-swirl stators or vortex
generators as strictly speaking the scaling procedures
have not been validated for these devices.
For the current study a medium range tanker has been

selected and all required information such as model test
results, hull, propeller, rudder and appendages drawings
have been collected. The main particulars of the vessel
are presented in Table 1.
Hull particulars
Length over all to beam ratio
Loa/B
5.776
Waterline length to beam ratio
Lwl/B
5.619
Length between PP to beam ratio
Lpp/B
5.496
Beam to design draught ratio
B/T
2.927
Block coefficient
Cb
0.802
Prismatic coefficient
Cp
0.805
Midship coefficient
Cm
0.995
Waterplane coefficient
Cw
0.921
Propeller particulars
Number of blades
Diameter to design draught ratio
D/T
0.601
Expanded Blade Area ratio
Ae/A0
0.463
Pitch coefficient
P0.7/D
0.787
A/Lwl*T
0.025
Rudder particulars
Area to WL length and draught
Table 1. Ship main particulars.

Procedures developed and validated in the laboratory of
the LR Technical Investigation Department (LR TID)
were applied successfully to obtain the actual values of
propeller thrust and torque of the vessel during sea
trials. In addition the vessel's speed, shaft rotation rate
and rudder angle were also recorded during the trials.
The second alternative is less common as it involves

additional efforts for the measurement of the required
quantities. During the sea trials conducted by a shipyard
the practical interest lies in the confirmation whether the
contractual requirements, such as ship speed at a
specific engine power, are satisfied. Hence, only the
ship speed, engine power and shaft speed are normally
recorded. It should be highlighted that these records are
dependent on environmental factors such as wind,
waves and current. Again some ITTC or ISO
corrections should be applied in such cases. Hence, the
Commercial CFD software Star-CCM+ was used to

carry out simulations of the ship at the same conditions
as the sea trials. In order to have an accurate
representation of the ship, all hull appendages were
modelled. The final goal was to simulate ship, free to
sink and trim. However, in the current paper all
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remaining challenge is the lack of reliable recorded
variables for direct comparison between CFD
calculations and sea trials. Over many years, LR TID
has developed extensive experience in performing
complex measurements as a result of attending sea trials
of different types of vessels.
2.3
SHAFT SPEED
In order to record the shaft speed a reflecting tape was

glued on the shaft line and an optical sensors was
mounted close to the shaft as shown in Figure 2.
One of the authors attended the sea trials of the medium

range tanker and conducted the measurements of ship
speed, engine power, shaft speed, propeller thrust and
torque. Before attending the trials all equipment was
carefully checked and calibrated in the TID laboratory.
Prior to departure for the sea trials the hull was cleaned
and all fouling was removed. The propeller surface was
also polished.
The speed tests were conducted under various power
conditions at ballast, design and scantling draughts. The
aforementioned quantities were measured for all tests.
However, in the current study only one case has been
selected as the weather was exceptionally calm for its
duration. As a result, the ship showed almost identical
shaft speed, power, thrust and torque for the forth and
back runs (Table 4). It was therefore considered that
the environmental impact, due to waves and wind was
minimal for this particular test. The ship speed recorded
by GPS was slightly different between reciprocal runs
due to the current; therefore the final speed was
calculated as an average between the two runs. No other
corrections, such as ITTC corrections for weather were
applied in order to avoid additional uncertainties.
2.2
Figure 2. Shaft optical sensor and key blade indicator,

Engine room.
Every time the tape passed the sensor window a voltage
signal was transmitted to recording software. For ease
of reference the tape was glued against the sensor
window when the key blade was located in the top dead
centre, resulting in a simultaneous recording of key
blade position.
2.4
TORQUE AND THRUST
The propeller thrust and torque were measured by strain

gauges similar to those used in Formula 1 cars for
various measurements including the wheel axis moment
measurement. The installation of the gauges on the shaft
was the most difficult part due to gauge sensitivity
which required a careful treatment. Before each gauge
was glued the area on the shaft was manually polished
with sand paper, and longitudinal and transversal axes
were drawn. Before and after the installation all strain
gauges were tested by the strain indicator and gauges
Out of Balances (OOB) was identified.
SHIP SPEED
The ship speed was recorded for all double runs by an

independent GPS system installed by LR TID on the
navigation bridge. Figure 1 shows the track of the runs
for speed tests.
The amplifier with the battery pack was also mounted to

the shaft as shown in Figure 3. Six batteries allowed the
continuous working of the system for the duration of the
sea trials.
The aerial was glued around the shaft and the signal
pick up was mounted close to the aerial so that the
amplified signal could be transmitted to the recording
software.
The measurement of the propeller torque requires only
one full-bridged strain gauge and the values are usually
acquired to a high degree of accuracy. The angular
deformation of the shaft, usually in the order of a
hundred micro strains, is normally much higher than
Figure 1. Track of double runs recorded by GPS.
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MARHY 2014
equipment tolerances, usually ten micro strains. The
propeller thrust on the other hand is the most
challenging value to measure as the longitudinal
deformation of the shaft is in the same order of
magnitude as the equipment tolerances. Hence, even a
careful installation of the thrust strain gauges does not
guarantee a high accuracy of measurements. In order to
build a full bridge two thrust strain gauges were glued
on the opposite sides of the shaft and a heating
compensator was applied. Figure 4 shows the
installation for thrust measurements.
The stopping of the shaft at sea does not help to

accurately determine the zero level either, as the ship
movement due to the inertia or current, would create
non-zero forces and moments even on the stopped shaft.
The only practical solution that was applied here is to
record zero thrust and torque after the arrival from sea
trials when the ship is already alongside and the shaft is
still warm. The recorded strain values were post
processed in order to obtain the values for the thrust and
torque.
As several strain gauges were installed on the shaft, it
was possible to cross check the measured values
between them. As stated earlier, the torque results are
usually the most reliable and the cross check confirmed
this, revealing the difference within 1% from two
independent torque sensors. For the thrust cross check
the difference from two independent installations was
only within 6%. Hence, the CFD results were compared
with two values for the thrust and torque obtained from
independent analysis.
2.5
RUDDER MOVEMENT
Apart from the strain gauges a draw wire sensor was

mounted on the rudder stock in order to measure the
rudder angles. After the installation, shown in Figure 5,
and while the ship was alongside, the rudder was
applied in the range from 20 port to 20 starboard, in
5 steps, in order to calibrate the sensor and determine
the dependence of the wire displacement on the rudder
angle. After calibration the resulting coefficient was
applied in the recording software in order to acquire the
signal directly in degrees.
As it was possible to charge and discharge cargo tanks
during the sea trials, measurements were performed for
scantling, design and ballast draughts.
Figure 3. The installation for the torque measurements
Figure 4. The installation for the thrust measurements.

For the thrust and torque measurements it is required to
determine the zero level when there are no forces and
moments on the shaft e.g. when the shaft is stationary.
Theoretically, this can be done after the installation
while the ship is alongside. However the zero level on
the cold shaft will not necessarily be the same as on
the warmed shaft during the trials, hence the heating
impact would be neglected.
Figure 5. Voltage displacement draw wire connected to

rudder stock
The weather conditions were best on the day when the
vessel was in design draught so it was decided to
perform the CFD study for the same draught further
4
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MARHY 2014
It has been confirmed that the results obtained on the
coarser mesh are in a good agreement with ones
obtained on the finer mesh. Even with the final mesh the
total computational time took about 24 hours per case,
using 128 cores of the LR TID cluster.
helping to minimise the uncertainties related to

environmental impact.
3.
CFD METHODOLOGY
3.1
GEOMETRY
3.3
The hull geometry used was in the form of an IGES file.

The geometries of all appendages were built by LR TID
using the ships drawings.
The system of RANS equations for mass and

momentum transfer was closed with the k- SST
turbulence model. The transport equations of the
problem are solved by a segregated solution method
with a SIMPLE-type algorithm for pressure-velocity
coupling.
The unsteady simulation of the rotating propeller was
resolved using a time-accurate sliding mesh approach.
However, on the first stage of the simulation a Moving
Reference Frame (MRF) approach was used to accelerate
the resolution of free surface.
For both model scale and ship scale simulations the

geometry used matched the respective case for the
measurements. For the resistance test, only the naked
hull with the rudder was modelled whereas for the selfpropulsion case, the propeller was added. In ship scale
all appendages were included, i.e. the bilge keels,
propeller and rudder. Furthermore the superstructure
was included to more accurately calculate air resistance.
3.2
MODELLING APPROACH
In all cases the simulations were set up to match the

inputs and unknowns as in the physical world. The
model scale simulations of naked hull resistance were
set up with the following key parameters matching those
of the towing tank tests:
Ship model centre of gravity;
Draught;
Geometry;
Towing speed;
Propeller rpm (self-propulsion).
The parameters calculated, monitored and compared
against the towing tank results were the following:
Hull resistance;
Trim;
Sink;
Propeller thrust (self-propulsion);
Propeller Torque (self-propulsion).
In ship scale the approach was similar; however, in the
current study the ship scale simulations did not include
free sink and trim. Regardless, these had been validated at
model scale.
COMPUTATIONAL DOMAIN
The computational domain extended to about one ship

length fore of the bow, two ship lengths aft of the stern,
one ship length to both port and starboard and one ship
length below and above the water surface. For simulations
excluding the propeller only half a ship was modelled
taking advantage of the symmetry about the centreline. An
illustration of the computational domain is provided in
Figure 6. A separate cylindrical domain was created for
the propeller to allow for the rigid body rotation to be
modelled. Internal interface boundary conditions were
implemented on the cylinder faces between the rotating
and static domains. A trimmed mesh was used and was
aligned to the still water free surface. To capture the
deformation of the free surface the so called Volume of
Fluid (VOF) method was used.
The calculation strategy for the fixed sink and trim, selfpropulsion case in ship scale was the following: at the first
stage the calculation was performed with an assumed
constant speed and propeller rpm modelled by the Moving
Reference Frame approach. The time step was selected to
be 0.05 sec. Once this calculation had converged and the
free surface was fully resolved the time step was reduced
to 0.0032 sec and propeller rigid body rotation activated.
Once the convergence was achieved, the imbalance of
longitudinal forces between propeller thrust and effective
ship resistance was noted and the calculation repeated
until the speed at which the balance between thrust and
resistance is found, representing the true self-propulsion
Figure 6. Flow domain around the ship.

The thickness of the first cell close to the hull and
propeller geometries was set such that the y+ values
were within 30 to 800. The initial computational mesh
for the ship scale case was about 18 million cells,
however, after a careful sensitivity study the number of
cells for the final mesh was reduced to about 10 million.
146

MARHY 2014
The self-propulsion model scale simulation also gave
satisfactory results for effective resistance, thrust and
torque in comparison to the model test, so it was
decided to proceed further for the ship scale selfpropulsion case.
ship speed. The calculated values for the propeller thrust

and torque are presented in Table 4.
4.
RESULTS
The results of this project are the comparisons between

the CFD predictions and the measurements taken during
the towing tank tests and the sea trials. All simulations
were carried out at the design draught.
4.1
4.2
The values of effective ship resistance, (including air

resistance), thrust and torque were calculated and
compared to those obtained at the sea trials. The
convergence of thrust and torque coefficients are
presented in Figure 7. It is clearly seen that the
calculation until 300 sec of the physical time was done
with MRF approach with a time step of 0.05 sec, and
after 300 sec with the sliding mesh approach and a time
step of 0.0032 sec. The natural four peaks per revolution
oscillations of thrust and torque coefficients due to
rotation of four-bladed propeller are shown in the
zoomed part of Figure 7. The averaged results of this
validation are presented in Table 4.
MODEL SCALE SIMULATIONS
The naked hull resistance and propeller open water

characteristics were validated separately before
proceeding to a self-propulsion simulation. Results in
Tables 2 and 3 show the resistance and trim angle
comparison respectively.
Ct*1000
Model test
3.980
3.923
3.862
4.312
Fr
0.1332
0.1574
0.1817
0.2059
Ct*1000
CFD
4.038
3.956
3.836
4.210
, %
1.5
0.8
0.7
2.4
Table 2. Comparison CFD and resistance model tests.

In all tables the Froude number (Fr) is based on LWL. The
standard formula for coefficient of total hull resistance
(Ct) is used where the reference area is the hull wetted
surface area.
The naked hull resistance results are satisfactory since
the error margin was less than 2.5% for all cases. The
change in draught results were satisfactory in a
qualitative sense. More specifically the change in trim at
the aft end was calculated to have a constant offset from
the experimental results. It is probable this is due to the
additional buoyancy of the rudder since the mass of the
ship was not adjusted when this appendage was added
in the simulation
Fr
0.1332
0.1574
0.1817
0.2059
Trim, deg
Model test
0.10
0.14
0.17
0.27
SHIP SCALE SIMULATIONS
Forth
run
Back
run
Mean
n/(VMEAN/D)
1.405
1.405
1.405
1.405
Fr by GPS
0.201
0.186
0.193
0.194
0.22
Kt 1st gauge
0.168
0.169
0.168
Kt 2ndgauge
0.178
0.179
0.179
10 Kq 1stgauge
0.190
0.190
0.190
10 Kq 2ndgauge
0.189
0.190
0.190
CFD
0.166
0.193
, %
1.31
7.47
1.87
1.94
Table 4. Comparison CFD and sea trials.

It can be seen from the table that the torque coefficient
(Kq) predicted by CFD agreed well with both
coefficients measured during the sea trials by the
independent gauges. The thrust coefficient (Kt) on the
other hand agreed well only with the coefficient
obtained from the first gauge. The second gauge showed
a discrepancy of 7.5% when the result was compared
with the thrust coefficient predicted by CFD.
Trim, deg
CFD
0.12
0.17
0.23
0.30
Table 3. Dynamic trim. Comparison CFD and model

tests.
The change in draught at the forward perpendicular was
both qualitatively and quantitatively closer to the
measured results. The residual discrepancy is most
probably due to transient fluctuations of the hull
position, unaccounted for in these results.
Figure 7. Convergence plot for the thrust and torque

coefficients.
147

MARHY 2014
As discussed earlier the propeller thrust is the most
challenging value to measure since the longitudinal
deformation of the shaft is of the same order of
magnitude as the equipment error. Hence, even a careful
installation of thrust strain gauges does not guarantee a
high accuracy of measurements.
6.
Agreement of thrust and torque between CFD

calculations and the sea trials measurements was
very good, confirming a high accuracy of the
proposed CFD approach.
ACHNOWLEGMENT
The current research project was funded under the

internal LR R&D program. The authors would like to
thank the colleagues D. Radosavljevic, S. Whitworth, K.
Kalaskar and A. Caldas for their significant support.
7.
1.
Turnock S.R., Phillips A.B., Furlong M.
URANS simulations of static drift and dynamic
manoeuvres of the KVLCC2 TANKER, SIMMAN
2008: workshop on verification and validation of ship
manoeuvring Simulation Methods, Lyngby, Denmark,
13 - 17 April 2008.
Figure 8. Free surface scene.

The converged case was post processed in order to
obtain different quantities, for example Figure 8 shows
the free surface elevation around the ship.
5.
REFERENCES
2.
Florin Pacuraru, Adrian Lungu, Oana Marcu,
Self-Propulsion Simulation of a Tanker Hull, AIP
Conf. Proc. 1389, 191 (2011), Halkidiki, Greece, 19
25 September 2011.
CONCLUSIONS
The following conclusions can be drawn from the

investigation:
3.
Krasilnikov V.I., Self-Propulsion RANS
Computations with a Single-Screw Container Ship,
Third International Symposium on Marine Propulsors,
SMP13, Launceston, Tasmania, Australia, May 2013.
LR TID collected a full complement of

documentation for a selected medium range tanker
including all model test reports, hull, rudder,
propeller and appendages drawings as well as the
IGES file of the hull.
4.
Bugalski T., Hoffmann P., Numerical
Simulation of the Self-Propulsion Model Tests,
Second International Symposium on Marine
Propulsors SMP11, Hamburg, Germany, June 2011.
LR TID conducted the sea trials for the tanker; prior

to the trials the ship hull was cleaned and the
propeller surface was polished. The strain gauges
usually used for measurements on Formula 1 cars
were applied successfully to obtain the actual values
of propeller thrust and torque.
5.
Dhinesh G., Murali K., Anantha Subramanian
V., Estimation of hull-propeller interaction of a selfpropelling model hull using a RANSE solver, Ships
and Offshore Structures, Volume 5, Issue 2, 2010
6.
Carrica P. M., Fu H., Stern F., Computations of
self- propulsion free to sink and trim and of motions in
head waves of the KRISO Container Ship (KCS)
model, Applied Ocean Research, Volume 33, Issue 4,
October 2011, Pages 309-320.
Results from two runs of one speed test have been

selected for the CFD validation for this particular
trial; the environmental influence was minimal and
the power, thrust, torque and shaft speed were
almost identical both for forth and back runs.
7.
Hai Long Shen, Gomri Abdelhak, Qing Tong
Chen, Yu Min Su, The hydrodynamic performance
prediction of ship hull with propeller, Applied
Mechanics and Materials 2012 (Volumes 117 - 119),
pg. 598 - 601.
Commercial CFD software Star-CCM+ was used to

carry out simulations in model and ship scales. Hull
resistance, propeller open water and self-propulsion
tests in model scale were simulated numerically and
agreed well with model tests results.
8.
Tsung-Yueh Lin, Yun-Shan Wang, Po-Wen
Wang , Jen-Shiang Kouh, Numerical Simulation of
Self-Propulsion Model Tests for a Container Ship, The
6th Asia-Pacific Workshop on Marine Hydrodymics APHydro, 2012, September 3-4.
Full scale self-propulsion simulation of the ship was

performed at the same conditions as the sea trial. In
order to have an accurate representation, all hull
appendages, as well as the superstructure, were
modelled.
9.
Tzabiras George D., Self-propulsion simulation
of a Series-60, CB=0.6 Hull, International Multi-
148

MARHY 2014
Consultant to Marine Technology Research Institute in
Norway and China. Prior joining Lloyds Register he
was an Associate Professor in Norway. Currently he
holds the position of Senior Consultant at Lloyds
Register, Technical Investigation Department, London,
UK. He is responsible for managing various Fluid
Dynamic projects such as CFD investigations, model
tests attendance, sea trials attendance, full scale
cavitation observations, under water propeller
inspections etc.
Conference on Maritime Research and Technology,

Crete, 2001, pp 1-4
10.
Jin Kim, Il-Ryong Park, Kwang-Soo Kim, and
Suak-Ho Van, Numerical Simulation of Turbulent
Free Surface Flow around a Self-Propelled Ship,
Proceedings of The Fifteenth (2005) International
Offshore and Polar Engineering Conference, Seoul,
Korea, 2005.
11.
George D. Tzabiras, Spelios P. Polyzos, G.N.
Zarafonitis, Self-Propulsion Simulation of PassengerFerry Ships with Bow and Stern Propulsors, 12th
Numerical Towing Tank Symposium, Cortona, Italy, 26 October 2009.
Constantinos Zegos obtained his M.Sc. in CFD from

the Aeronautics department of Imperial College,
London and currently holds the position of Senior CFD
Consultant at Lloyds Register, Technical Investigation
Department, London, UK. He is responsible for
managing CFD projects and has experience in powering
predictions and propulsion modelling. Earlier projects
include validating model scale self-propulsion, blind
validations of model scale resistance with free sink and
trim as well as setting up the trim optimisation
procedure for Lloyds Register. Prior to working at
Lloyds Register Constantinos worked on modelling
fluid structure interaction in gas turbines as well as
environmental flows.
12.
Alejandro M. Castro, Pablo M. Carrica,
Frederick Stern,
Full
scale Self-propulsion
computations using discretized propeller for the
KRISO container ship KCS, Computers & Fluids,
Volume 51, Issue 1, 15 December 2011, Pages 35-47.
13.
ITTC Recommended procedure 7.5-04-01-01,
http://ittc.sname.org/2006_recomm_proc/
8.
AUTHORS BIOGRAPHIES
Dr. Dmitriy Ponkratov graduated the Saint-Petersburg

Marine Technical University, Russia in 2005. While
writing his PhD thesis in 2006-2008, he was a
149

International
on India
Computational
and978-93-80689-22-7)
Experimental Marine
Dec. , 2014Conference
at IIT Madras,
- Vol.2 (ISBN:
Hydrodynamics
MARHY 2014
WAKE ESTIMATION: A COMPARATIVE STUDY BETWEEN DIFFERENT SOLVERS

Jai Ram Saripilli, Prasada Naidu Dabbi, Ram Kumar Joga, Sharad S Dhavalikar and Apurba Ranjan Kar,
Indian Register of Shipping, India
ABSTRACT
The emerging demand for energy efficient ships is constantly driving simulation based design for optimized hull forms
with optimized wakes. In the conventional way of estimating wake from model experiments, high uncertainties lie in
scaling the wake field from model scale to full scale. These uncertainties escalate with the complexity of the hull
geometry, mainly the appendage arrangement. Hence full scale computation to estimate wake are performed using
RANS based CFD solvers. Wake estimation studies are performed on a fully appended twin screw vessel equipped with
skeg, two A brackets arranged in tandem with port-starboard asymmetry in appendage arrangement. Comparative
studies are performed on the computed wake field and detailed flow interaction near appendages using two commercial
CFD solvers STAR CCM+ and ANSYS CFX. The computational results are later compared with the extrapolated wake
measurements from model experiments.
1.
INTRODUCTION
The performance of a ship propeller is governed by the

flow to the propeller. An increased demand for energy
efficient ships is found in recent time due to the
emerging EEDI requirements. This demand combined
with increasing application of CFD tools drives a ship
designer to obtain optimised hull form with most suitable
flow to the propeller. Flow to the propeller is influenced
by the hull form (stern flow) and appendages. In case of
fully appended hull, stern flow interactions with the
appendages modify the nominal wake. It is very difficult
to evaluate accurate appendage interactions through
model tests, as the uncertainties escalate with the
complexity of appendage arrangement. Uncertainties
even arise in scaling the flow from model scale to full
scale due to the boundary layer effects. The boundary
layer thickness for full scale ship is very less in
compression with the characteristic dimensions of
appendages. It is hence motivated to use CFD
calculations at full scale to compute wake and study
detail flow interactions due to appendages.
RANS based CFD computations are most widely used in
ship hydrodynamics with the dramatic reduction in the
turnaround time. Massive parallelisation and advanced
numerical techniques has led to high fidelity of High
Performance Computing (HPC) in CFD. For the past
decade, tremendous computational power has made
possible reduction in numerical errors and uncertainty in
spacial resolution and also led to less turnaround time in
RANS computations. However Large Eddy Simulation
(LES) methods are still treated computationally
expensive. Detail flow analysis involved with complex
vortices and eddies due to separation requires high
resolution turbulence models. LES methods and hybrid
LES or Detached Eddy Simulation (DES) or Delayed
Detached Eddy Simulation (DDES) methods are more
capable of describing such flow, but due to
computational costs and very high Reynolds numbers
encountered in ship flows restrict the application of these

models and are mostly confined to research. Hence
RANS computations are widely used in industrial level.
Majority of the turbulence models in RANS are based on
Boussinesq hypothesis. Careful implementation of
turbulence models is necessary for reliable wake
prediction studies.
Present work portrays the application of RANS based
CFD computations on a fully appended twin screw ship
aimed to compute nominal wake. Wake computations are
performed at high speed in the presence of free surface
(i.e. wake computation from resistance simulation). CFD
computations are performed to obtain a steady state flow
using two different commercial CFD tools STAR
CCM+ and ANSYS CFX. The detail flow and the
appendage interactions are studied; and the CFD
computed wake is compared with model experiments.
2.
SOLVER BACKGROUND
The governing equations for the bulk of the flow are the
Navier-Stokes equations imposed with suitable free
surface condition. Reynolds averaging is used for
modelling turbulence and the RANS equations combined
with continuity equations in integral form are solved
using Finite Volume (FV) method. An interface
capturing technique volume of fluid (VOF) model is used
to model the free surface. Both the solvers ANSYS CFX
and STAR CCM+ are similar and solve for the governing
fluid flow equations based on the above stated
mathematical models, while they differ from each other
in the some aspects of numerical implementation.
2.1
ANSYS CFX
ANSYS CFX is a vortex centred, finite volume code

implemented to solve the Navier-Stokes equations that
are discretized in a collocated way and solved by an
algebraic multigrid (AMG) solver. The Rhie & Chow
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MARHY 2014
interpolations method is used to avoid pressure-velocity
decoupling. The system of linear equations of all
conservation equations are solved in a fully coupled
manner (solved in a single matrix). The reconstruction of
the free surface is based on VOF approach with a
compression discretization scheme with a coupled
algebraic multigrid solver.
2.2
Table 1: Vessel Particulars

Scale Ratio
1:15
Length
105.396 m
Breadth
13.5 m
Depth
8.9 m
Draft
3.7 m
Displacement
2466 Tonnes
Speed
25 knots
Fn
0.4
Rn
1.38108 (full scale)
STAR CCM+
STAR CCM+ is also a finite volume based NavierStokes equations solver with a segregated, algebraic
multigrid (AMG) solver, but uses a cell centred approach
and is capable of handling Cartesian and polyhedral
grids. Furthermore the SIMPLE type algorithm is applied
to control the velocity-pressure coupling and overall
solution procedure unlike CFX where it implements a
fully coupled solution. The discretized equations are
solved using point wise Gauss-Seidel iterations, and an
AMG method accelerates the solution convergence.
3.
edges and high change in curvature. Before utilizing the

geometry for discretization in CFD, it is very essential to
repair the dirty geometry and simplify the definition of
CAD geometry without losing the actual geometric
topology of the model within prescribed tolerance.
MODEL PERTICULARS AND TEST CASE
A patrol vessel is considered and the geometry is

described in figure 1. The main particular of ship are
tabulated in Table 1. The vessel geometry is
characterized by fine hull form, transom stern, skeg, two
outward turning propellers supported by a pair of Abrackets in tandem on either sides and two rudders with
rudder head box (fixed fins).
4.
MODELING AND CASE SETUP IN CFD
Resistance simulations are set up in the two solvers with

appropriate definition of physical models. ITTC [1] gives
best practices and guidelines for CFD simulation in ship
hydrodynamics.
4.1
SPACIAL DISCRETIZATION
Computations are performed on unstructured hybrid

grids over the entire fluid domain. The configuration of
the fluid domain with suitable boundary condition has
become standard and is widely available in literature. For
the present work a domain extending 1L forward, 2L aft,
1L on port and starboard, 1L bottom and 0.25L top was
selected. The domain is discretized by tetrahedral grid in
ANSYS CFX and by Cartesian grid in STAR CCM+.
4.1 (a) Grid Generation for ANSYS CFX
Figure 1: Hull model with appendages and propeller

Non-symmetry exists in the appendage arrangement, the
port and starboard shaft are arranged at different
inclination angles and the propeller planes differ from
port and starboard while the propeller centre follows
symmetry. The rudders are placed slightly at an offset
from the propeller centre plane. The simulations are
performed for a speed of 25 knots (Fn = 0.4). Two cases
are considered for wake computations, both the cases
differed in the appendage arrangement. Both the test
cases have the same appendages with different
orientation (arrangement of A-brackets) of the
appendages on same hull form. The two vessels are
denoted as Ship-A and Ship-B, wake computations are
compared with experiments for Ship-B.
The hull is modelled with several trimmed surfaces and
bullion operations in order to model the appendages,
these complex geometries lead to thin surfaces, silver
Automatic Octree grid generation method is used to

generate hybrid tetrahedral gird with prism layer using
commercial meshing tool ANSYS ICEMCFD. A prism
layer was defined around the hull and appendages to
generate hexahedral grid in the boundary layer region. A
y+ of 50 to 150 was maintained throughout the geometry
with an expansion ratio of 1.5 within the boundary layer.
In order to maintain hexahedral grid near the free surface
prism layer grid was defined on either sides of mean
water level.
4.1 (b) Grid Generation for STAR CCM+
Automatic trimmer mesh generator was used to create
anisotropic Cartesian grids with mesh generation tool
provided with the solver STAR CCM+. Prism layers are
generated to capture the boundary layer effect with the
near wall distance criteria y+ of 50 to 150 throughout the
vessel. An expansion ratio of 1.2 to 1.5 is maintained
near the wall boundaries.
Refined grids are used near the appendages and free
surface for precise computation of the flow detail, grid
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refinement is achieved by defining appropriate mesh
density controls and sizing parameters. Medium
resolution grids of 3.5 million cells are used in both the
solvers. The present CFD solvers being grid dependent
are highly sensitive to the grid quality. Achieving high
quality grids is difficult and sometimes impossible near
complex geometries such as appendages. Mainly near the
sharp corners of appendages and in the region where
prism layer grid meets the outer continuum grid.
Adequate grid quality was maintained keeping the total
number of worst quality elements with 1.5% of total
number of grid elements. An additional case was
considered in which the domain was discretized using
structured hexahedral grid around the hull with an
unstructured hybrid tetrahedral grid along with prism
layers and solved in ANSYS CFX. Computations
showed that there was hardly any variation between the
two cases in ANSYS CFX.
VOF free surface model is used both solvers. Implicit

temporal discretization of 1st order Euler backward
differencing scheme is used in performing a transient
flow simulation till a steady state flow is achieved in
STAR CCM+. In case of ANSYS CFX a steady state
simulation is performed with an automatic time scale
with a residual convergence target of 10-6.
5.
Although wake being the primary objective of present

work, it is also important to assess the uncertainties in
total drag prediction before performing wake estimation
studies. From initial resistance computations and model
experiments it was observed that the sinkage and trim are
insignificant for the given speed (at Fn = 0.4, sinkage
0.015m, trim 0.1). Resistance simulations were
conducted on full scale, for computational simplification
CFD simulations were performed on fixed hull at
appropriate draft (i.e. rigid body motions were not
included in CFD simulations).
Figure 2: Snapshots of mesh used in STAR CCM+ (top)

and ANSYS CFX (bottom)
4.2
NUMERICAL METHODS
RANS equations are solved by a cell-centred FV method

in STAR CCM+ and by a vertex-centred FV method in
ANSYS CFX. The convective terms are modelled using
an upwind-type spatial discretization in STAR CCM+
while a Height Resolution scheme is used in ANSYS
CFX. Both the methods have an accuracy of up to 3rd
order for the type of grids used in present case. Fluxes
related to viscosity are modelled according to centraldifference scheme in STAR CCM+, while a 1st order
upwind scheme is used in ANSYS CFX. A standard
Shear Stress Transport (SST) k- turbulence model is
used with wall function near no-slip wall boundary
condition. It is reasonable to have a y+ of 50 to 150 with
the application of wall function model. A multiphase
flow solver with two fluids is modelled with coupled
Figure 3: Free surface elevation for Ship-A, (top STAR

CCM+ and bottom ANSYS CFX)
Drag and ship generated wave pattern computed from the
two solvers is compared. The free surface profile
computed using two solvers is shown in figure 3. A fair
agreement of resistance and free surface elevation is
observed between the two solvers. The total resistance
was found to be within 3% for the two solvers, the
deviation can be regarded to the grid resolution and type
of grid elements used in two solvers. The wave elevation
was found to be the same for both the cases Ship-A and
Ship-B, as the wave making resistance or ship generated
152

MARHY 2014
waves are mainly hull form dependent. The variations in
arrangement of appendages alone have shown no
influence on free surface.
5.1
WAKE COMPARISION
Wake computed from the resistance simulation using the

two solvers is compared for both cases Ship-A and ShipB. Priority was given to axial wake, and wake is defined
by the axial velocity fraction (vx/V, where vx is axial
component on propeller plane and V is ship velocity).
comparison of axial velocity fraction on port side

propeller plane. Tangential and radial velocity fraction is
represented as vectors in the wake plot given in figure 6.
Mean axial velocity fraction of Ship-B from the two
solver and experiments is tabulated in Table 2, the mean
axial velocity fraction has shown a good agreement with
experiments by the two solvers).
Table 2: Mean Axial Velocity Fraction for Ship-A
Experimental
STAR CCM+
ANSYS CFX
0.89
0.883
0.889
Figure 4: Wake contour for Ship-A, top - STAR CCM+

and bottom ANSYS CFX (Contours Red-0 to Blue -1)
Figure 5: Axial velocity fraction for Ship-A (top r/R =

0.7865 and bottom r/R = 0.9435)
Axial velocity fraction at r/R =0.7865 and r/R=0.9435 for
Ship-A are given in figure 5. Axial, radial and tangential
velocity fraction for Ship-B is compared with
experimental measurements; figure 6 shows the
Figure 6: Comparison of axial, radial and tangential

velocity fraction between STAR CCM+ (top), ANSYS
CFX (middle) and Experiments (bottom) for Ship-B
153

MARHY 2014
5.2
FLOW - APPENDAGE INTERACTION
Flow interactions near the appendages are inspected from

the CFD computations. Constant axial velocity fraction
contours at three different sections placed at 11.5m, 10m
and 5.5m (all measured from AP) computed from the two
solvers is shown in figure 7.
The first section (11.5m) is placed at the tail of first Abracket, the third section (5.5m) is placed immediately
after the second A-bracket and the second section (10m)
is located in between the two brackets. It is observed that
the computations from STAR CCM+ showed the flow to
be slightly asymmetric near the centre plane; the axial
velocity fraction contours are inclined towards starboard.
While the computation from ANSYS CFX showed the
flow is almost symmetric near the centre plane. The flow
in this region is fully turbulent and unsteady and the
instantaneous unsteady flow at that particular time step
could have been asymmetric. As STAR CCM+ uses a
transient simulation to describe the steady flow, it is
possible that the instantaneous fluctuations in the flow
are captured. In the case of ANSYS CFX steady state
simulation is used with false time stepping, where the
instantaneous flow fluctuations might not have been
captured. It is also uncertain that if the local flow has
achieved steady state without any numerical inaccuracies
in both the solvers. And the turbulence approximation
used is consistent. A more detail investigation on
turbulence and grid dependence is required before
concluding on such localised flow fields associated with
appendage interactions.
6.
SUMMARY
Wake field was described by velocity fraction (axial,

tangential and radial) and comparison was made between
computations from two commercial CFD tools and
experiments. The two solvers used different types of grid
elements and total grid count, while the grid density and
other near wall size ratios were kept same. The computed
wake from the two solvers showed a fair agreement for
both the cases Ship-A and Ship-B, the computed wake
also has a fair agreement with experimental
measurements. Detail flow visualization is made to
understand the flow interactions near the appendages.
7.
REFERENCES
1.
Recommended Procedures and Guidelines,

Practical
Guidelines
for
Ship
CFD
Applications, 26th ITTC Specialist Committee
on CFD in Marine Hydrodynamics, 2011.
2.
Strake, B., Windt, J., Raven, H., C., Validation

of Viscous Flow and Wake Field Predictions for
Ships at Full Scale, 26th Symposium on Naval
Hydrodynamics, Rome, Italy, 2006.
3.
Schweighofer, J., Regnstrom, B., Strake, A., R.,

Tzabiras., Viscous-Flow Computations of Two
Existing Vessels at Models and Full Scale Ship
Reynolds Numbers A Study Carried Out
Within The European Union Project, EFFORT,
International Conference on Computational
Methods in Marine Engineering, MARINE,
Barcelona, 2005.
Figure 7: Axial velocity fraction contours at three

location 11.5m, 10m, 5.5m from AP (top STAR CCM+
and bottom ANSYS CFX).
154

MARHY 2014
4.
Bugalski, T., Hoffmann, P., Numerical

Simulation of Self-Propulsion Model Tests,
Second International Symposium on Marine
Propulsors, Hamburg Germany, 2011.
8.
AUTHORS BIOGRAPHY
Jai Ram Saripilli holds the current position of Assistant

Surveyor in Research and Rule Development
Prasada Naidu Dabbi holds the current position of
Assistant Surveyor in Research and Rule Development
Ram Kumar Joga holds the current position of Asst.
Surveyor at Indian Register of Shipping, India. He is
working in Hydrodynamics and Stability team of
Research and Rule Development division. He is
responsible for CFD computations of marine and
offshore structures.
Sharad S. Dhavalikar holds the current position
Surveyor at Indian Register of Shipping, India. He
working in Hydrodynamics and Stability team
Research and Rule Development. His main area
research is seakeeping analysis of ships.
of
is
of
of
Apurba Ranjan Kar holds the current position of

Senior Principle Surveyor heading the Research and Rule
Development Department, Indian Register of Shipping,
India. He is heading the Stability & Hydrodynamics
Group and Risk & Reliability Group of Indian Register
of Shipping, India.
155

International
Conference
Computational
and Experimental
Indiaon
- Vol.2
(ISBN: 978-93-80689-22-7)
MARHY 2014
EXPERIMENTAL AND CFD SIMULATION OF ROLL MOTION OF SHIP WITH BILGE KEEL
Irkal Mohsin A.R., Indian Institute of Technology Madras, India.
S. Nallayarasu , Indian Institute of Technology Madras, India.
S.K. Bhattacharyya, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, India.
ABSTRACT
Roll motion of ships and ship-like floating bodies is subject of interest since a long time. The roll motion and the related
damping becomes highly unpredictable, unlike other motions. This is mainly due to the non-linear effects arising from the
viscous flow around the hull and the appendages attached to it. Various roll motion mitigation devices such as U-tube tanks,
active fins and bilge keel are used for stable operation of the ships. Out of these bilge keel turn out to be simple and
economical roll damping devices.
KEYWORDS: Bilge keel, roll damping, CFD, vorticity.
NOMEMCLATURE
Abbreviations
CFD
:Computational Fluid Dynamics
FAVOR :Fractional
Area/Volume
Representation
FSRVM :Free Surface Random Vortex Method
GMO
:General Moving Objects
NWT
:Numerical Wave Tank
PIV
:Particle Image Velocimetry
RAO
:Response Amplitude Operator
Std.Dev. :Standard Deviation
VCG
:Vertical Centre of Gravity
VOF
:Volume Of Fluid
Obstacle
Roll radius of gyration (m)

Distance between keel and VCG (m)
Wavelength of water wave (m)
Maximum moment due to wave (N-m)
Roll natural period (s)
Wave period (s)
Instantaneous time (s)
Damping ratio
1. INTRODUCTION
Notations
A
Added mass moment of inertia co-efficient
Phase angle (rad)

B
Non-linear roll damping ci-efficient (N-ms2)
BM
Metacentric radius (m)
C
Restoring moment in roll (N-m)
Logarithmic decrement
dT
Time interval between successive roll peaks (s)
Turbulent kinetic energy dissipation
Roll angle (rad)

0
Initial heel angle (rad)
Angular velocity (rad/s)
Angular acceleration (rad/s2)
GM
Metacentric height (m)
H
Wave height (cm)
I
Roll moment of inertia (kg-m2)
k
Turbulent kinetic energy
Copyright
2014The
by IIT
Madras,
Chennai,
and
the RINA,and
UK
2014:
Royal
Institution
ofIndia
Naval
Architects
Kxx
KG
L
M0
Tn
T
t
The subject of roll damping is age old and has developed

in the last few decades. The estimation of roll damping
from empirical relations based on model tests gained
popularity in the 1970's and 1980's. The total roll damping
was divided into various components arising from viscous
and non-viscous phenomenon of the flow around the hull.
It is divided into hull skin friction, eddy component, lift
and wave damping of naked hull; normal force damping,
hull-pressure damping and wave-damping due to bilge keel
(Ikeda et al. [1],[2],[3]; Schmitke[4], Himeno[5],
Chakrabarti[6]). The various components are derived from
simplified formulae obtained from related theory and
model experiments. These empirical formulae were
incorporated into various strip theory or potential flow
based numerical solvers for prediction of roll motion of
ships. Although this approach is widely used, the
limitation of such method arises from the simplified
derivations restricted to simple hull forms, appendages and
other ship parameters. There is a continuous improvement
in the empirical methods for prediction of roll damping
and roll motion of ship with change in design of ships
(Kawahara et al.[7]).
IIT Madras
1
156
The use of bilge keel for roll damping has been

studied by many ocean engineers and naval architects
reported as early in 1900 by Bryan[8]. The effectiveness of
bilge keel for various hull forms of ship was studied
through experiments and numerical methods. In the last
decade researchers have tried to revive the study on roll
damping and bilge keel with the help of computational
fluid dynamics (CFD) and other simplified numerical
methods to account for viscosity effects. Roddier et al.[9]
validated free surface random vortex method (FSRVM),
2D-code with his experiments of free floating cylinders
fitted with bilge keel. FSRVM is a mesh-free code which
solves the flow field by dividing it into irrotational and
vortical flows. Seah and Yeung[10] validated the same 2D
FSRVM code with the forced roll experiments of Na et
al.[11]. Yu et al.[12] developed a 2D Navier-Stokes code
to simulate the forced roll motion of FPSO section with
bilge keel. Later Yu and Kinnas[13] used the same code to
study various hull configurations under forced roll motion.
Bangun et al.[14] developed a 2D Navier-Stokes code to
study bilge keel of two widths (0.01 m and 0.02 m) and
various orientations (0, 10, 20, 45, 60 and 90)
connected to a barge section under forced roll motion.
Thiagrajan et al.[15] studied a FPSO model under forced
roll motion fitted with bilge keel of various widths.
FSRVM was used to simulate the experiments which
shows a good agreement. It was observed from all the
mentioned literature that bilge keel improves roll damping
and has a dependency on roll angle, orientation and
position of attachment to the hull. The computational
methods developed, predicted the roll damping closer to
the experiments paving a way to a new approach in the
field of roll damping. Also, further advancements in CFD
and turbulence modeling has lead to the better simulation
of such motions involving complex flow behaviors.
Hence, this paper attempts to make use of CFD in
prediction of roll motion of a ship hull section with and
without bilge keel under regular waves. A 1:100 scale,
parallel middle body of a ship model is fabricated and
attached with a frictionless bearing at its roll axis to allow
a single degree of freedom roll under regular beam waves.
The model experiments are carried out in a glass flume and
is made to the width of the flume with a minimum gap so
as to allow free roll motion. The measured roll response of
the model without and with a bilge keel is used to validate
the CFD simulations carried out in FLOW-3D code.
FLOW-3D uses a fixed-mesh technique for simulating
motion of bodies under fluid forces and moments. An
attempt is made to understand the formation of vortices
and their shedding from the bilge keel using CFD.
2.1 TEST FACILITY
The experimental studies are restricted to the parallel
middle body of a ship with rectangular midship section
with bilge keel. The experimental investigation has been
carried out using the scaled model in a flume in the
Department of Ocean Engineering, IIT Madras which is 22
m in length, 0.6 m in width and 0.8 m in depth and has a
piston type electro-mechanical wave-maker at one end.
The wave flume is made of glass on all three sides to
provide visual access for flow visualization experiments
using PIV. The experimental set up in the glass flume is
shown in Fig. 1. Regular waves with periods ranging from
0.75 s to 2 s and heights ranging from 1 cm to 10 cm can
be generated in this flume. It has a beach on the end
opposite to the wave-maker made up of perforated, fibre
reinforced plastic curved plate so as to dissipate the waves
and minimize reflection. The flume has the arrangement
for fixing models to the side wall and also has a rail
mounted platform for moving the models easily.
Figure 1: Experimental setup in glass flume

2.2 SHIP MODEL DETAILS
The prototype ship dimension considered has a width of 30
m and depth of 20 m with an overall length of 275 m with
a draft 12 m. Typical Panamax ships of 100,000 ton
displacement will have similar dimensions. The transverse
dimensions of scaled model (1:100), are 300 mm in width
(i.e. beam, B) and 200 mm in depth (D), i.e. a beam (B) to
depth (D) ratio of 1.5. The model is fabricated to the
almost full width of the wave flume (580 mm) with a small
gap with flume wall that allows free rotation. It is made of
8 mm thick perspex sheets and its ends are closed to make
it watertight. To achieve the required mass and vertical
location of the centre of gravity (G), additional weights are
placed inside the model hull at appropriate locations. The
free rolling ball bearing is inserted on to the central
longitudinal screw of the model along roll axis and it is

2
157

MARHY 2014
hung from the top railings of the wave flume. The ball
bearing has been selected with minimum frictional
resistance and is lubricated sufficiently for free rolling.
The arrangement and sectional view of the model are
shown in Fig. 2.
axis at the keel is taken as K. The model was ballasted to a

draft of d = 0.12 m.
The bilge radius of the model is 25 mm and this
corresponds to a ship bilge radius (R) of 2.5 m. The
experimental investigation is carried out for two
configurations defined a BK00 and BK10 shown in Fig. 3
and described in Table 1. BK00 is the model without bilge
keel and BK10 is model attached with 10 mm wide (b)
bilge keel to the bilge inclined at 45 to the horizontal. The
detailed inertia and hydrostatic properties of model is
summarised in Table 2. The change in inertia for the model
when attached with bilge keel will be considered in the
calculations although, it is less than 2%. The VCG of the
hull, with and without ballast, was determined by inclining
experiment. The moment of inertia about the roll axis was
calculated using a solid modeler (SOLIDWORKS) code
using the geometry and location of the weights.
(a) Model arrangement
Figure 3: Bilge keel details

Table 1: Bilge keel dimensions and orientations
(b) Sectional view with dimensions
(c) Sectional view

Figure 2: Rolling ship model setup
The point in the mean water surface on the vertical axis of
symmetry of the model is taken as O and the point on this
Bilge keel dimensions

Width (b) in mm
Width to Beam ratio (b/B)
Angle with horizontal ()
BK00
0
0
-
BK10
10
0.033
45
Table 2: Hydrostatic and inertial properties of the ship

model without bilge keel
Details
Values
Draft (d) (m)
0.12 m
Depth to Draft ratio (D/d)
1.67
20.88 kg
Displacement ()
I
0.2244 kg-m2
Kxx/B
0.346
BM
0.0625 m
KG
0.08 m
GM
0.0425 m
2.3 FREE ROLL DECAY AND ROLL RESPONSE OF
SHIP MODEL UNDER REGULAR WAVES
The free roll decay test in calm water was conducted by
giving an initial heel angle (0) of 20 to the model (see
Fig.1) to determine the roll natural period and damping.

3
158
The roll response experiment of the ship model with and

without bilge keel under regular waves was carried out for
a wave height of 3 cm and wave periods of 0.75 s to 2 s at
the interval of 0.125 s. The model was also subjected to
waves at its natural period to determine the maximum
response it would attain at resonance.
The roll damping of the ship hull section was
determined using logarithmic decrement method using the
first five peaks of the roll decay curve. The damping ratio
and natural frequency are obtained from the logarithmic
decrement method using the following equations:
ln
1
2
2
1 2
1
2
1
Tn dT 1 2
(1)
(2)
where is the logarithmic decrement, 1 and 2 are the two

successive roll amplitudes, is the roll damping ratio, T n is
the roll natural period and dT is the time difference
between two successive roll amplitudes.
The equation of motion of the ship model for free
roll decay is given by:
( I A) B( ) C ( ) 0
(3)
where I is roll moment of inertia, B is nonlinear roll
damping coefficient and C is the restoring moment
(stiffness) coefficient, A is the added mass moment of
inertia in roll and is the roll angle.
The equation of motion of the ship model under
regular beam waves at zero forward speed is given by:
( I A) B( ) C ( ) M 0 cos(t )
(4)
where M0 is the wave excitation moment, is the wave
frequency and is the phase angle between the roll
response and the wave excitation.
The roll RAO was determined by dividing the roll
amplitude by the incident wave height of the regular wave.
The experiments were repeated for three time to check the
repeatability of the experiments. The error analysis is
shown in Table 3. which shows the a negligibly small
variance.
Table 3: Statistical variation of measured Peak RAO for
BK00 and BK10 for H = 3 cm
d = 0.12 m
BK00
BK10
Test 1
20.749
9.569
Test 2
20.956
9.356
Test 3
20.57
9.823
Mean
20.758
9.583
Std. Dev.
0.158
0.191
Variance
0.025
0.036
Numerical wave tank (NWT) is a relatively new technique

incorporating the viscous effects, wave hydrodynamics and
floating body response. This procedure eliminates the
assumptions made in the potential flow simulation in
which the damping due to viscous effects are not included.
The numerical wave tank includes the domain, floating
body and end boundary conditions. The NWT simulated in
the present study has the same dimensions of the wave
flume except that the distance to the boundary on either
side of the floating body is limited to avoid excessive
computation time.
The CFD solver used in 2D numerical simulations
of the experiments uses the Fractional Area/Volume
Obstacle Representation (FAVOR) technique. This
technique represents the body by calculating open area
fractions on cell faces and open volume fractions in
rectangular structured cells and distributing the solid and
fluid portions in the cell. The cell size should be small
enough to capture the complex geometries involving
curved surfaces and thin plate like attachments such as the
bilge keel. The dynamic fluid-structure interaction is
solved with general moving objects (GMO) model which
uses a fixed mesh technique as described by Wei[16]. The
numerical ship model was allowed to roll about a fixed
axis passing through its roll centre to replicate the
experiments. The code can solve the multiphase flows
involving free surface at the air-water interface using the
volume of fluid (VOF) method. It also has an additional
facility to silence the calculations for one of the phases
which is of lesser importance for the flow problem. For the
present simulation, the calculation for air phase is made
silent and uniform atmospheric pressure is specified at the
free surface. The k- turbulence model was used in all
calculations. An automatic variable time-stepping scheme
based on the convergence and stability of the solution was
used.
3.1 FREE ROLL DECAY SIMULATION
The free roll decay was simulated by inclining the model
to specified initial heel angle, 0 as shown in Fig. 4(a). It
also shows the domain extents and mesh details used for
free roll decay simulation. The geometry initialized with
fluid depth, initial heel and boundary conditions is shown
in Fig. 5(a). The bottom boundary is wall, either side of the
model is non-reflecting outflow and top is open to
atmosphere with constant atmospheric pressure of 101325
Pa at free surface. The outflow boundaries are at distance
of 6 m each from the centre of gravity of model on either
side.
3. CFD SIMULATION
4
159

MARHY 2014
3.2 ROLL RESPONSE
REGULAR WAVES
(a) Free roll decay
(b) Roll response under regular waves
SIMULATION
UNDER
The simulation of roll response under regular waves was

carried out with the similar boundary conditions except
one of the outflow was set as regular wave inflow and the
model was not given any initial heel. The wave inlet is
located at distance of twice the wavelength (2L) from the
model and the outflow boundary is located at distance of
four times the wavelength (4L) from the model as shown
in Fig. 4(b) with the mesh details. The waves of height 3
cm, at natural period and wave-periods ranging from 0.75 s
to 2 s at the interval of 0.25 s were simulated. The domain
initialised with a wave along with the boundary conditions
is shown in Fig. 5 (b). The mesh near the model geometry
(bilge curvature and bilge keel) and free surface is made
finer for better resolution.
The mesh near the model is 1 mm x 1 mm and in
the free surface it is 4 mm x 4 mm (see zoomed view of
Fig. 4(a) and 4(b)). The air phase is defined as void for
both free roll decay simulation and roll response
simulation under regular waves.
4.1 VALIDATION OF CFD WITH EXPERIMENTS
Figure 4: The computational domain (NWT)

The comparison of the measured and simulated free roll
decay for BK00 and BK10, inclined at 0 = 20 is shown
in Fig. 6(a) and 6(b) respectively. Similarly, the
comparison of the measured and simulated roll response
under a regular wave of height 3 cm and their respective
natural periods is shown in Fig. 7(a) for BK00 and in 7(b)
for BK10. It can be seen that there is a close comparison
between the measured and simulated responses.
(a) Free roll decay
Table 4: Comparison of measured and simulated damping

ratio () and natural roll period (T n) for 0 = 20
CFD
Expt.
Bilge keel
Tn
Tn
BK00
0.031
1.109
0.033
1.114
BK10
0.076
1.159
0.075
1.196
4.2 EFFECT OF BILGE KEEL ON ROLL DAMPING
AND ROLL NATURAL PERIOD
(b) Roll response under regular waves

Figure 5: Geometry with initialised fluid for free roll decay
and roll response simulation.
The attachment of bilge keel (BK10) increases the roll

damping and the roll natural period of the model. The
increase in the roll damping for BK10 is mainly due to the
forces acting on the bilge keel. The normal force on the
bilge keel surface and the pressure variation around the
hull with the presence of bilge keel cause the ship model
motion to damp faster. The pressure variation around the
hull is caused because of the flow separation and stronger

5
160
vortex formation from the bilge keel. The vorticity plots

for BK00 and BK10 in free roll decay inclined at 0 = 20
is shown Fig. 8 and Fig. 9 respectively. The vorticity
contours are plotted against the ratio of instantaneous time
(t) to natural period of model (T n). BK10 exhibits a
stronger vortex shedding compared with BK00 causing
increase in roll damping. The increase in damping ratio for
BK10 compared with BK00 is about 127.3% as can be
seen in Table 4. The roll natural period of the model is
increased for BK10 as compared to BK00. BK10 has
increased hydrodynamic added mass with the presence of
bilge keel. This increases the effective moment of inertia
along the roll axis of the model which shifts the natural
period. The increase in roll natural period is about 7.4%
with the attachment of bilge keel (Table 4).
BK00
20
CFD
Expt.
the resonant roll response for BK10 as opposed to BK00

(also see Fig. 10). The increase in the roll damping with
attachment of bilge keel has a significant effect in reducing
roll response.
There is obvious shift of the peak roll RAO for BK10 due
to increase in natural period as discussed earlier. The
inertia dominant region i.e. towards the left of the peak
RAO and the damping dominant region (near peak RAO)
show a reduced response for BK10 in comparison with
BK00. And in the stiffness dominant region toward the
right of the peak RAO the responses for BK10 and BK00
are similar. The reduction in the peak RAO in deg/cm of
wave height (H) from BK00 to BK10 is about 53.8% as
can be seen in Table 3 and Fig. 10. The roll RAO for
BK00 at its resonance is very high due to a lesser damping
and the model being allowed only to roll, restricting the
other degrees of freedom.
35
CFD
Expt.
30
25
20
Roll Response (deg)
Roll angle (deg)
10
-10
-20
15
10
5
0
-5
-10
-15
-20
-25
10
12
-30
14
-35
Time (s)
(a) BK00
12
15
18
Time (s)
BK10
20
(a) BK00
(Tn= 1.114 s, T = 1.125 s)
CFD
Expt.
20
10
CFD
Expt.
15
10
Roll Response (deg)
Roll angle (deg)
-10
-20
10
12
5
0
-5
-10
14
-15
Time (s)
(b) BK10
Figure 6: Comparison of measured and simulated free roll
decay for 0 = 20
4.3 EFFECT OF BILGE KEEL OF ROLL RESPONSE
The measured and simulated roll response of the ship
model shown in Fig. 7 shows a considerable reduction in
-20
0
12
15
Time (s)
(b) BK10
(Tn= 1.196 s, T = 1.2 s)
Figure 7: Comparison of measured and simulated roll
response under regular waves near natural periods for H =
3 cm

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161

MARHY 2014
BK00
BK10
t/Tn = 0.25
t/Tn = 0.25
t/Tn = 0.50
t/Tn = 0.50
t/Tn = 0.75
t/Tn = 0.75
t/Tn = 1.00
t/Tn = 1.00
Figure 8: Comparison vorticity contours for BK00 and in

free roll decay at 0 = 20
Figure 9: Comparison vorticity contours for BK00 and in

free roll decay at 0 = 20

7
162
22
BK00 CFD
BK00 Expt
BK10 CFD
BK10 Expt
20
Roll RAO (deg/cm)
18
16
4. SCHMITKE, R. T., 'Ship Sway, Roll, and Yaw

Motions in Oblique Seas.', SNAME Trans. 86, 2646
(1978).
14
5. HIMENO, Y. 'Prediction of Ship Roll Damping- State

Of Art.', Report of Department of Naval Architecture and
Marine Engineering, No. 239, University of Michigan.
(1981).
12
10
8
6
6. CHAKRABARTI, S., 'Empirical calculation of roll

damping for ships and barges.', Ocean Eng. 28, 915932
(2001).
4
2
0
0.50
0.75
1.00
1.25
1.50
1.75
2.00
2.25
2.50
Time Period (s)
Figure 10: Comparison of measured and simulated roll

RAO under regular waves for H = 3 cm
5. CONCLUSIONS
The effectiveness of bilge keel in improvement of roll
damping was studied by conducting experiments on ship
model section. The experimental output was used to
validate the commercial CFD code. Attachment of bilge
keel to the hull section of the ship model improved the roll
damping to a significant value and this was very closely
replicated in the CFD simulations. The roll response at
resonance was reduced to half when compared with the
model having no bilge keel. The measured roll RAO
compared with that from the CFD simulation show a very
good agreement. Thus, CFD with the facility of NWT can
be used efficiently to simulate the non-linear motions of
floating bodies arising from viscous effects. This rules out
the use of simplified empirical or semi-empirical formulae
for prediction of such motions.
6. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors would like to thank the Naval
Research Board, Government of India, for financial
support.
7. REFERENCES
1. IKEDA, Y., HIMENO, Y. & TANAKA, N., 'On Eddy
Making Component of Roll Damping Force on Naked
Hull.', J. Soc. Nav. Archit. Japan 142, (1977).
2. IKEDA., Y., KOMATSU, K., HIMENO, Y. &
TANAKA, N., 'On Roll Damping Force of Ship- Effect of
Hull Surface Pressure Created By Bilge Keels.', J. Kansai
Soc. Nav. Archit. Japan 165, (1977).
7. KAWAHARA, Y., MAEKAWA, K. & IKEDA., Y.,

'A simple prediction formula of roll damping of
conventional carge ship by Ikeda method and limitations.',
J. Shipp. Ocean Eng. 2, 201210 (2012).
8. BRYAN, G. H., 'The Action of Bilge Keels.' Trans.
Inst. Nav. Archit. 42, (1900).
9. RODDIER, D., LIAO, S. & YEUNG, R. W., 'WaveInduced Motion of Floating Cylinders Fitted with Bilge
Keels.', Int. J. Offshore Polar Eng. 10, 241248 (2000).
10. SEAH, R. K. M. & YEUNG, R. W., 'Sway and Roll
Hydrodynamics of Cylindrical Sections.', Int. J. Offshore
Polar Eng. 13, 241248 (2003).
11. NA, J. H., LEE, W. C., SHIN, H. S. & PARK, I. K.,
'A Design of Bilge Keels for Harsh Environment FPSOs.',
in Proc. Twelfth Int. Offshore Polar Engineering Conf. 3,
114117 (2002).
12. YU, Y., KINNAS, S. A., VINAYAN, V. &
KACHAM, B. K., 'Modeling of Flow around FPSO Hull
Sections Subject to Roll Motions: Effect of the Separated
Flow around Bilge Keels.', in Proc. Fifteenth Int. Offshore
Polar Eng. Conf. 8, 163170 (2005).
13. YU, Y. H. & KINNAS, S. A., 'Roll Response of
Various Hull Sectional Shapes Using a Navier-Stokes
Solver.', Int. J. Ocean Syst. Eng. 19, 4651 (2009).
14. BANGUN, E. P., WANG, C. M. & UTSUNOMIYA,
T., 'Hydrodynamic forces on a rolling barge with bilge
keels.', Appl. Ocean Res. 32, 219232 (2010).
15. THIAGARAJAN, K. P. & BRADDOCK, E. C.,
'Influence of Bilge Keel Width on the Roll Damping of
FPSO.', J. Offshore Mech. Arct. Eng. 132, 011303 (2010).
3. IKEDA., Y., HIMENO, Y. & TANAKA, N.,

'Components of Roll Damping of Ship at Forward Speed.',
J. Soc. Nav. Archit. Japan 143, (1978).
8
163

MARHY 2014
16. WEI, G., 'A Fixed-mesh Method for General Moving
Objects in Fluid Flow.', Int. J. Mod. Phys. B 19, 14
(2005).
Irkal Mohsin A. R. is a research scholar at the
Technology Madras, Chennai - 600036 (Email:
irkal.mohsin@gmail.com)
S. Nallayarasu is a Professor at the Department of Ocean
Chennai - 600036 (Email: nallay@iitm.ac.in)
S. K. Bhattacharyya is a Professor at the Department of
Madras, Chennai - 600036 (Email: skbh@iitm.ac.in)

9
164

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PITCH AND HEAVE CONTROL OF SWATH USING PASSIVE FINS
Azaruddin Momin, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, India

V. Anantha Subramanian, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, India
ABSTRACT
SWATH vessels are inherently more prone to large pitching motions as compared with mono-hulls due to the
characteristic slender water-plane area design feature. The use of canard fins ie., forward fixed fins, for pitch reduction
has been attempted in the past with varying degrees of success. In the initial years, Lewandowski [3] established the
efficiency through systematic experimental testing when these types of fins are deployed. This work reports the
application of computational (CFD) modeling and simulation for the similar SWATH form, and comparison of data for
verification of the results. The results suggest that damping of pitch motion by canard fins can be obtained and the use
of fixed after stabilizer fins, help in good improvement of pitch and heave stabilization. In the present study CFD tool
with k - turbulent model has been used to analyze the response behavior of SWATH. The results obtained as drag,
steady running trim moment and sinkage without fins, moving at constant speed, which is free to heave with other
motions restricted, are validated with experiments done by Lewandowski for calm water condition. The sensitive
analysis of canard fin for ship moving at constant speed, is performed to obtain effect on lift coefficient when attached
to the hull. The response in calm water and regular waves, with fixed stabilizer fin at a given angle of orientation
combined with canard fin at suitable angle shows significant platform stabilization.
NOMENCLATURE
Cb
Fbi
Mbi
i'
Fn
Lpp
LCG
GML
Ui
P
RAO
VCG
H
L
LE
1.
Block coefficient
Body forces (N)
Body moments (Nm)
Dynamic viscosity (Ns/m2)
Fluid density (kg/m3)
Fluctuating velocity (m/s)
Froude number
Length between perpendiculars (m)
Longitudinal Centre of Gravity (m)
Longitudinal metacentric height(m)
Mean velocity (m/s)
Pressure (N/m2)
Response Amplitude Operator
Vertical Centre of Gravity (m)
Wave height (m)
Wavelength (m)
Leading Edge
INTRODUCTION
Small Water-plane Area Twin Hull (SWATH) consists

of two submerged floaters, connected by slender struts
to a platform well above the waterline. It has a stable

platform even in higher sea states given the nature of
design that the displacement hull is well below the
water surface, taking advantage of the fact that there is
exponential decay of wave with depth increase.
However consequent to inherent reduced pitch
damping moment, the SWATH is prone to pitch
response The dispersed hull form design also gives rise
to added resistance, particularly frictional resistance.
There may also be interaction effect of waves
generated by two hulls. Hence power demand for a
given speed condition may be higher in the case of the
SWATH as compared to a mono-hull. Hence given the
tendency for pitching motion, this paper undertakes the
investigation of the role of passive devices in the form
of canard fins and aft stabilizer fins in trim and motion
reduction. The main objective is to understand the
effect of placing the canard fin and stabilizer fin. Ochi
et al.[1] presented the effectiveness of anti-pitching
fins from best to worst when fixed bow, fixed stern and
active bow/fixed stern combinations are used..
Lewandowski [2] studied the effect of aspect ratio,
section shape and Reynolds number on lift and drag
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MARHY 2014
characteristics on series model control surfaces for
different angles of attack (from 00 to 350) with
Reynolds number ranging from 4200 to 15000.He
brought out the effect of speed and influence on the
trim moment, sinkage and drag on the bare hull. The
study showed the effect of regular head waves and
following waves on mean drag, pitch moment, and the
lift and drag on the canard fin. Lewandowski [3] also
studied the effect of wave height on lift coefficient on
the canard fin for a given angle. Lee et al.[4]
performed investigations on fin attached to hull and fin
alone. Sclavonos et al. [5] studied the sea keeping
performance of vessels with foil attached using Rankin
panel method. In the background of the above
literature, this study was conducted to estimate the
performance of passive fins as device to trim, heave
and pitch responses.
(c) 3D view
Figure 1: Hull form and main geometric data of

SWATH10
2. GEOMETRY AND TEST CONDITION

Simulations were carried out on the SWATH 10 vessel
[3]; the geometric form and fin data are given in Fig. 1
and 2 and summarized in Table2.1.In the first
simulation, the model is free to heave under forward
speed condition in the Froude number range 0.21
0.36, simulating dynamic sinkage or emergence and all
other motions are restricted for the bare hull. In the
next simulation, the sensitivity of canard fin angle to
fin lift force is obtained for (Fn = 0.25) .Also the
sensitivity of canard fin angle in calm water is
performed when ship is free to heave and trim for with
and without canard fin and stabilizer fin. For
simulating stabilizer fin action, the fin angle is fixed at
-150. A similar analysis was also carried out on the
SWATH with canard fin and stabilizer fin at constant
vessel speed (Fn = 0.25) under regular waves.
(a) Body plan
(b)Side view
Figure 2: Canard fin and stabilizer fin (NACA0015) all

dimensions in m.
Table 2.1. Main particulars of SWATH 10 model
Specification
Model
(1:24)
Displacement (LT)
Strut length (m)
Hull length (m)
Maximum beam (m)
Strut + hull wetted area (m2)
VCG above the baseline (m )
LCG aft of strut nose (m)
GML(m)
Pitch radius of gyration (m)
Draft (m)
cb
Canard fin LE distance from nose of
Hull
Stabilizer fin LE distance from nose of
Hull
0.043
1.587
1.573
0.75
1.493
0.241
0.6568
0.3105
0.4764
0.184
0.216
0.16
0.95
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3. COMPUTATIONAL AND ANALYSIS METHOD
3.1. COMPUTATIONAL METHOD
Numerical solution of any fluid dynamics problem
involves solution of conservation of equations of fluid
motion, namely the mass and momentum conservation
equations. The momentum conservation equations, also
known as Navier-Stokes equations, lead to RANS
equations by time averaging procedure. For an
unsteady incompressible flow, the continuity and
Navier-Stokes equations can be written as;
ui
=0
xi
ui
u
2u
p
+ u j i = gi
+ 2i
t
x j
xi
x j
(3.2)
'
as ui = U i + u i
Using this decomposition in Eqn.

.
(3.1) and (3.2) and carrying out the time averaging
procedure, one obtains:
U i
=0
xi
(3.3)
UU
Ui
p ij 2U
i j
+ uj
= gi + + 2i
t
xj
xi xj
xj
(3.4)
The realizable k- model has been used in the present

work as it has been verified in literature for accuracy
and robustness.
3.2 BODY EQUATION OF MOTION
The motion of rigid body is governed by the
conservation linear and angular momentum which is
given as,
Fbi = m
M
bi
The computational domain around the hull is shown in

Fig 3 where velocity inlet is at 1.5 Lpp from bow,
pressure outlet is at 5.5 Lpp from stern, exterior
boundaries are at 1.5 Lpp from starboard and port
sidewall of hull and the bottom boundary is at 3.3 Lpp
from the base line keel of hull. Here, hull x - axis is
aligned to x - axis of earth coordinate system.
(3.1)
For turbulent flow, the instantaneous velocity field ui is

decomposed into the mean and fluctuating components
3.3. DOMAIN,GRID AND BOUNDARY

CONDITIONS
Figure 3: Domain detail

The domain is divided into three regions for grid
generation, these regions differ in terms of the size of
the cells and the associated growth ratio of the cell
heights perpendicular to the surface of interest. The
meshing uses unstructured grid created by means of
mesh generation tools of Star CCM+. For
computational efficiency and stability of the solution,
the mesh should be defined with sufficient density at
regions where the flow properties are sensitive to grid
spacing and can be coarse in areas where thereare more
uniform conditions. The fluid volume in the
computational domain surrounding the hull is
discretizedby employing a hybrid grid approach.
Predominantly hexahedral cells are used; polyhedral
cells are used next to the hull surfaces to best capture
their curvature. At the free surface, the volume grid is
clustered to capture the high flow gradients and free
surface deformation prism layers are provided to
capture flow properties near boundary of the vessel.
The volume mesh or grids around the hull and surface
mesh on hull are shown in Fig. 4 and 5
d 2 xbi
dt 2
d d b j
I ij
dt
dt
(3.5)
(3.6)
Figure 4: Volume mesh around the ship
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MARHY 2014
Figure 5: surface mesh

Figure 7: Free decay test in pitch
Grid independence study has been performed to give

stability of results for the smaller use of cells used.
Different parameters are picked obtained from CFD
and data were also compared to perform the grid
independent study. Stability of results was obtained
with the use of 2.1 million cells and also with
comparisons with the experiments. The comparative
values in Fig. 6 are shown here.
(a) Steady trim moment
Figure 6: Grid independent study

4.
(b) Sinkage
Computational fluid dynamics results are obtained

relatively faster than experiments and at a lower cost,
however validation and verification are essential steps
to establish the reliability of results.
4.1 Validation with experiments
Free decay test is simulated in CFD to obtain the
natural pitch frequency of vessel. After setting 5
cycles, the natural frequency has been obtained from
CFD is 2.99 rad/sec and the results compare well with
those from experimental value of 2.62 rad/sec
Lewandowski [3] Fig.7.
The steady trimming moment induced on the hull
during a steady speed forward condition has been
computed and the results are compared with the
experimental values. See Fig.8.
(c) Drag
Figure 8: Validation in calm water (Bare Hull)
It is obeserved from Fig 8. (a) - (c) that steady trim
moment has non-linear relation with Froude number.
Though sinkage is comparatively steady for the range
of Fn = 0.21 to 0.26, it is pronounced in the next range
till Fn = 0.31. In this case ship is free to heave but all
other motions are restricted.
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MARHY 2014
Figure 9: CL vs canard fin angle

Fig. 9 shows the condition when canard fin is attached
to the ship hull and geometrical angle varied from 00 to
250; this restricts all the 6DOF. It shows the direct
relation between lift coefficient and canard fin angle.
Negative lift is also generated when fin is fixed at zero
geometric angle.
(c) Drag
Figure 10: Calm water simulation (with canard and
stabilizer)
Tests were also simulated to obtain the pitch and heave
responses as well as drag of the ship with and without
canard fin when running in regular waves at Fn =
0.25.It is observed from Fig 11. (a) And (b) that
without fin the ship has more pitch and heave
responses. With fin attached, the responses are
dampened only when H/L is low. For more than 0.015
canard fins are ineffective. A fin angle of 100 , seems
to give the ship relatively stable trim and the fin angle
seems optimum Fig 11 (c). Drag has direct relation
with fin angle Fig 11 (d).
(a) Trim
The test was simulated in calm water with and without
canard fin while stabilizer fin is fixed at -150 .The ship
is free to sink and trim for the case of Fn = 0.25.
Without canard fin, the ship acquires a bow down trim
of 1.20. The canard fin when set to different angles
ranging from 00 to 200 with 50 interval, initially trim is
increased to1.30 due to negative lift created when
canard fin is at zero degree and then with decreasing
angle as lift on canard increases for constant speed. In
the case of drag, it is continuously increasing when the
vessel is without canard fin and with canard fin,
increases as the angle of the canard fin increases. See
Fig .10 (a) (c)
(a) Pitch RAO
(b) Heave RAO
(b) Sinkage
(c) Steady running trim in regular waves
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7.
AUTHORS BIOGRAPHY
Azaruddin Momin is a research scholar at the

Technology Madras
V. Anantha Subramanian is a Professor and holds the
current position of Head, Department of Ocean
Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Madras.
(d) Drag
Figure 11: Regular wave simulation (with canard and
stabilizer)
5. CONCLUSION
The results obtained from CFD are validated with
experiments done by Lewandowski giving good
agreement. Canard fins dampen both heave and pitch
responses very well and the ship comes to zero trim
condition, 44 % of pitch reduction at resonance and 35
% heave reduction in regular waves are obtained also
maximum increment of drag compared with bare hull
is 39 % when canard fin is attached at bow with 100
geometric angle.
6.
REFERENCES
1.
Ochi, K. M., " Hydroelastic Study of a Ship

Equipped with an Antipitching Fin," published as
DTMB Report1455 ,1962.
2.
Lewandowski, E.M., "The Effects Aspect Ratio,

Section Shape, and Reynolds Number on the Lift
and Drag of a Series of Model Control Surfaces",
Davidson Laboratory Technical Report 2598,1987.
3.
Lewandowski, E.M., "Experimental Study Of An

Automatic Pitch Control System On A Swath
Model" Davidson Laboratory Technical ReportCGD-12-94, 1994.
4.
C.M. Lee et al.," Effect of free surface and strut on

fins attached to a strut" Ocean Engineering 28 159
177,2000.
Sclavounos P D, Borgen H , "Sea keeping
Analysis of a High-Speed Monohull with a MotionControl Bow Hydrofoil", Journal of Ship
Research,2004.
5.
170

Conference
Computational
and Experimental
Proc. of Conf. MARHY-2014 held on 3&4 Dec.International
India on
- Vol.2
(ISBN: 978-93-80689-22-7)
MARHY 2014
Numerical evaluation of sloshing pressure in a rectangular tank fitted in a barge subjected to

regular wave excitation
Jermie J Stephen, Research Scholar, Department of Ocean Engineering, IITMadras, India
S.A. Sannasiraj, Professor, Department of Ocean Engineering, IITMadras, India
V. Sundar, Professor, Department of Ocean Engineering, IITMadras, India
ABSTRACT
A numerical study has been carried out to study sloshing pressure in a liquid tank which is fitted inside a barge. Since,
numerical evaluation of pressure from the nonlinear simulation of sloshing waves is itself a challenging task , this paper
presents the numerical scheme adopted for the evaluation of sloshing pressure. Herein, the barge has been subjected to
the combined degrees of excitation viz., sway, heave and roll. The analysis is carried out for different barge width to
tank length ratios(B/l) for 50% liquid fill level for excitation frequencies raging from first to fifth sloshing frequency.
The effects of wave excitation frequencies on the pressure variation have been studied and the results of which are
herein reported. Since, sloshing is resonance phenomena, it observed to be sensitive near the natural sloshing
frequencies and so is the sloshing pressure. A hyperbolic variation in sloshing pressure over the tank depth has been
observed.
NOMENCLATURE
B
breadth of barge
draft of barge
water depth
Hi
barge motion potentials, j=1,2,3
scattered
velocity
potential
due
to
diffraction
K
index used to denote barge motions
incident wave height
X,X,X
motion, velocity, acceleration of barge
wave amplitude
Rij
retarding function
angular wave frequency
added mass coefficient
wave number
radiation damping coefficient
acceleration due to gravity(m/s2)
fe
wave excitation force acting on the barge
length of liquid tank
fs
sloshing induced force
hs
static liquid depth in liquid tank
water surface elevation
2-D barge domain
velocity potential in tank fixed coordinate
2-D liquid tank domain
bottom boundary
xt
horizontal(sway) acceleration
radiation boundary
zt
vertical(heave) acceleration
free surface boundary
sloshing pressure
Laplace operator
fn
natural sloshing frequency, n=1,2,3..
incident velocity potential
fw
excitation frequency
system
1
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A number of studies have been reported on the sloshing
1. INTRODUCTION
phenomena during the late 1980s. On the assessment of
Sloshing is of great importance in maritime applications
the sloshing pressure on the tank walls when the liquid
as it is experienced in LNG-FPSO/FSRU units,
tank system subjected to either sway/surge or roll/pitch,
barges/ships equipped with oil containers, storage
it is worth mentioning the works of Nakayama and
containers in compliant offshore platforms and in water
Washizu[10] , Mikelis and Journee [9] Armenio and La
ballasting containers. As the floating body inclines due to
rocca [1] Kim [8], Akyildiz and Celebi [4] and Akyildiz
the wave action, large accumulation of liquid to one side
and Unal [2,3]However, the above studies focused on the
of the tank results in momentary change of centre of
characteristics of sloshing in tanks subjected either to
gravity(CG) of the liquid. This causes the floating bodys
translation or rotational excitation. It is to be mentioned
CG to the lower side reducing the righting arm and
that these results cannot be directly applied to the field
which in turn reduces the metacentric height, GM
condition as the coupled motion of the liquid in the tank
(Edward[6]). At the worst, the violent motion of the
and the barge need to be considered together. Hence a
liquid in partially filled storage tank equipped on a
numerical study has been carried out to study liquid
floating body can create sufficient moment to affect its
sloshing pressure inside a rectangular tank at zero
dynamic stability and even lead to its capsizing.
forward speed along with the combined motions of the
Sloshing due to the liquid motion in a partially filled tank
freely floating barge in which the tank is mounted.
exerts large forces on the tank walls and henceforth
Herein, the barge has been subjected to the combined
should be considered as an important load for the
degrees of excitation viz., sway, heave and roll. The
structure analysis in design of LNG and FPSO vessels.
analysis is carried out for different barge width to tank
Sloshing has always posed threat to stringent safety
length ratios(B/l) for 50% liquid fill level.
measures considered in the design criteria of liquid filled

tankers even if the partial filling is unusual during actual
2. Mathematical and Numerical modelling
operation. But, in the maritime applications, the filling

heights restriction for oil tankers, gas carriers, shuttle
Let us consider a free floating barge of length L, breadth
tankers and FPSOs lead to partial filling condition
B and draft T with zero forward speed with partially
frequently. The resonance sloshing would be severe if
filled liquid tank subjected to regular waves. A sloshing
wave contains the frequency content of corresponding
tank of length l, width b and liquid fill depth of hs be
partial filled condition even if the ship would not
rigidly fixed inside the barge. The configuration of barge
experience extreme motions. The liquid inside the tank
with the liquid tank subjected to an incident wave height,
responds to the vessel motion and in turn the liquid
Hi is shown in Figure. 1. The coordinate system OoXoZo
induced forces, which would destabilize the vessel. The
with the origin at the mean free surface for the barge
forces transmitted to tank structure and to floating vessel
domain is shown in Figure. 2.
due to sloshing can be obtained from the integration of

pressures on the tank walls. The vessel motion can then
2.1 Barge response in frequency domain
be solved for the combined sloshing forces and the wave
Within the assumption of small amplitude waves and
forces.
barge motions, the state of fluid can be defined by

Laplace equation.It is commonly appropriate, to split the
2
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MARHY 2014
total velocity potential into an incident potential I,
hydrodynamic coefficients ( and ) and the wave
radiation potentials, j, j=1,2,3 in three modes viz. sway,
exciting forces( Fje ) are evaluated which are required for
heave and roll, and scattered potential, 4.
the time domain solution of the barge response.
The governing equation and the boundary conditions for

the linearized boundary value problem for the diffracted
and radiated potential are given below.
2 K 0
K=1,2,3,4
in the fluid domain 1 (1)
K 2
K 0 at the free surface,
z
g
F1 , zo 0
K
0
z
at the sea bed,
B1 , zo d (3)
K
ik K 0
x
at the radiation
boundary,
, xo (4)
n , K 1, 2,3
K K
I
n
, K4
n
on the barge
surface,
(2)
(a)Plan View
(5)
where, n1 and n2 are the x and z component of the unit

inward normal to the body and, n3 = ( x - xc ) n2 -(z - zc)
(b) Side view
n1, in which (xc, zc) are the coordinate of the center of
Figure.1 Definition sketch of barge and liquid tank
rotation. The incident potential is expressed as,

iag cosh k(z d) i(kx t )
I (x, z, t) Re
e
cosh kd

(6)
where, g is the gravitational constant, d is the water

depth, a is the amplitude of wave and k is the wave
number.
The wave exciting force ( FJe )and the hydrodynamic
restoring forces ( FJh )evaluated from diffracted and
Figure.2 Barge domain
radiation potentials are given by,
FJe i ( I 4 ) n J d Re f e it
j
o
F
h
J
i X
K n J d
2.2Coupling barge motion with sloshing in time
..
(7)
domain
JK X K JK X K
(8)
2.2.1 Impulse response method
th
where, fJ is the complex force amplitude in the j mode
Impulse response function is adopted to solve the
of motion. JK is the added mass coefficient and JK is
equations of motion in time domain incorporating the
the damping coefficient.
nonlinear slosh induced forces. The frequency dependent
The solution for the above problem is sought through
added mass and damping coefficients have been
Finite element method based on Galerkin approximation
appropriately rewritten to solve the coupled three degrees
developed by Sannasiraj [11] to solve the barge response
of freedom equations of motion in the time domain.
problem in frequency domain. The frequency dependant

3
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MARHY 2014
M
3
j1
ij
..
ij X j (t) R ij (t ) X j d Cij X j t f ie t f is t
tank is incorporated in the free surface boundary
(9)
condition. This approach is detailed by Jermie [7].Finite
The retarding function, Rij(t) and infinite added mass are
element method and the Mixed Eulerian-Lagrangian
given by,
Rij (t )
(MEL) formulation as detailed by Sriram [14] is used to
cos t d
(10)
ij
obtain liquid sloshing in a rectangular tank. Once the
ij () ij ( )
velocity potential is obtained in the liquid domain ( 2),
R t sin t dt
(11)
ij
the free surface horizontal and vertical velocities are
where, M and C are the body mass damping matrices of
evaluated using the cubic spline and finite difference
the system. X is the barge responses in sway heave and
method. The time marching has been carried out using
roll modes. fie t is the wave-excitation force acting on
Fourth order Runge-kutta method.
the barge and f t is the sloshing induced force acting

s
i
internally on the tank.
2.2.2 Sloshing force

The barge response viz sway, heave and roll evaluated
using Eqn.(9) is inputted to the liquid tank domain(2).
Here, roll response of the barge is transformed into
equivalent sway and heave motions and are added to the
Figure.3 Liquid tank domain
sway(xt) and heave(zt) modes which can be built-in the

kinematic and dynamic free surface boundary condition
The sloshing force ( fis t )is required for evaluation of
following the procedure of Wu [15] for the horizontal
coupled response of barge and sloshing in liquid tank.
and vertical tank motions. The coordinate system along
The sloshing forces are evaluated by integrating pressure
with tank motions for the domain, 2 is presented in
(ps) on the tank wall boundaries,
Figure. 3, which shows the fixed in space (OoXoZo) and
fi s ( t ) p s .n dS
where, the hydrodynamic pressures(ps) acting on the tank
boundary conditions in Lagrangian form for the sloshing
walls have been obtained from,
in liquid tank are given below.
p s (
0
2
0
n
on 2.
(12)
onB2
(13)
d 1

.
xx"t (g z t" )
dt 2
dx
dt x
and
dz
onF2
dt z
(16)
fixed on the tank(OXZ). The governing equation and the
1
gz xx''t zz''t )
t 2
(17)
The time derivative of the velocity potential / t is

also required for accurate calculation of the forces. In
this paper, / t is evaluated by solving the boundary
onF2
(14)
value problem. The boundary value problem for / t in

tank fixed coordinate is defined as follows,
(15)
The problem is solved in the tank fixed coordinate

system without moving the tank as the movement of the
2' 0
on 2.
(18)
'
0
n
onB2.
(19)
4
174

MARHY 2014
1
(
. g xx''t z''t )
t
2
onF2.
level for a wide range of frequencies ranging from first to
(20)
third modal frequency, including the barge natural
Eq.20 provides the value of / t . The sloshing
frequencies have been considered. The barge breadth(B)
pressures and forces are evaluated using Eqn.16 and 17.
has been kept constant, changing the length of liquid
The flowchart in Figure.4 summarizes the numerical
tank(l). The length of liquid tank has been fixed as
scheme involved in analyzing the coupled system. The
l=0.5B, l=0.75B and l=0.9B that corresponds to 50%,
output from this numerical program consists of barge
75% and 90% of the barge breadth.The other dimensions
responses and the sloshing oscillation and sloshing
were kept the same as that used in the experiments of
pressures.
Nasar [10].The incident wave height of 0.02m is adopted

for the present study. Typical sloshing pressure contours
3. Numerical Validation
in the liquid tank for the first and third modal frequency
The sloshing pressures evaluated by the above scheme
of excitation is shown in Figure.7. The typical variations

of the dimensionless pressure along the tank wall (h/l)
are validated with the numerical results of De-Zhi [5]. A

tank with l/h=2.0 subjected to horizontal displacement of
for the first and third modal frequency of excitation is
asin(t)(where, amplitude(a) is 0.00186m and excitation
depicted in Figure.8. From the Figure it is observed that
frequency() is 5.3 rad/sec) is considered. The
a hyperbolic variation in sloshing pressure over the tank

depth is observed.
comparison of hydrodynamic pressures with that of DeZhi [5] at free surface and at bottom of the left wall is
shown in Figure.5. The results are found to be in good
Liquid Domain/Liquid
tank
Discretization of liquid
domain inside tank, 2
agreement.
Discretization of Liquid
domain 1
The coupled numerical model has been tested by using

the experimental measurements of Nasar [10]. The barge
Initialize time, velocity

potential, free surface
Barge response - Linear diffraction

& Radiation problem-FEM
of breadth 1.32 m, draft of 0.072m and liquid tank length
Solve for , (FEM)
of 1m with liquid fill of 25% has been considered. The
Evaluation of frequency dependent

hydrodynamic coefficients ( , ) and
wave exciting forces (fe)
free surface sloshing oscillation at the left wall of the

tank for fw/f1=1.15 are compared with the experimental
Recover velocity
results in Figure. 6. The time history results of sloshing
t=0
oscillation of present numerical study compares well
Time domain estimate of

ft e, ,
with the experimental measurements.

t = t+t
4. Results and Discussions
Evaluate pressure
Solve for barge

response (X,Z,)
Evaluate slosh induced

force (fis)
t >tmax
Update free
surface
No
After validation of the sloshing pressures and sloshing

Yes
oscillation due to coupled sloshing and barge motion a
Output(Sway, Heave,
Roll &)
study has been carried outfor different barge width to

tank length ratios(B/l) to study the effect of B/l on the
Figure.4 Numerical scheme for coupling barge
sloshing pressures.Three different barge breadth to tank
motion and sloshing
length ratios (B/l=2,1.33 and 1.11) for 50% liquid fill

5
175

MARHY 2014
0.06
0.1
0.05
0.02
p (kPa)
p (kPa)
(b)
(a)
0.04
0
-0.02
-0.05
De-Zhi et al(2012)
Present
-0.04
-0.06
De-Zhi et al (2012)
Present
-0.1
0
6
t (s)
10
12
6
t (s)
10
12
0.1
(b)
(a)
p (kPa)
0.05
0
-0.05
De-Zhi et al(2012)
Present
De-Zhi et al (2012)
Present
-0.1
6
t (s)
10
12
6
t (s)
10
12
Figure.8 Typical maximum sloshing pressure
Figure.5 Time histories of hydrodynamic pressure at
distribution along the tank walls at (a)fw/f1 =1and(b)
the left wall where, (a) Tank bottom (b) Free surface
fw/f1 =1.81(f3)for l=0.5B
0.12
0.08
0.04
(m)
The maximum nondimensional sloshing pressure for the
various wave excitation frequencies for l=0.5B,l=0.75B
-0.04
Present
Nasar et al. (2008)
-0.08
and l=0.9B are shown in Figure.9. From the Figure.9(a)
-0.12
4
t (s)
it is found sloshing pressure is observed to be higher at
first modal frequency than the excitation at natural
Figure.6 Sloshing time history at left wall for 25% fill
frequencies of barge when then length of liquid tank is
for fw=1.15f1
half the breadth of barge. The maximum nondimensional
p/gh
sloshing pressure is observed to the least in this case.

But, when the natural frequencies of the barge are close
to
sloshing
modal
frequency,
the
maximum
nondimensional sloshing pressure is maximum at the roll

frequency of the barge, when then length of liquid tank is
0.75 times the breadth of barge which observed from
p/gh
Figure 9(b).From Figure.9(c) it is found that, since heave

natural frequency of the barge is close to first sloshing
modal frequency, maximum nondimensional sloshing
pressure is the higher than sloshing pressure when the
frequency of excitation is at roll natural frequency of the
barge. A peak is observed at the fifth modal frequency of
Figure. 7 Typical maximum pressure contours at
excitation, since fifth modal frequency is nearly twice the
(a)fw/f1 =1and(b) fw/f1 =1.81(f3)for l=0.5B
roll natural frequency of the barge. The maximum

6
176

MARHY 2014
nondimensional pressure is observed to be maximum
when the length of liquid tank is 0.75 times the length of
barge(l=0.75B) which is nearly 18% higher than the
maximum nondimensional pressure when length of
liquid tank is half the breadth of barge(l=0.5B). This is
because the roll natural frequency of the barge is close to
the first modal frequency when the length of liquid tank
is 0.75 times the length of barge(l=0.75B)
5. Summary and Conclusions

A numerical study has been carried out to study liquid
sloshing pressure inside a rectangular tank long with the
combined motions of the freely floating barge in which
the tank is mounted. This paper presents the numerical
scheme adopted for the evaluation of sloshing pressure
which prevents saw tooth instabilities for the evaluation
of the time derivative of the velocity potential
simultaneously with velocity potential. The analysis is
carried out for different barge width to tank length
ratios(B/l) for 50% liquid fill level.
The following conclusions are drawn from the study.

Sloshing motion is observed to be higher near the natural
sloshing frequencies than the excitation at natural
frequencies of floating vessel and so is the sloshing
pressure. But, when the barge natural frequencies are
close
to
sloshing
modal
frequency,
nondimensional sloshing pressure
maximum
is observed to
maximum. A hyperbolic variation in sloshing pressure

Figure.9 Maximum sloshing pressure for the various
along the depth of the tank has been observed. The
wave excitation frequencies (a) l=0.5B ; (b)
maximum nondimensional pressure is observed to be
l=0.75B;(c) l=0.9B
maximum when the length of liquid tank is 0.75 times

the length of barge(l=0.75B).
6. Acknowledgement
The authors would like to acknowledge the support from
the Naval Research Board (NRB), Defence Research and
Development Organization (DRDO), India.
7
177

MARHY 2014
9.
References
numerical simulation of sloshing behaviour in liquid
1. Armenio, V., La Rocca, M., On the analysis of
cargo tanks and its effect on ship motions.
sloshing of water in rectangular containers:
Report0661-P, Delft University of Technology,
numerical and experimental validation, Ocean
Netherland, 1984
engineering, 1996,23, 953 977.
10. Nakayama, T., and Washizu, T.E., Non linear of
2. Akyildiz, H., and Unal, E., Experimental
liquid motion in a container subjected to forced
investigation of pressure distribution on a
pitching
rectangular tank due to liquid sloshing, Ocean
numerical methods in engineering, 1980, 15,1207
engineering, 2005,32,1503 1516.
1220.
dimensional
rectangular
tank:
International
journal
for
study of liquid sloshing dynamics in a barge
Numerical
carrying tank, Fluid Dynamics Research,2008,40,
simulation and experimental validation, Ocean
427458.
engineering,2006,33,2135 2149.
12. Sannasiraj, S.A., Sundar, V., Sundaravadivelu, R.
4. Celebi, M.S., and Akyildiz, H., Nonlinear
The hydrodynamic behaviour of long floating
modeling of liquid sloshing in a moving
structures in directional seas, Applied Ocean
rectangular tank, Ocean engineering, 2002,29,
Research, 1995,17, 233243.
1527 1553.
13. Sen, D., Numerical simulation of motions of two-
De-Zhi, N., Wei, S., Yu. L., Bin, T. A boundary
dimensional floating bodies, Journal of Ship
element investigation of liquid sloshing in coupled
Research ,1993 37 (4), 307330.
horizontal and vertical excitation, Journal of Applied
6.
oscillation,
11. Nasar, T., Sannasiraj,S.A., Sundar, V., Experimental
3. Akyildiz, H., and Unal, E., Sloshing in a three
5.
Mikelis, N.E., Journee,J.M.J., Experimental and
14. Sriram, V., Sannasiraj, S.A., Sundar, V., Numerical
Mathematics. 2012, 1-20.
simulation of 2D sloshing waves due to horizontal
Edward.V.L, Principles of Naval Architecture, Vol.

I. Stability and Strength, The Society of Naval
Architects and Marine Engineers, Jersey City, NJ
1988
and vertical random excitations, Applied Ocean

Research, 2006, 28, 1932.
15. Wu, G.X., Ma, Q.W., Eatock T.R., Numerical
simulation of sloshing waves in a 3D tank based on
7.
Jermie, J.S., Sannasiraj, S.A., Sundar, V., Numerical
a finite element method, Applied Ocean Research,
simulation of sloshing in a rectangular tank under

combined
horizontal,
vertical
and
1998, 20, 337-355.
rotational
oscillations, Proceedings of the Institution of

Mechanical
8.
Engineers,
Part
M:
Journal
Authors biography
of
Engineering for the Maritime Environment. 2014,
Jermie J Stephen
She is a doctoral student at
doi: 10.1177/1475090214533512.
IITMADRAS, Chennai, India in the Department of
Kim, Y, Numerical simulation of sloshing flows
Ocean Engineering. Her current research interest include
with impact load. Applied Ocean research, 2001,23,
coupling floating body motion with liquid tank sloshing.
53 62.
8
178

MARHY 2014
Sannasiraj S A He is a professor at IITMADRAS,
Chennai, India in the Department of Ocean Engineering.
His research interests include, Wave hydrodynamics,
Wave-structure interaction, Breaking wave dynamics and
Dynamics of floating bodies.
Sundar V He is a professor at IITMADRAS, Chennai,

India in the Department of Ocean Engineering. His
research interests include, Wave-structure interaction,
Coastal erosion and shore protection, Fluid flow
problems.
9
179

International
Conference
Computational
Proc. of Conf. MARHY-2014 held on 3&4 Dec. , 2014
at IIT Madras,
India - on
Vol.2
(ISBN: 978-93-80689-22-7)
MARHY 2014
NUMERICAL INVESTIGATION OF SHIP AIRWAKE OVER HELODECK FOR

DIFFERENT VARIANTS OF HANGAR SHAPES OF A GENERIC WARSHIP
B Praveen, R Vijayakumar, SN Singh and V Seshadri, Dept of Applied Mechanics, IIT Delhi, India
ABSTRACT
Amongst the roles undertaken by rotor crafts across a wide spectrum of industry operations, helicopter flight
operations over helodeck of warships (other than ships designed specifically for flight operations) is considered to be one
of the high risk tasks by pilots. The surging platform with a helo deck at aft presents a challenging environment to the
pilots for helo operations owing to a string of reasons. The seakeeping motions encountered by a warship in high seas
provide the pilots with a non-stationary platform for landing/take off operations. The problems are further compounded
by the presence of associated strong wind conditions and a complex airwake over helodeck created by the presence of a
bluff body in the form of a superstructure in front. A detailed analysis of the airwake flow characteristics over helodeck is
thus a must for enhanced safety of helo operations to be delivered by a good helo deck- superstructure design on warships.
In the present study, numerical analysis of flow characteristics of airwake over helodeck of a generic warship has been
undertaken in commercial software FLUENT for certain configurations of helo-hangar shapes. Alternate hangar
configurations as compared to the one in general use have been considered for analysis and comparison of flow
characteristics with an aim of facilitating easy and measurable identification of changes in major flow parameters. A part
of these results are validated against experiments conducted in the wind tunnel at IIT Delhi. Measurements in wind tunnel
are carried out using a five-hole pitot probe. Significant flow parameters are identified and compared between the
configurations.
(c) Interaction of the airwake with the helos
downwash
(d) Poor visibility due to sea spray and lack of visual
cues due to aircraft orientation.
NOMENCLATURE
Uref
H
Vx, Vy, Vz
Vxy
Vyz
P1 to P5
HL
Hh
Hw
LR
ALM
V2 to V6
Undisturbed flow velocity (m/s)

Height of backward facing step (m)
Velocity components in x, y, z
direction (m/s)
Velocity vector component on xy plane
Velocity vector component on yz plane
Pressures sensed by 5-hole probe (Pa)
Length of helo deck
Height of helo hangar
Width of helo hangar
Length of recirculation zone
Area of low momentum of cross flow
velocity components Vyz in yz plane
Models with varying hangar shapes
1.
INTRODUCTION
1.1
MOTIVATION OF STUDY
Helo operations on board warships of the types of

Frigates and Destroyers have emerged as a major subject
of research across many navies in the past decade. Unlike
helo operations on land, the environment on the helo deck
available to the pilot for operation on warships presents
numerous challenges. The major components adding up to
this challenging environment are as follows:(a) The ship motions in heavy seas which provide the
pilot with a moving platform for taking off and
landing.
(b) A complex airwake on the helo deck.
Also, in the past two decades, navies across the globe

have emphasised the need for designing their platforms for
making them stealthier. Reduction of the Radar Cross
Section (RCS) is one of the primary ways of reducing the
platforms detection by enemy forces. As part of design
for a reduced RCS, the helo hangars on board mid-sized
warships have imbibed design changes which may be
perceived as adding up to these challenges.
Notwithstanding the challenges mentioned above,
given the purpose for which warships are made,
conducting helo operations at good speeds even in high
seas is unavoidable.
1.2
SOLUTIONS ADOPTED PRESENTLY AND
ADVANTAGES OF APPLICATION OF CFD
At present, envelopes for safe operations on helo
deck are estimated by preparation of a Safe Helo
Operation Limits (SHOL) by an experienced test pilot in
order to establish the limitations of the flight operations
with regards to the challenges brought out above. The
operating wind envelope is defined in terms of allowable
wind speeds and directions over the deck and is also called
wind over the deck (WOD) envelope.
The procedure adopted for developing safe
operating envelopes is known as Dynamic Interface
Testing. It is a long, laborious and expensive process
involving several days of test flights and results in a
Copyright 2014 by IIT Madras, Chennai, India and the RINA, UK 1
180

MARHY 2014
number of SHOL envelopes for several conditions
including night/day operations, fair/rough weather
operations etc. Each such SHOL envelope is valid only for
the particular combination of ship/helicopter being tested.
A typical SHOL is shown in Fig 1. These are the limits
which are then used by onboard pilots for helo operations.
2.
LITERATURE REVIEW
A detailed literature review with regards to the shiphelo interface has been undertaken by Praveen et al. [1].
In wake of the complexities of the problem, the authors
have undertaken the review clustering the widely scattered
literature under certain logical heads. The earliest studies
which can be related to this field as well as many other
canonical flow problems, are the ones conducted on a 2D
Backward Facing Step. These studies have brought out the
main characteristics of the flow behind the step as shown
in Fig 2.
Besides being a laborious process, the process of

Dynamic Interface Testing involves many disadvantages.
It results in the ship being unavailable for a long time for
other naval activities. In addition, extensive risks are taken
by test pilots in establishing the SHOL limits exposing
themselves to lethal danger [Praveen et al. (2013)]. Also,
all desirable weather conditions may not be available for
establishing the SHOL limits. One of the most important
disadvantages is that the ship is required to be constructed
prior to making of SHOL which implies that little
modifications are possible post trials.
When a flow over a boundary layer encounters a

backward facing step of height H, the flow separates at the
edge of the step and forms into a free shear layer
downstream with higher velocities on the upper side and
lower velocities on the lower side of the free shear layer
[Bouda et al. (2008)]. Some distance downstream, the
shear layer impinges on the surface and forms a
reattachment zone. Underneath this free shear layer, there
is formation of a primary recirculation zone. A small
counter rotating corner eddy may also exist near the lower
edge of the step. Downstream of reattachment, the
boundary layer begins to redevelop towards a standard
turbulent boundary layer state. The study by Bouda et al
brings out that there are two major sources of turbulence
production in a wall jet: one of them is located in the inner
wall shear layer and characterized by small scale eddies,
and the other pertains to the free jet outer region of the
flow characterized by strong entrainment of fluid by large
eddies. The external turbulent large eddies produce real
changes in the dynamics of the flow over a backward
facing step. There is flapping of the reattachment zone
within a range due to interaction of these large eddies with
the recirculation zone.
In the wake of availability of high computing power

and sophisticated instrumentation techniques, the ideal
solution for establishing the envelope for helo operations
will entail establishing methodologies involving extensive
use of Computational Fluid Dynamics thoroughly
validated through model tests. These methods in effect can
lead to solutions for the above brought out disadvantages
in the process of making of SHOL.
1.3
AIRWAKE COMPONENT & SCOPE OF
PRESENT STUDY
Although the challenges mentioned in Para 1.1
above would definitely require a holistic look for a
comprehensive study, the natural first step would be to
study them individually to get an in-depth understanding.
The present study concentrates on understanding the
complex airwake component on the helo deck through use
of numerical techniques. Towards this, a simplified
generic warship model has been adopted and CFD
simulations have been performed on it by varying the
shape of hangar. Comparisons have been undertaken on
certain parameters identified as ones defining the flow
regime. The CFD model used for the present study has
been validated through model tests in the wind tunnel at
IIT Delhi.
Armaly et al. (1983) have conducted experimental

and numerical studies to establish the effect of Reynolds
number on the flow structure behind the BFS. A
significant conclusion of the study was that the length of
the reattachment zone increases in the laminar flow
region, sharply decreases in the transient region and
attains a constant value in the turbulent region. On the
same lines previously, Durst and Tropea (1981) studied
the dependence of reattachment zone length of primary
separation region on Reynolds number at the higher
Reynolds number range.
The airwake on the helo deck is a combination of the

following components:(a) Disturbances caused because of the presence of a
rectangular (often full breadth) hangar acting like a
bluff body in front of the helo deck while the ship is
surging ahead.
(b) The direction of the true wind
Badri Kusuma et al (1992) in their publication have

quoted Eaton et al.(1981) of bringing out five independent
parameters that according to them define the flow
structure: the boundary layer initial condition, boundary
layer thickness, the external turbulent flow, the pressure
gradient and the aspect ratio (width of the canal/height of
the step).
The comparisons between flow around the hangar

shapes under consideration have been limited to head
wind condition (Yaw angle = 0 deg) and for high
Reynolds number.
There have been several other authors who have

shed light on the flow characteristics over BFS which gave
a glimpse of the flow over a helo deck. However, the case
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MARHY 2014
of a ship helo deck resembles more with flow around a 3D
bluff body.
at IIT Delhi has been used for model testing. The

maximum velocity attainable in the wind tunnel is 24 m/s.
Desired speeds can be attained in the wind tunnel test
section by frequency control of speed of the blower fan.
The dimensions of the wind tunnel relative to position of
the model are given in Table 1. A standard Pitot-static
tube inserted into the wind tunnel, upstream of the model
was used for measuring the free stream velocity. For the
present case, the dynamic pressure was adjusted to give a
free stream velocity of 14.25 m/s. The readings of static
and dynamic pressures of the Pitot static tube were
constantly taken for estimation of free stream velocity
accurately. The model was mounted on the base of the
wind tunnel test cross-section as shown in Fig 6. The
sidewalls of the wind tunnel test section are made of
Perspex sheets, which allow visualisation of the flow field
over the ship model.
The complexity of the flow around a 3D bluff body

studied by Hunt et al (1978) bring out the presence of an
inverted U-shaped vortex, whose ends remain in contact
with the ground, on the downwind side of the body. The
wake also includes numerous horseshoe vortices that wrap
themselves about the upstream base of the body and trail
downstream (Fig 3).
Shafer (2005) has explained the principal features of
flow over a helo deck having a dome shaped recirculation
region behind the hangar and counter-rotating vortices on
each side of the recirculation region due to the incoming
flow from the sides of the ship (Fig 4). The author brings
out that this will result in a non-stationary horseshoe
vortex structure which will grow, dissipate, and move
spatially in an unpredictable manner. He also goes on to
discuss the effect of the flow patterns on the operation of
the helo.
A five hole probe suitably calibrated is being used

for measurement of pressures P1 to P5 (probe is shown in
Fig 7) and the data thus collected is used for estimating
the magnitude and direction of velocity. Fig 8 shows the
schematic of a 5-hole probe along with nomenclature of
pressure sensing holes. Non-nulling method is used for
measurement where the probe is kept stationary at a grid
point and the pressures P1 to P5 are measured along with
the static and dynamic free stream pressures using Betz
Manometers. The yaw and the pitch angles of flow at the
grid points along with the associated velocity magnitudes
are derived using calibration data.
The effect of cross flow components on the Wind

over deck (WOD) angles other than 0 degrees, which
occur quite frequently on helo deck at sea have been
studied by Johns (1988) and Rhoades (1990).
Praveen et al. (2013) have brought out significant
contribution of authors such as Zan et al (1998), Polsky et
al (2001), Reddy et al (2001), Wilkinson et al (1998) who
have conducted experimental and numerical studies for
analysis of ship superstructure airwake over helo deck.
Measurements at about 1500 points of a 3D grid

were undertaken over the helo deck. Four vertical
transverse planes and three horizontal planes parallel to
the main rotor plane of helo were chosen for collection of
experimental data. These planes are shown in Fig 5. The
planes K, L and M cover the range of plane of rotation
where the rotor of helo generally operate. The probe was
positioned on the grid points using a traversing system as
shown in Fig 9 and Fig 10. The velocity estimated from
the measured pressures at the grid points were nondimensionalised with instantaneous free stream velocity
estimated from the Pitot static tube.
Recently, some researchers have attempted

integrating CFD airwake of the helo deck with piloted
flight simulations for obtaining a simulated SHOL. Work
undertaken by Forrest et al (2012), Wilkinson et al. (1998),
Lee et al. (2003) are on these lines.
Although, the literature survey found numerous
studies conducted on understanding the airwake
component on the helo deck with a full breadth hangar, the
study on modifications to the existing rectangular hangar
shape (designed for low RCS), are rare. This paper
presents study of six variants of the hangar shapes in a
parametric investigation for understanding the effect of
these modifications on the airwake behind hangar. The
conclusions from the study will help the designer to
incorporate modifications to the hangar shapes for an
improved flow environment within the limits prescribed
by other design constraints.
Table 1. Position of Model in the Wind Tunnel

Cross section
Inlet
Outflow
Blockage
4.
3.
0.75m X 0.45m
2.03m forward of model fore
2.47m aft of model aft
4.8%
CFD MODEL USED
EXPERIMENTAL SETUP
Initially a structured Hexa mesh of about 32 Lakh
cells was used on one half of the base model with
symmetry condition at the centre plane. The domain used
for the model geometry is shown in Fig 11. The domain
size along with the position of model was kept same as in
the experiments. The boundary conditions used on the
CFD model are also described in Fig 11. The origin was
A wooden model of a generic warship with

dimensions as shown in Fig 5 has been used as the base
model for conducting tests in wind tunnel. An open circuit
type blow down wind tunnel consisting of two diffusers,
settling chamber, contraction cone and test section of 0.75
m x 0.45 m cross section having a length of 5.9 m available
3
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MARHY 2014
fixed at intersection of the base plane (z=0), centreline
plane (y=0) and the aft end plane of helo deck (x=0) as
shown in Fig 5.
destabilising moments on the plane of rotation of the main

rotor since it is working in a non-uniform and asymmetric
incident wake. Certain flow parameters which have been
identified for quantifying this asymmetricity of wake on
rotor plane are the length of the recirculation zone, the area
of the reduced momentum flow on the plane of rotor
rotation, the variation of the vertical velocity component
Vz and the velocity Vxy on the plane of rotation of main
rotor. These velocity components are expected to change
the incident angle of attack of flow on the blade section
thus leading to a non-uniform lift over the plane of
rotation. With a view of understanding the change in
magnitudes of these parameters on the plane of rotation
with varying hangar shapes, they have been studied on the
K, L and M planes.
This was further adapted to have a finer mesh on

the helo deck thus increasing the mesh size to about 40
Lakhs. CFD runs were undertaken with several turbulence
models including 2 equation k-, k- models, 4 equation
transition SST model and Reynolds stress model.
Convergence to residuals of 10-5 was achieved for the
momentum and greater than 10-6 for other parameters in
the transition SST model. The Reynolds stress model
results were similar to the transition SST results. Owing to
lesser computing costs as compared to Reynolds stress
model, it was decided to proceed further with transition
SST turbulence modelling. The transition SST model is
based on the coupling of the SST k- transport equations
with two other transport equations, one for the
intermittency and one for the transition onset criteria, in
terms of momentum-thickness Reynolds number.
5.
K, L and M planes cover the vertical range within

which the main rotor of a typical large helicopter of an all
up weight of 15t to 20t will generally operate. However,
there may be instances where the flow depicted by the
transverse planes A, B, C and D will become significant
in defining the dynamics of helo behaviour. For instance,
the effect of variation of velocity components inside the
low momentum region on the helicopter body or working
of rotor of a smaller helo much below the K plane make it
important for us to investigate the flow in this region. For
analysing the flow in this region, cross flow velocity
components Vyz have been studied on the transverse
planes A, B, C and D.
VALIDATION OF CFD MODEL
The results of the transition SST CFD model

were compared against the wind tunnel model
measurements at the grid points used for flow
measurements in the wind tunnel. Average error on the 4
transverse planes A, B, C & D varied between 5.8% and
7%. The top horizontal plane (Plane M) showed an
average error of around 6.9%. Many grid points of K and
L planes were in a zone where the momentum of the air
was highly reduced due to reduced airwake velocities. The
probe measurements at such reduced flow velocities in
these zones were highly erratic probably owing to the
disturbance created by the geometry of the probe itself.
Also, points in these zones, where the flow pitch angles
were very large, could not be obtained within the range of
the calibration curves. Thus, comparisons could not be
undertaken for K and L planes.
6.
Although qualitative arguments have been

presented about the effect of velocity variations on helo
rotor thrust, the present study stops short of assessing the
effect of the changes in these parameters on the
magnitudes of variation of forces on the helo rotor which
will entail a detailed analysis of rotor dynamics.
7.1
Fig 13 shows the variation of the length of

recirculation zones on the K, L and M planes on the y=0
line. As expected in the K plane, the master model has the
longest recirculation zone extending to about 42 % of the
helo deck length from the aft of hangar. However, on
examining the variants, it emerges that the variants with
slanting bulkheads (V2, V4 & V6) possess a much shorter
recirculation zone as compared to their counterparts with
rectangular hangars. Also emerging is the fact that the
length of recirculation zone on K plane is the minimum on
V6 which has a large slant bulkhead angle although the
volume of hangar (size of bluff body) itself is nearer to the
master model. Behind the extent of the recirculation, the
flow on the slant bulkhead models are much more nearer
to the free stream flow than their rectangular counterparts
reaching a value of near 70% of Uref at the end of helo deck
as compared to 60% for V1, V3 and V5 and 50% for
master model. Within the recirculation zone, the variants
have higher recirculation velocities Vx as compared to the
master model showing a larger degree of variation of the
velocities on this plane. But assuming the helo rotor
HANGAR VARIANT CONFIGURATIONS
For undertaking the numerical study of varying

hangar configurations, a total of six variants were
considered in addition to the master model having full
sized hangar. The details of the variants are shown in Fig
12. As compared to the symmetry plane geometry used for
validation, these models were made with complete
geometry in Gambit for facilitating future studies with
changing yaw angles of the Wind Over Deck. The mesh
size of the structured mesh thus was of the order of about
70 to 73 Lakh cells in each case. Transition SST
turbulence model was used for the simulations.
7.
LENGTH OF RECIRCULATION ZONE
As compared to a helo operating in a uniform

wake in open conditions (on ground), one reason for the
increasing pilot workload while operating behind helo
deck that can be immediately identified is the creation of
4
183

MARHY 2014
diameter does not extend within 25% of the helo deck
length from hangar, the flow of V6 may be considered
favourable followed by V4, V2, V5, V3, V1 and Master.
the master model. The magnitudes of Vxy also are far more
uniform and within a smaller range of variation for V6 as
compared to other variants and especially the master
model. These figures reiterate the findings at para 7.1.
Contrary to visual appreciation of the geometry which
suggests a more uniform flow with a smaller extent of low
momentum flow for V1 and V2 owing to a smaller bluff
body, the results show V6 as the most favourable of the
considered variants in terms of uniformity of wake and
extent of low momentum flow. The results thus suggest
that a greater inclination of the slanting bulkhead of V6 is
leading to a more favourable helo deck flow environment
as compared to low angle slant bulkhead of V2 although
the volume of bluff body is greater for V6.
The variation of Vx on the L and M plane y=0

line shows a contradictory picture as compared to the K
plane. The velocity of the Master model moves rapidly
towards the free stream velocity from K to L and M planes
with no sign of a recirculation region on the top two
planes. The velocities of V6, V4 and V2 on the aft region
are more or less uniform over the three planes with a lesser
recovery of momentum. In fact the speeds at the aft end of
helo deck on these variants reduce marginally. The
rectangular variants V1, V3 and V5 space themselves
between Master model and V6. Again, a more uniform
gradient of velocity across the planes in V6, V4 and V2 as
the helo descends or takes off may prove to be favourable
as compared to the Master model or the rectangular
variants. Also to be noted is that V3, V4, V5 and V6 show
a recirculation length of about 20% of length of helo deck.
7.2
7.4
VARIATION OF Vyz ON TRANSVERSE
PLANES AND AREA OF LOW MOMENTUM FLOW
A comparison of the plot for A plane has been
shown for variants Master, V1, V2, V5 and V6 in Fig 16.
In order to compare the flow between the variants, a
parameter ALM representing the area of low momentum
pertaining to cross flow component Vyz was devised. ALM
is the area on the plane of region behind the hangar
enclosing all Vyz velocities lower than 6.5 m/s. The choice
of this limit of velocity is made because this is the Vyz
velocity which is prevalent on the side and top edges of
the hangar on master model on the A plane which is
immediately behind the hangar. ALM, when compared on
the transverse planes between all variants will hence show
the extent of low momentum of the cross flow component.
As in the case of the rotor planes, V2, V4 and V6 in that
order emerged as the variants with least ALM followed by
V1, V3, V5 and Master.
LONGITUDINAL VARIATION OF VZ
Referring to Fig 14, Vz of the Master model on

the y=0 line shows little variation across the planes K, L
and M. Longitudinally Vz varies from being a low positive
value just behind hangar to a value of about 0.05Uref
downward at the aft end of helo deck reaching a maximum
downwards velocity of about 0.15Uref at about 40 % of
length of helo deck from end of hangar. V1, V2, V4 and
V6 show a more or less uniform positive Vz over the
length in the region of operation of the helo rotor although
there is a gradient just behind the hangar. V3 and V5 show
presence of a higher upwards Vz in the recirculation
region. Considering the angles of attack of flow on the
blade sections, an upward Vz is expected to increase the
angle of attack thereby leading to increase in thrust.
However, given the magnitudes of Vz observed here, the
effect will be minimal.
8.
CONCLUSION
The study has brought out comparisons of the

length of recirculation zone between the hangar variants.
The variation of vertical component of velocity Vz and the
in-plane component Vxy on the rotor planes K, L and M
have been studied. These components will decide the
angle of attack along with the rotational velocity
component of the rotor in producing the upward thrust.
The changing patterns of these airwake components
indicate a non-uniform thrust on the plane of the rotor
blades while operating on the helo deck. Comparisons of
a representative area of low momentum of cross flow
component Vyz has also been undertaken on the transverse
planes A to D. These components can play a role in
modifying the flow patterns on the rotor blades due to
immersion of the rotor itself (for smaller helos) or the helo
fuselage (for all helos) inside this region. The greater angle
of the slant bulkhead of V6 as compared to the reduction
in volume of the bluff body as in V1 or V2 seems to have
a greater effect in making the flow more favourable and
nearer to an open field flow. This extent of increase in
slant bulkhead angle, though, may need more parametric
investigation for an optimum result. The rectangular
configurations V1, V3 and V5 seem to give a result not
7.3
VARIATION OF Vxy AND EXTENT OF LOW
MOMENTUM FLOW
As compared to helo operating in an open area,
the non-uniformity of Vxy component behind the hangar
can have a considerable contribution to the change of
angle of attack on to the rotor blade sections in an
asymmetric way. This is expected since the magnitudes of
this component may vary from zero to an order of 1/10th
the rotational velocity of the rotor tip and it may get added
or subtracted depending on its direction. The forward part
of the rotor is expected to be immersed in the low
momentum flow nearer to the hangar as compared to the
aft part. Fig 15 shows the extent of low momentum flow
region on the K Planes of Master model, V1, V2, V5 and
V6. The lengths of recirculation of the planes have also
been indicated on the figures.
The least extent of low momentum flow on K
plane is observed for V6 and the maximum is observed for
5
184

MARHY 2014
commensurate with the loss in the hangar volume as
compared to the Master model with full breadth
superstructure.
7.
Durst, F. and C. Tropea, Turbulent backward
facing step flows in two dimensional ducts and channels,
Third International Symposium on Turbulent Shear
Flows, University of California, Davis, 1981, pp. 18.1
18.5.
Although qualitative arguments have been made

on the effect of the flow on the helo rotor dynamics, the
magnitudes of the mean velocities suggest a reason for
dwelling into unsteady flow analysis and estimation of
turbulent length scales which may be contributing more
towards the unsteady asymmetric destabilising moments
on the rotor plane.
8.
Eaton, J.K., Johnston, J.P., "A review of research
on subsonic turbulent flow reattachment.", AIAA journal,
Vol 19, 1981.
9.
Forrest, J.S., Owen, I., Padfield, G.D., Hodge,
S.J., "Shiphelicopter operating limits prediction using
piloted flight simulation and time-accurate airwakes."
Journal of Aircraft, Vol. 49, No. 4, JulyAugust 2012.
Para 1.1 brings out the presence of a number of

problem components involving complex interaction
between them. These include the ship motions and poor
visibility in high sea states, the airwake and the helo
downwash. The present study attempts to resolve the
airwake component without considering the others. It may
be noted that, for a complete analysis, all these
components need to be considered in a systematic way
bringing together their individual behaviour along with the
cross coupling interaction they may involve.
13.
10.
Hanjalik, K., Jakirlik, S., "Contribution towards
the second-moment closure modelling of separating
turbulent flows", Computers & Fluids, vol. 27, no. 2, pp.
137-156, 1998.
11.
Hunt, J.C.R., C.J. Abell, J.A. Peterka and H.
Woo, "Kinematic studies of the flows around free or
surface mounted obstacles; Applying topology to flow
visualization," Journal of Fluid Mechanics, Vol. 86, 1978,
pp. 179,200.
REFERENCES
1.
Praveen, B., Vijayakumar, R., Singh, S.N.,
Seshadri, V., A review of the problem of warship helo
interaction and efforts underway for possible solutions,
The Royal Institution of Naval Architects International
Conference ICSOT- Technical innovation in shipbuilding,
12-13 Dec 2013, Kharagpur, India, pp 163-176.
12.
Johns, Michael K, Flow visualization of the
airwake around a model of a DD-963 class destroyer in a
simulated atmospheric boundary layer, M.S. Thesis,
Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California,
September 1988.
2.
Armaly, B. F., Durst, F., Pereira, J. C. F.,
Schonung, B. "Experimental and theoretical investigation
of backward-facing step flow", Journal of Fluid
Mech.(1983), vol.127, pp. 473-496.
13.
Kang, S., Choi, H., "Suboptimal feedback control
of turbulent flow over a backward-facing step", J. Fluid
Mech. (2002), vol. 463, pp. 201-227.
14.
Le, H., Moin, P., Kim, J., "Direct numerical
simulation of turbulent flow over a backward-facing step",
J. Fluid Mech. (1997), vol. 330, pp. 349-374.
3.
Badri Kusuma, M. S, Ray, C., Mesteyer, P.G.,
"The Effects of wall roughness and the external flow
structure on backward-facing step flows", 11th
Australasian Fluid Mechanics Conference, University of
Tasmania, Hobert, Australia, 14-18 Dec 1992, pp. 795798.
15.
Lee, D., Horn, J., Uzol, N.S., Long, L.N.,
"Simulation of pilot control activity during helicopter
shipboard operation.", The American Institute of
Aeronautics and Astronautics Inc., 2003.
4.
Bouda, N.N., Schiestel, R., Amielh, M., Rey, C.,
Benabid, T. "Experimental approach and numerical
prediction of a turbulent wall jet over a backward facing
step" International Journal of Heat and Fluid Flow 29
(2008) 927944.
16.
Lien, F.S., Leschziner, M.A., "Assessment of
turbulence-transport models including non-linear RNG
eddy-viscosity formulation and second-moment closure
for flow over a backward-facing step.", Computers &
Fluids, vol. 23, no. 8, pp. 983-1004, 1994.
5.
Chun, K.B., Sung, H.J., "Control of turbulent
separated flow over a backward-facing step by local
forcing", Experiments in Fluids 21 (1996), pp. 417-426.
17.
Liu, J, Long, L.N., and Modi, A.V., Higher
order accurate solutions of ship airwake flow fields using
parallel computers, Paper No. 3, Proceedings of NATO
RTO Meeting on Fluid dynamics Problems of Vehicles
Operating Near or in the Air-Sea Interface, RTO-MP-15,
Neuilly-Sur-Seine Cedex, France,February 1999
6.
Doane, S.R., "A wind tunnel technique for the
identification of ship airwake/rotor downwash coupling."
PhD Thesis, Old Dominion University, 2011, Published
by ProQuest, UMI Dissertation Publishing.
18.
Polsky, S.A., Bruner, C.W.S., "A computational
study of unsteady ship airwake.", Paper presented at the
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RTO AVT Symposium on Advanced flow management:
part A Vortex flows and high angle of attack for military
vehicles, held in Loen, Norway, 7-11 May 2001, and
published in RTO-MP-069(I).
29.
Wilkinson, C.H., Zan, S.J., Gilbert, N.E., and
Funk, J.D., Modeling and simulation of ship air wakes
for helicopter operations -- A collaborative venture,
Paper No. 8, Proceedings of NATO RTO Meeting on
Fluid dynamics Problems of Vehicles Operating Near or
in the Air-Sea Interface, RTO-MP-15, Neuilly-Sur- Seine
Cedex, France, February 1999.
19.
Reddy, K.R., Toffoletto, R., Jones, K.R.W.,
Numerical simulation of ship airwake, Computers and
Fluid, Vol. 29, 2000, pp.451-465.
30.
Zan, S.J., Syms, G.F., and Cheney, B.T.,
Analysis of patrol frigate air wakes, Paper No. 7,
Proceedings of NATO RTO Meeting on Fluid dynamics
Problems of Vehicles Operating Near or in the Air-Sea
Interface, RTO-MP-15, Neuilly-Sur-Seine Cedex, France,
February 1999.
20.
Rhoades, Mark M., A Study of the airwake
aerodynamics over the flight deck of an AOR model ship,
MS Thesis, Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, CA,
Sept. 1990.
21.
Shafer, Daniel M, Active and passive flow
control over the flight deck of small naval vessels' MS
Thesis, Blaksburg Virginia, 2005.
31.
Zan, S.J., "On aerodynamic modelling and
simulation of the dynamic Interface", Proceedings of the
Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part G: Journal of
Aerospace Engineering 2005, 219-393.
22.
Sharma, A., Long, L.N., "Airwake simulations
on an LPD 17 ship", AIAA 2001- 2589, 15th AIAA
Computational Fluid Dynamics Conference June 1114,
2001/Anaheim, California.
32.
Hesham M. El-Batsh., Magdy Bassily Hanna.,
An investigation on the effect of endwall movement on
the tip clearance loss using annular turbine cascade,
International Journal of Rotating Machinery Volume 2011
(2011), Article ID 489150.
23.
Shuya, Y., Obi, S., Masuda, S., "Turbulence
statistics of periodically perturbed separated flow over
backward-facing step.", International Journal of Heat and
Fluid Flow 22, 2001, pp. 393-401 (2001).
14.
24.
Sigurdson, L.W., "The structure and control of a
turbulent reattaching flow", Journal of Fluid Mech.
(1995), vol. 298, pp. 139-165.
BIOGRAPHY OF AUTHORS
Lt Cdr B Praveen is a graduate of Naval Architecture

from the Cochin University of Science and Technology.
He has done a PG Diploma in Naval Construction from
Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi and M Tech in
Ocean Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology,
Kharagpur. He is the recipient of the Directors gold medal
at IIT Kharagpur. He is presently pursuing his research in
ship-aircraft interface at Department of Applied
Mechanics at Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi. He is
a member of the Institution of Naval Architects, India. His
fields of interest include Warship Design, Propulsion and
Ship Dynamics.
25.
Spazzini, P., Iuso, G., Onorato, M., Zurlo, N.,
and Cicca, G.M.D. "Unsteady behavior of back-facing
step flow", Experiments in Fluids, vol. 30, pp. 551-561,
2001.
26.
Tai, T.C., "Simulation and analysis of lhd ship
airwake by Navier-Stokes method", Paper presented at the
RTO AVT Symposium on Fluid Dynamics Problems of
Vehicles Operating near or in the Air-Sea Interface, held
in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 5-8 October 1998, and
published in RTO MP-15.
Cdr (Dr) R.Vijayakumar is a graduate of Naval

Architecture from the Cochin University of Science and
Technology. He has done a PG Diploma in Naval
Construction from Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi,
MTech in Ocean Engineering from Indian Institute of
Technology, Madras and Ph.D. from Indian Institute of
Technology, Delhi. He is presently appointed as Adjunct
Faculty at the Naval Construction Wing, Department of
Applied Mechanics at Indian Institute of Technology,
Delhi, where he teaches the subjects of Ship
Hydrodynamics, Ship Dynamics and Warship Design. He
has published a total of 22 technical papers in refereed
Journals and Proceedings of international/National
Conferences. He is a member of the Institution of Naval
Architects, India. His fields of interest include Warship
Design, Ship Hydrodynamics, Ship Dynamics and
Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD).
27.
Tai, T.C., Airwake simulation of modified
TTCP/SFS ship", RTO AVT Symposium on Advanced
Flow Management: Part A Vortex Flows and High
Angle of Attack for Military Vehicles, held in Loen,
Norway, 7-11 May 2001, and published in RTO-MP069(I).2001.
28.
Tattersall, P., Albone, C.M., Soliman, M.M.,
"Prediction of ship air wakes over flight decks using
CFD.", Paper presented at the RTO AVT symposium on
Fluid dynamics problems of vehicles operating near or in
the air-sea interface, held in Amsterdam, The
Netherlands, 5-8 October 1998, and published in RTO
MP-15.
7
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MARHY 2014
Prof. SN Singh is an Aeronautical Engineer. He did his
B.Tech. as well as M.Tech. in Aeronautical Engineering
from Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur and Ph.D. in
Fluid Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology,
Delhi. He is presently Professor in the Department of
Applied Mechanics and Deputy Director (Operations) of
Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi. He has over 32
Years of experience in teaching and R&D. He has
published 280 research papers and has so far guided 22
Ph.D Projects and 90 M.Tech Projects. He is a consultant
to a number of industrial organizations and has so far
completed more than 100 consultancy and sponsored
projects in association with Prof. V Seshadri. His areas of
interest are Fluid Mechanics, Internal Flows,
Computational Fluid Dynamics, Two Phase Flows and
Flow Instrumentation. He is a Life member of AIAA,
Fellow of the Institute of Engineers, Life Member of
National Society of Fluid Mechanics and Fluid Power
(NSFMFP), Indian Society of Mechanical Engineers
(ISME), Indian Society of Technical Education (ISTE)
and Aeronautical Society of India.
Mechanics, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi. At the

Institute he has held various administrative positions
including that of Head, Applied Mechanics Department
and Deputy Director (Admn). He has over 42 Years of
experience in teaching and R&D. He has guided 30 Ph.D.
students and more than 85 M.Tech. projects. He has
published 90 papers in International / National journals
and more than 120 articles in referred Proceedings of
International / National Conferences. He is a consultant to
a large number of industrial organisations and so far
completed more than 1000 consultancy projects worth
approximately Rs. 50 million ( US $ 1.0 million). He has
also undertaken a large number of sponsored projects
worth more than Rs. 20 million ( US $ 0.44 million). His
areas of specialization are Pipeline Engineering,
Development and Calibration of Fluid Devices,
Computational Fluid Dynamics, Coal Ash Handling and
Transportation and Biofluid Mechanics. He is a Fellow of
the Institute of Engineers, Life Member of National
Society of Fluid Mechanics and Fluid Power (NSFMFP),
Indian Society of Mechanical Engineers (ISME), Indian
Society of Technical Education (ISTE) and Indian Society
of Bio-mechanics.
Prof. V Seshadri is a Mechanical Engineer with ScM. and

Ph.D. degrees from Brown University, U.S.A. He is
presently Emeritus Fellow in the Department of Applied
8
187

MARHY 2014
Fig 2. Idealized flow over a backward facing

step (adapted from Spazzini et al.(2001))
Fig 1. A representative SHOL
(courtesy http://www.agiltd.co.uk)
Fig 3. Flow structure behind a bluff body

(adapted from Hunt et al. (1978))
Fig 4. Flow structure behind a Helo deck
(adapted from Shafer (2005))
Fig 5. Description of model dimensions, axis system and helo deck planes used for validation (called Master Model)
Fig 7. Five Hole Probe on the Helo Deck Portion
Fig 6. Model setup inside wind tunnel

9
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MARHY 2014
Fig 8. Nomenclature of a 5-hole probe

(Adapted from Paul et al. (2011))
Fig 9. Traversing system for Probe

Outflow
Wall (on Ship & WT
Boundaries)
Symmetry (On
Centreplane)
Velocity
Fig 11. The symmetry half domain and boundary
conditions for master model
Fig 10. Traversing system as setup on the

Wind Tunnel
Variants
1&2
3&4
5&6
A (cm)
56.6
59.6
62.6
B (cm)
13.4
10.4
7.4
Fig 12 - Dimensions of helo hangar variants used for CFD studies
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MARHY 2014
Fig 13 Variation of Vx on y=0 line (centreline) over the length of Helo deck
Fig 14 Variation of Vz on y=0 line (centreline) over the length of Helo deck
LR = 0.42HL
0.4HL
LR = 0.28HL
0.8HL
0.6HL
0.4HL
(a) Master model Vxy
0.6HL
0.8HL
LR = 0.23HL
0.6HL
0.4HL
(b) Variant 1 Vxy
(c) Variant 2 Vxy
LR = 0.22HL
0.4HL
0.6HL
0.8HL
0.8HL
LR = 0.19HL
0.4HL
0.6HL
0.8HL
(c) Variant 6 Vxy
(b) Variant 5 Vxy
Fig 15. Extent of low momentum flow and component Vxy on K plane for selected variants
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MARHY 2014
-0.42
-0.14
0.14
0.42
-0.42
X Hw
ALM = 0.756 Hw Hh
-0.14
0.14
0.42
ALM = 0.468 Hw Hh
X Hw
1.38 Hh
1.38 Hh
1.06 Hh
1.06 Hh
0.74 Hh
0.74 Hh
0.42 Hh
0.42 Hh
Variant 1
Master Model
-0.42
-0.14
0.14
-0.42
0.42
0.14
-0.14
ALM = 0.51 Hw Hh
1.06 Hh
X Hw
0.42
1.38 Hh
1.06 Hh
0.74 Hh
0.74 Hh
0.42 Hh
0.42 Hh
ALM = 0.35 Hw Hh
Variant 2
Variant 5
-0.42
-0.14
0.14
0.42
ALM = 0.4 Hw Hh
1.06 Hh
0.74 Hh
0.42 Hh
Variant 6
Fig 16. Vyz components on A Plane for Hangar Variants
12
191

Proc. of Conf. MARHY-2014 held on 3&4 Dec. , 2014 at IIT Madras, India - Vol.2
(ISBN: 978-93-80689-22-7)
International
Conference on Computational and
Editors: P. Krishnankutty, R. Sharma, V. Anantha Subramanian andExperimental
S. K. Bhattacharyya
Marine Hydrodynamics, MARHY 2014, 3-4
December 2014, Chennai, India
CFD ANALYSIS FOR THE CONFIGURATION OF THE HYDRODYNAMIC

DEPRESSOR
Dr. Senthil Prakash M N
Associate Professor
Division of Mechanical Engineering, CUCEK
Cochin University of Science and Technology
Jithin P N
Assistant Professor
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Rajagiri School of Engg and Technology, Kochi
senthilprakashmn@gmail.com
jithinpnarayanan@gmail.com
ABSTRACT
A hydrodynamic depressor is an attachment on an underwater towed body used to maintain the body to be
towed at a specified depth in the sea water. Equilibrium between the upward force created by the tow cable and the
down thrust created by the depressor makes the towed body move at the desired depth. A wing like extension having
a particular hydrofoil cross section set at an angle of attack will cause the down thrust proportional to the square of
the tow velocity. Determination of the configuration of the depressor wings is thus an important step in these towed
bodies. A numerical analysis can predict this configuration at which the equilibrium between the tow cable tension
and the down thrust balance, so that the body moves at a desired depth at various tow speeds. To validate the
numerical scheme of simulation, the simulation results can be compared with the available experimental results. The
numerical simulation and analysis could be done by solving the incompressible Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes
equation with Standard k- turbulence model. Estimation of hydrodynamic characteristics such as lift and drag
forces, pressure and velocity distribution on the wings and body for various wing angles and also stall angle of the
wing shape could be determined by numerical simulation. The attachment with predicted configuration, if set on the
body can maintain the depth of movement and optimize the cable length thus making the handling of the body easy.
Keywords: Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), Hydrodynamic depressor, Depressive force, Standard k-
turbulence model, angle of attack (AOA)
NOMENCLATURE
Cd
Cl
Coefficient of drag
Coefficient of lift
Dynamic Viscosity
1. INTRODUCTION
The conventional underwater towing system is the
single part towing system which consists of a towing
cable connecting the towed body to the towing
vessel.
increases. In a single part system this can only be

adjusted by increasing the tow cable length. But
increasing the tow cable length increases the cable
tension and drag force and hence requires a massive
array handling system. Many schemes have been put
forward to maintain an underwater towed vehicle
stable while operating under different towing speeds.
One of these is to use a two part underwater towing
system. A two part towing system shown in Figure 1
consists of a hydro dynamic depressor at the bottom
of the main tow cable which is at close to neutral
buoyancy. The hydrodynamic depressor while in
motion provides the necessary negative lift for the
towed body keeping it at the required depth, and
providing it the required amount of stability. The
advantages of hydrodynamic depressors over other
kinds of devices like thrusters are that they are
passive devices and hence will not create flow
disturbances. The instruments housed in the towed
body will not receive noises created by the thrusters.
The down thrust is proportional to the square of the
velocity and hence control of the body will be easy. It
is cheaper and simple in construction.
2. DEPRESSOR SPECIFICATIONS
Figure 1: Two part towing system with depressor

This has the disadvantage that the towed body
becomes shallow as the towing vessel speed
The geometric specifications of the hydro dynamic

depressor model used for the analysis is taken from
the report of R.F. Becker that covers the work
performed by the EDO Corporation in design,
fabrication and testing of a high speed towed sonar

192

Experimental Marine Hydrodynamics, MARHY 2014, 3-4
array depressor [1]. NACA 0012 to NACA 0018 are
symmetric profiles generally used for wing sections
of depressors. The depressor which is thus modelled
has a NACA 0015 section fixed main wings; with a
4.50 negative incidence on a truncated DTMB EPH
shaped body. The tail wings have a V configuration
and NACA 0015 cross section with a 00 incidence.
The depressor has a truncated DTMB EPH shaped
body as shown in Figure 2. The dimensionless
offsets for DTMB EPH body and the graphical
representation of the fore body and aft body are
presented in the report of David Taylor Model Basin
[2]. With the help of details in it the coordinates of
the depressor body have been developed. Table.1 and
2 gives the details of the depressor.
3. DOMAIN SPECIFICATIONS
The sea water through which the towed body moves
with depressor is the domain. A rectangular box type
fluid domain is considered here. The fluid domain
extends to 1.5 times the length of the depressor body
along the upstream and 3 times along the downstream
to effect a reliable application of boundary
conditions. The height of the domain is 5 times the
maximum diameter of the depressor from the body
axis to the top and 4 times the maximum diameter to
the bottom. The domain extend to both sides from the
main wing tip is equal to the wing span of the main
wing (i.e. 1143mm). The details of the domain length
and height are shown in the Figure 3.
Table 1 General specifications of the depressor

Body Shape
Reference length
Max body diameter
Length
Wing span
Overall height
Tow point
DTMB EPH
35"
10"
30.5"
45"
16.4"
13.2" aft of nose
Table 2 Geometric details of the wings

Parameters
Wing cross section
Wing span
Area - total
Mean chord
Root chord
Tip chord
Taper ratio
Aspect ratio
Incidence
Main wing
NACA 0015
45"
4 ft2
12"
15"
9"
0.6
3.5
4.50,
Figure 3: Domain extends and dimensions

Tail wing
NACA 0015
12
1 ft 2
6
8.5
3.46
0.41
2.0
00
Tails
4. DISCRETISATION OF THE DOMAIN

The procedure of dividing the flow domain into cells,
or elements is called meshing. There are different
meshing methods such as, structured, unstructured,
hybrid, composite, and overlapping mesh (grid). The
selection of the grid may also depend on the solution
approaches. A full structured mesh is always
recommended for better accuracy. But meshing the
full domain with structured mesh with a complicated
shape of the depressor is difficult. Hence
unstructured mesh with skewness 0.38 is accepted for
the simulation. Further refinement will increase the
cell number drastically with not much improvement
in the simulation results. The flow around the
depressor too close to the body is of interest. So an
inflation layer (special high quality mesh) is used in
the boundary layer around the body. The unstructured
Body
Wings
Figure 2: 3D model of depressor for simulation
Figure 4: Unstructured mesh in the fluid domain

193

tetrahedral mesh developed in the domain and the
depressor surface is shown in Figure 4 and Figure 5.
Figure 5: Tetrahedral mesh with inflation layer

around the depressor
5. CFD ANALYSIS
The computational fluid dynamics simulations for the
depressor is conducted by using the CFD software
package FLUENT. The governing equations for the
cases considered are Navier-Stokes equations for
incompressible viscous flow.
5.1 GOVERNING EQUATIONS OF CFD
The Simulation of the depressor uses Averaged
Navier-Stokes equation known as RANSE described
here below.
Continuity equation,
( ui ) 0
t xi
Where, = density, ui is the velocity component in
the ith direction i=1, 2, 3.
The density is constant in case of incompressible
flows and so the continuity equation gets modified
as,
( ui ) 0
xi
obtained by Direct Numerical simulation (DNS) of

the time dependent Navier-Stokes equations.
However, this approach is very expensive in terms of
memory and computational resources and time.
Further, in engineering applications, one generally
needs only to know the average values of velocity,
temperature, pressure, skin friction, heat transfer
coefficient, etc. Hence, an alternative approach is
commonly adopted in which time averaged forms of
N-S Equations are solved. Two types of averaging
procedure, viz., conventional averaging and massweighted averaging are in use. The ReynoldsAveraged form of the above momentum equation
including the turbulent shear stresses is given by,
( U i )
( U iU j )
t
xj
xj
u i u j 2 u l

x j xi 3 xl
p
u i' u 'j
xi x j
Where,
u i'
is the instantaneous velocity component i = 1, 2,3.
u u = R
'
i
'
j
ij,
is called the Reynolds stress
The Reynolds stresses are additional unknowns

introduced by the averaging procedure. Thus the
number of unknowns always exceeds the number of
equations for Reynolds averaged quantities. This is
the closure problem of turbulent flow. To obtain a
closed set of equations, the higher order correlations
need to be expressed in terms of lower order
correlations and their derivatives. Hence they must be
modelled (related to averaged flow quantities) in
order to close the equations. Such expressions are
called models of turbulence. A model of turbulence
provides the equations necessary to make the
Reynolds-averaged
Navier-Stokes
(RANS)
equations a closed set. Reynolds Averaged NavierStokes equation with Standard k- turbulence model
is used for the simulation here.
Momentum or Navier- Stokes equation is,
5.2 SUMMARY OF SIMULATION SCHEME
p ij
( ui )
( ui u j )
gi
t
xj
xi x j
The fluid domain is a rectangular volume with

depressor suppressed. The flow is assumed to be
steady and three-dimensional. The boundary
conditions corresponding to various physical
boundaries are as described here. The depressor is
moving in the sea with sea shores and bottom far off
from the depressor. The free surface may be at
definite height from the depressor. The boundary
conditions given to different zones are as follows:
Inlet - velocity inlet, outlet- pressure outlet, Side
walls, top and bottom surfaces- walls with specified
shear condition, the depressor surface - wall with no
slip condition. The depressor is moving fully
submerged and hence it will not experience any free
ij
is the Reynolds stress tensor is given by
[ (
ui u j
2 ul
)]
ij
x j xi
3 xl
p = static pressure, gi = gravitational acceleration in

the ith direction, ij is the Kroneker delta and is equal
to unity when i= j; and zero when i j.
Navier-Stokes equation is a nonlinear equation. The
solution of the problem of turbulent flow can be

194

surface effect. So the boundary condition chosen
there is not to accommodate free surface effect.
6 SIMULATION RESULTS
Bottom view
6.1 ANALYSIS OF THE DEPRESSOR MODEL

AT 8.5 DEGREE WING ANGLE OF ATTACK
The first stage of analysis includes the simulation of
the depressor kept at a body pitch angle of 40
negative incidence (i.e. a negative wing angle of
attack of 8.50). The lift coefficient Cl and the lift force
(depressive force) Fd are obtained at speeds of 5, 10,
15, 20, 25, 30, 35 and 40 knots at a negative wing
angle of attack of 8.50. Variation of Cd and Cl with
tow velocity obtained through the simulation is
shown in Figure 6.
Top view
Figure 6: variation of Cd and Cl with tow velocity

The pressure distribution over the depressor body
moving at 45 knots at a depth of 152m and having a
negative wing angle of attack of 8.50 obtained from
CFD analysis are shown in Figure 7. It gives the
contours of pressure on the depressor body looking
from the front, top, bottom and side. The maximum
pressure of about 1.897 e+6 N/m2 is observed at the
nose of the depressor body and at the leading edges
of the wings (represented by dark red colour). A low
pressure region is created at the bottom surface of the
wings and the body (represented by blue colour),
which causes the depressor to have a negative lift.
Front view
Side view
Figure 7: Presure distribution on the depressor

looking from various directions
6.2. COMPARISON OF CFD RESULTS WITH
EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS
As a standardization step the numerical simulation
results are compared with experimental results of
model basin test conducted by EDO Corporation [1]
During the CFD analysis of the depressor at 8.50
wing angle of attack (leading edge down), it is found
that the depressive force obtained at 35 knots is
7096.12 pounds, which is close to the experimental
value of 7000 pounds. The lift coefficient at 35 knots

195

is -0.52396 which is also close to the experimental
value of -0.5. Figure 8 shows the comparison of
numerical and experimental results of depressive
force at various speeds. It can be seen from the graph
that the CFD results are comparable with the
experimental result for the range of speeds.
It can be observed from Figure 9 that the lift and

drag coefficients increases with increase in the wing
angle of attack. At 32.50negative angle of attack the
lift coefficient reaches the maximum value and
beyond that it drops, but the drag coefficient
continues to increase. Thus the depressor stalls after
32.50, indicating that the depressor performance will
decrease beyond the angle of attack of 32.50. This
behavior is in agreement with the typical
performance curves of any lifting surfaces. Thus the
depressor provides its maximum depressive force at
32.50negative angle of attack.
The pressure contours on a section plane
perpendicular to the axis and passing through the
middle of the depressor at various angles of attack
are shown in the Figure 10.
Figure 8: Numerical and experimental results

compared
As is mentioned in the report of the test program
conducted by the EDO Corporation [1], the
experimental investigation even when aimed at
estimation of depressive force at 45 knots at a depth
of 152 m (at sea), it could not be done due to lack of
measuring devices and suitable cable of sufficient
length and strength. But since CFD has no such
limitations, a CFD analysis could be performed for
45 knots and a depth of 152 m also. From the CFD
analysis it was found that the depressor provides a
depressive force of 11952 pounds (53186 N) at 45
knots
6.3ANALYSIS OF THE DEPRESSOR
VARIOUS ANGLES OF ATTACK
AT
To avoid the towed body changing the depth of

submergence it is necessary to provide enough
depressive thrust. The required depressive thrust can
be developed by the depressor by changing the angle
of attack of the depressor wing. Hence an
investigation by changing the angle of attack is done
at various negative angles of attack (ranging from
4.50 to 36.50) and at the design speed of 35 knots,
thus finding out the stall angle of the system.
Fig.9 Cl, Cd for various angles of attack

196

Figure 10: Pressure contour around the wings of the

depressor at various AOA
It can be observed from the pressure contours at
various negative angles of attack (AOA) (Figure 10)
that as the angle of attack increases the pressure
difference between the top and bottom surfaces of the
wings rises, which in turn causes an increase in
downward thrust. But after 32.5 degree angle of
attack the pressure difference decreases leading to a
decrease in the depressive force. Thus the depressor
stalls after 32.50. i.e. the depressor provides its
maximum depressive force at 32.50 wing angle of
attack.
7. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION
In a two part towing system hydrodynamic
depressors are used to provide depressive force
(negative lift) to the towed body which helps in

197

preventing the towed body from rising to the free
surface at higher towing speeds. It thus maintains the
towed body at a stable depth. Hydrodynamic analysis
of the depressor was carried out using CFD software
ANSYS FLUENT 12.1.
The first stage of analysis was carried out at 35 knots
and at a wing angle of attack of 8.5 degree (leading
edge down). The validation of the scheme was
carried out by comparing the results obtained through
CFD analysis and the experimental results of the
depressor program conducted by EDO Corporation
[1]. Figure 8 shows the comparison between CFD
analysis and experimental results. The CFD analysis
result obtained was 7096 pounds which is very close
to the model basin test result of 7000 pounds
depressive force at 35 knots. The CFD results also
proved that the depressor is capable of providing
11952 pounds (53186 N) at 45 knots and 152 m
operating depth (at sea).
The second stage of analysis was to evaluate the
performance of the depressor at the design speed of
35 knots for a range of negative angle of attack of
4.50 to 36.50. A curve of Cl and Cd was plotted as
shown in figure7. It was found that the depressor
stalls after 32.50negative angle of attack indicating
that the performance will decrease beyond the angle
of attack of 32.50. The lift coefficient increases
almost linearly with angle of attack until a maximum
value is reached whereupon the wing is said to stall.
After 32.50 the lift coefficient drops but drag
coefficient continues to increase. Thus it can be
concluded that the depressor modelled gives the
maximum depressive force at 32.50angle of attack.
Thus the tow cable configuration needs to be
carefully designed to ensure that the depressor angle
of attack does not exceed 32.50. The submergence
depth showed no noticeable effect on the downward
force of the depressor. The effect of tow cable length
and cable tension on the depressor needs to be
analyzed and is to be a pursued as a future research
effort.
REFERENCES
[1] R.F. Becker, High speed sonar array depressor
program final report, prepared for Office of Naval
Research, Virginia, 1950.
[2] Wilburn L. Moore, Bodies of revolution with
high cavitation-inception speeds- for application to
the design of hydrofoil-boat nacelles, 1962.
[3] Dessureault, Bat fish a depth controllable towed
body for collecting oceanographic data, 1976.
[4] D.A. Chapman, A study of the ship induced roll
motion of a heavy towed fish, Ocean Engineering,
Volume 11, Issue 6, pages 627-654, 1984.
[5] Roger E. Race, The variable depth V-Fin
depressor Endeco INC pages 1359-1364.
[6] David Hopkin, Jon M. Preston, Sonia Latchman,
Effectiveness of a two-part tow for decoupling ship
motions, Defence Research Establishment Pacific,
IEE, pages 1359-1364, 1993.
[7] Andrey N. Serebryany, Effect of large-amplitude

internal waves on a towed depressor, N.N.
Andreyev Acoustics Institute, Moscow, 1998.
[8] Jiaming Wu & Allen T. Chwang, Experimental
investigation on a two-part underwater towed
system, Ocean Engineering, Volume 28, March,
Pages 735-750, 2000.
[9] Mehrdad Ghods, Theory of wings and wind
tunnel testing of a NACA 2415 airfoil, Technical
Communication for Engineers, The University of
British Columbia, 2001.
[10] C.A. Woolsey, A.E. Gargett, passive and active
attitude stabilization for a tow-fish, Proceedings of
the 41st IEEE conference on Decision and Control,
Las Vegas, Nevada USA, 2002.
[11] Steven D. Miller, Lift, drag and moment of a
NACA 0015 airfoil, Department of Aerospace
Engineering The Ohio State University, 2008.
[12] Carl Erik Wasberg and Bjorn Anders Pettersson
Reif, Hydrodynamic simulations in FLUENT,
Norwegian Defence Research Establishment, 2010.
[13] Husainie S. N. and Qamar, Wind tunnel
&airfoil drag analysis, Kenny Johnston Sep 17,
2012.
[14] Anil W. Date, Introduction to Computational
Fluid Dynamics. Cambridge University Press, New
York, 2005.
[15] Anderson J.D, Computational fluid dynamics.
McGraw-Hill Education, 1995
AUTHORS BIOGRAPHY
Dr. Senthil Prakash M N holds the current position
of Associate Professor at Cochin University of
Science And Technology, Kochi, Kerala, India. He
has been instructing the course in Fluid mechanics
since 1995.His doctorial research is in CFD, done at
Ocean Engineering Department, IIT Madras and he
has been actively continuing research in this field.
Jithin P N, M-Tech student in the Department of
Ship Technology, Cochin University of Science And
Technology, Kochi, Kerala, India. Currently working
as Assistant Professor in Dept. of Mechanical
Engineering, Rajagiri School of Engineering and
Technology, Kakkanad, Kochi, Kerala, India.

198

International
on -Computational
and Experimental
, 2014 at IITConference
Madras, India
Vol.2 (ISBN: 978-93-80689-22-7)
MARHY 2014
NUMERICAL & EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION ON SEMI-SUBMERSIBLE

PLATFORM FOR OFFSHORE DESALINATION
Ashwani Vishwanath, Purnima Jalihal
National Institute of Ocean Technology Chennai, India
ABSTRACT
The requirement for offshore desalination is a stable all weather platform to house the plant, a large cold water
conduit and station keeping /mooring for the platform and an inter connecting mechanism between conduit and
platform to withstand the differential loads as well as to provide ease of disconnection if required. The numerical
study on various semi-submersible type platforms were carried out in the commercial potential/diffraction marine
analysis tool, MOSES. Based on the functional requirements of the desalination plant, nine different semisubmersible configurations were worked out. The different configurations studied included four and six rectangular
column ring pontoon type semi-submersible. Based on motion response results from the software, finally best
possible platform configuration was chosen and an experimental study on motion response of the same was carried
out in the wave flume. A physical model of this configuration with four corner columns and ring pontoon with a
scale factor of 1:100 was fabricated for testing in wave flume. The experimental results obtained were compared
with numerical simulations for motion response validation. The paper discusses the studies on various
configurations and the comparison between the experimental and numerical results.
1. INTRODUCTION
A desalination plant is to be operated offshore at a water depth of 1000 m during all weather. Hence a floating
platform with good station keeping characteristics is required for safe operation of the desalination plant. Semisubmersible floating platforms are utilized in various kinds of offshore structures because of their good motion
characteristics. Pinkster (1981) used three dimensional potential theory for the prediction of mean and low
frequency wave forces on semi-submersibles [1]. Minkenberg et al. (1972) studied the motion optimization of semisubmersibles [2]. Voogt et al. (2007) studied about the Stability of Deepwater Drilling Semi-submersibles [3].
Halkyard et
al. (2002) developed a deep draft semi-submersible with a retractable heave plate. The system
combines the advantages of a semi-submersible with the operational motion advantages of a truss spar type floater
[4].
In a semi-submersible, the primary buoyancy members are well below the water surface so as to be relatively
unaffected by the action of surface waves. This causes a decoupling of its motion from the surface wave motion and
consequently it is significantly more stable than the conventional ship hulls. A Semi-submersible platform was
chosen for accommodating the desalination plant due to these several reasons. Saravanan (2009) studied the
configuration of the semi-submersible for housing the desalination plant which has four and six columns, is
rectangular in shape with rectangular shape split pontoons and deck with sufficient area to accommodate payloads
[5]. Based on the size and weight of the plant equipments, the columns and pontoon of the semi-submersible can be
of rectangular shape of suitable dimension depending on the requirements of the plant operating conditions. The
deck, column and pontoon are placed and configured according to the placement and operation of these plant
equipment. The minimum acceptable heave natural period for the semi-submersible is above 18 sec as it is far above
2014: The
Royal
Institution
of NavalIndia
Architects
IITUK
Madras
Copyright
2014
by IIT
Madras, Chennai,
and theand
RINA,
1
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MARHY 2014
the encountered swell period. For the given payload conditions, a four column semi-submersible platform with
interconnected pontoons was chosen for the platform configuration.
The objective of the study is to find a suitable semi-submersible platform configuration based on the hydrodynamic
response carried out numerically in MOSES and to verify the results experimentally by model testing in the wave
flume.
2. STUDY DESCRIPTION AND RESULTS
2.1 NUMERICAL STUDY
The objective of analyzing various configurations of semi-submersible platform in MOSES is to find the optimum
configuration with respect to motion characteristics having heave natural period above 18 sec. The hydrodynamic
loads and motion response have been calculated by using the software package MOSES (Multi-Operational
Structural Engineering Simulator). This program was developed by Ultramarine Inc. in Houston Texas, and is an
integrated hydrostatic, hydrodynamic and structural analysis package. Hydrodynamic calculations can be performed
using either one or a combination of the different theories; Morison's equations, 2-D strip theory, or 3-D diffraction
theory. Global responses are solved using potential theory based method and governing equation is Laplace
equation. The numerical technique used is panel method for 3-D diffraction. MOSES linearizes the equations for
RAO computations by using a specified wave steepness. MOSES uses this steepness to calculate a real wave
amplitude for linearization for each period and heading. A default wave steepness of 1/20 is used [6]. From earlier
results, wherein a four column split pontoon semi-submersible configuration was conceptualized and studied both
numerically [5] and experimentally [7], gave a peak heave response at 18 s wave period and hence, it was felt
necessary to numerically study the behavior of semi-submersible having a ring pontoon with four and six columns.
Table 1 Dimensions of various possible Semi-Submersible configurations
Configuration
1 (four corner
columns)
Size of Column (m)

Longitudinal
Transverse
2 nos
2 nos
9x5.75x14
9x5.75x14
Size of Pontoon (m)

Longitudinal
Transverse
2 nos 36x11x10
2 nos
10x11x10
Size of
deck(m)
36x32x6
2 (four corner
columns)
2 nos
8x5.75x14
2 nos
8x5.75x14
2 nos 36x11x10
2 nos
10x11x10
36x32x6
3 (four corner
columns)
2 nos
6x5.75x14
2 nos
6x5.75x14
2 nos 36x11x10
2 nos
10x11x10
36x32x6
4 (four center
columns)
2 nos
8x11x14
2 nos
11x5.75x14
2 nos 36x11x10
2 nos
10x11x10
36x32x6
5 (four center
columns)
2 nos
7x11x14
2 nos
11x5.75x14
2 nos 36x11x10
2 nos
10x11x10
36x32x6
6 (four center
columns)
2 nos
6x11x14
2 nos
11x5.75x14
2 nos 36x11x10
2 nos
10x11x10
36x32x6
7 (six columns)
4 nos
9x5.75x14
2 nos
5x5.75x14
2 nos 36x11x10
2 nos
10x11x10
36x32x6
8 (six columns)
4 nos
8x5.75x14
2 nos
5x5.75x14
2 nos 36x11x10
2 nos
10x11x10
36x32x6
9 (six columns)
4 nos
6x4.95x14
2 nos
5x5.75x14
2 nos 36x11x10
2 nos
10x11x10
36x32x6
2
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MARHY 2014
In this work, earlier semi-submersible platform was analyzed initially to know about its design, loading pattern and
configuration and based on which various configurations of semi-submersible platforms with ring pontoon were
arrived after verifying the hydrostatic stability for each configuration. Based on the functional requirements of the
desalination plant, nine different semi-submersible configurations were worked out. The various semi-submersible
configurations as shown in Fig. 1-3, were arrived at by varying the column size and its positioning on the ring
pontoon. The dimensions of the various configurations are shown in Table 1.
Fig. 1 Semi-submersible with four columns at corners
Fig. 2 Six column Semi-submersible
Fig. 3 Semi-submersible with four columns at centre

The comparison of heave RAO obtained from the numerical study for different headings for various configurations
were carried out and the comparison for 0 heading is shown in Fig. 4. As seen from the figure, the configuration 3
was found to give heave response at 19 s and hence was chosen for model making. Detail RAOs of this
configuration are discussed in results section.
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Fig. 4 Comparison of Heave RAO in MOSES

The difference in peak heave response can be observed from Fig. 5, where RAO period is maximum at 18 s and 19 s
for split and ring pontoon respectively. The difference in peak response period between split and ring pontoon may
be attributed to higher added mass coefficient in case of ring pontoon due to the movement of water trapped within
the ring.
RAO amp. (m/m)
4
3
2
Config.3 (Ring
pontoon)
Split pontoon
0
-1
10
20
Time period (s)
30
Fig. 5 Heave RAO comparison between Split and Ring pontoon

2.2 EXPERIMENTAL STUDY
2.2 (a) Model parameters
Experimental studies on the scaled down model of the prototype were carried out to assess the motion response
characteristics of chosen semi-submersible. Froude number was used for scaling down the prototype to the desired
scale factor. The Froude number is given by,
F=V/(Lg)1/2 , where, F= Froude number (dimensionless), V= velocity of fluid (m/s), L= linear dimension
(characteristic, such as depth or diameter), g= acceleration due to gravity, (9.81 m/s2).
This lead to scaling for time period as,
Tp/Tm= (1/)1/2 , where, Tp= time period of wave for prototype, Tm= time period of wave for model and,
= linear dimension of the model/ linear dimension of the prototype.
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A model of Configuration 3 with four corner columns and ring pontoon with a scale factor of 1:100 was fabricated
for physical model testing in Anna University wave flume [8]. The dimension of the wave flume is 30mx1mx1m
and range of wavelength to flume length ratio considered is between 0.09 - 0.23. A beach profile for avoiding
reflection of waves with slope 1:8 is made in the wave flume using cross shore distribution of sediments. The wave
flume is capable of generating wave periods ranging from 1.33s to 2.1s, corresponding to prototype period of 13.3 s
to 21 s. Hence, there was a limitation in testing the model below 13 s, i.e. the normal wave periods. However this is
acceptable since we know from simulation that its responses are far away from this range.
Table 2 Dimension of Prototype and Scaled Down Model
Sl. No.
1.
2.
3.
Description
Pontoon
Length
Breadth
Height
Acrylic thickness
Column
Length
Breadth
Height
Acrylic thickness
Deck
Length
Breadth
Height
Acrylic thickness
4.
Total weight
5.
Centre of Gravity
Dimension of Prototype (m)
Dimension of Model (mm)
36
10
10
360
100
100
5
6
5.75
14
60
57.5
140
4
36
32
6
360
320
60
3
11470 ton
11.47 kg
6.7 m
67 mm
The dimension of the prototype and the scaled down model is shown in Table 2. The material chosen for the model
is acrylic which has a density of 1300 kg/m3. The scale ratio adopted is 1:100. For the fabrication of semisubmersible model (Fig. 6), acrylic sheet of thickness 5 mm, 4 mm and 3 mm was used for ring pontoon, column
and deck respectively. Mild steel plates of 16 mm and 25 mm thickness were placed in the pontoon and 3 mm thick
plate was placed on the deck in order to mimic the payloads of the prototype. The ballasting of pontoon to replicate
the existing scenario was done by placing mild steel plates in the transverse pontoon with respect to CG. The
experimental study includes inclination test to identify the actual GM and motion response test on the model in
regular wave condition. The experimental results obtained were compared with numerical simulations for motion
response validation.
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Fig. 6 Physical model and Schematic representation of the Semi-submersible
2.2 (b) Inclination Test

The inclination test was carried out to determine the metacentric height. In the experimental determination of the
metacentric height, the displaced volume of the model V was calculated. In the laboratory model, the volume was
determined by floating the model in a tank containing water and the rise in the water level was found out. A known
weight P is moved laterally by distanced, causing a moment P x d. On moving the weight the model will be tilted
and a new position of equilibrium condition will be reached. The shifted centre of gravity is G and the metacentric
height GM is given by,
W x GG = P x d (or) W x GM x tan = P x d
GM = (P x d) / (W x tan )
In the above equation, the angle of tilt was measured by the angle of deflection of plumb line and GM is calculated.
Then the above said experimental procedure is repeated to find the longitudinal metacentric height. Fig. 7 shows the
longitudinal pendulum setup fixed in the longitudinal direction.
6
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Fig. 7 Inclination test to find the longitudinal Metacentric height

The longitudinal and transverse metacentric height was found to be 16.06 mm and 11.62 mm respectively.
2.2 (c) Motion test procedure and description of motion records
The wave flume has the limitation to generate wave periods only in the range from 1.3s to 2.2s. The model was
moored loosely to prevent drifting. Time history records of the motion response for heave and pitch in 0o wave
heading for the model are shown in Fig. 8 -9. A tri-axial accelerometer fitted at the top of the model in line with the
Acceleration(mm/s2)
vertical line passing through CG records the motion and the graph is read from the stored data.
1050
1000
950
900
850
0
10
15
Time(sec)
20
25
30
Angle(deg)
Fig. 8 Heave acceleration time series at wave period of 1.33

0.5
0
-0.5 0
-1
-1.5
-2
-2.5
10
15
20
25
30
35
Time(sec)
Fig. 9 Pitch angle time series at wave period of 1.33 sec
Recordings for 6 different time periods in the range of 1.33 s to 2.11 s were obtained and the RAO for heave and
pitch were computed and tabulated in Table 3.
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Table 3 Heave and Pitch RAOs for different wave periods
Wave period in
flume
(s)
Actual Wave
period
(s)
Heave
RAO
(m/m)
Pitch
RAO
(deg/m)
1.33
13.3
0.50
0.64
1.40
14.0
0.93
0.13
1.55
15.5
1.15
0.16
1.64
16.4
2.27
0.20
1.73
17.3
2.08
0.28
2.11
21.1
1.59
0.53
2.3 RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

2.3 (a) Metacentric height comparison
The metacentric height results in longitudinal and transverse direction of the semi-submersible were compared from
theoretical and experimental results. These values are shown in Table 4. Experimental GM results for model are
scaled up for prototype and reported.
Table 4 Metacentric height results
Metacentric height
Theoretical
Experimental
GML
1.63 m
1.6 m
GMT
1.08
1.16 m
2.3 (b) RAO results from Numerical study

The configuration 3 having four columns of size 6 x 5.75 x14 m at the four corners of the ring pontoon of size 36 x
11 x 10 m in longitudinal direction and 10 x 11 x10 m in transverse direction was found to give better response with
a peak heave period of 19 sec. The motion response of this configuration is shown in Fig. 10-12 for different wave
1.5
4
3
RAO amp.
(degree/m)
RAO amp. (m/m)
headings in roll, heave and pitch directions.
0 heading
45 heading
90 heading
0
0
10
20
Time period (s)
0 heading
45 heading
0.5
90 heading
0
0
30
-0.5
Fig. 10 Heave RAO
10
20
30
Time period (s)

Fig. 11 Roll RAO
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RAO amp. (degree/m)

MARHY 2014
4
3
0 heading
45 heading
1
90 heading
0
0
10
20
Time period (s)
30
Fig. 12 Pitch RAO

Peak period for heave response is well beyond operating and survival period conditions. Though pitch response is
observed to be higher in operating period range, the resulting acceleration is within limit. Hence, configuration 3
was chosen for physical model studies in the wave flume.
2.3 (c) Comparison of RAOs between numerical and experimental results
Fig. 13-14 shows the comparison between experimental and numerical results for heave and pitch motion response
in 0o wave heading for configuration 3.
RAO amp. (degree/m)
RAO amp. (m/m)
3
2.5
2
Numerical
results
1.5
1
Experimental
results
0.5
0
0
10
20
30
4
3.5
3
2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5
0
Numerical
results
Experimental
results
Time Period (s)

Fig. 13 Heave RAO comparison
10
20
Time period (s)
30
Fig. 14 Pitch RAO comparison
Viscous damping is not taken into account in the MOSES simulation and the resultant variation is expected to affect
the magnitude of RAOs. Peak heave RAO values are observed at 16.4 s and 19 s in experimental and numerical
study respectively. Also, variation in Pitch RAO is observed and this may be due to results from model test
limitations such as measurements and wall effects of wave flume (width of 1 m). Efforts are on to minimize those
limitations.
3. CONCLUSION
Among the 9 configurations analyzed in MOSES, the configuration of four column Semi-submersible, i.e.
configuration 3 with column of size 60 x 57.5 x140 m, ring pontoon of size 360 x 110 x 100 m in longitudinal
direction and 100 x 110 x100 m in transverse direction and deck of size 360 x 320 x60 m gave better heave
response, with a peak response period at 19 s which is above the expected encountered wave periods, hence that
configuration was chosen for physical modelling and experimentation. The motion response test was done in wave
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flume for the selected configuration and results from both studies were compared. The variation between the two
results is due to experimental lacunae like width of flume and insufficient sensitivity of measuring device. This
configuration of Semi-submersible was chosen for carrying out further studies for desalination purposes.
4. REFERENCES
1.
J.A. Pinkster (Netherlands Ship Model Basin NSMB), Offshore Technology Conference (OTC), Houston, 1981
2.
H. L. Minkenberg and M. F. Van Sluijs (Netherlands Ship Model Basin NSMB), Offshore Technology
Conference (OTC), Houston, 1972
3.
Voogt, A.J., Soles, J. J., Dijk, R.V. (2002) Mean and Low Frequency Roll for Semi-submersibles in Waves,
ISOPE Conf., Kitakyushu, Japan
4.
Halkyard et al. (2002) A Deep Draft Semisubmersible with a Retractable Heave Plate, Offshore Technology
Conference (OTC-14304), Texas, USA
5.
Saravanan R. (2008), Hydrodynamic analysis of floating offshore platform for large scale desalination,
M.Tech Thesis, IIT Madras
6.
MOSES Manual
7.
Arun Pratap R. (2011), Experimental Study on Moored Offshore Platform, M.E. Thesis, Department of
Hydrology and Water Resources Engineering, Anna University, Chennai
8.
Nancy Priya S. (2012), Model Studies on Motion Response of offshore Semi-Submersible Platform, M.E.
Thesis, Department of Hydrology and Water Resources Engineering, Anna University, Chennai
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BEHAVIOUR OF SHIP UNDER SLOSHING

A.P.Shashikala, National Institute of Technology Calicut India
E mail: apska@nitc.ac.in
Abhijeet Sajjan, National Institute of Technology Calicut India
E amil: sajjan.abhijit@gmail.com
ABSTRACT
Ships and liquid bulk cargo carriers with large ballast tanks are at risk of exposure to sloshing loads during their
operational life. Accurate calculation of sloshing loads is an essential element of ship/tank design process. Present
study deals with the influence of sloshing of fluid in tanks on ship motions. Response analysis of ship has been
carried out using a commercial package, ANSYS AQWA for various forward speeds in different sea states. As
sloshing is a resonant phenomenon, amplitude in roll motion at the resonant frequency has been considered and the
sloshing in the tank of ship has been evaluated. Sloshing loads has been calculated using a finite volume based
solver considering various forward speeds of the ship. Damping moments due to sloshing were generated for
rectangular as well as cylindrical tanks and were coupled with the exciting moments to estimate the effect of
sloshing on the roll amplitude. It was observed that the frequency of sloshing in the tank is half the frequency of the
wave acting on the ship. Considerable amount of reduction in roll amplitude was observed from the coupled
analysis. Reduction in roll amplitude observed in rectangular and cylindrical tanks were compared.
structures. The latter has been of interest in the
NOMENCLATURE
Symbol
Definition
bij
Hydrodynamic damping coefficient
cij
Hydrostatic stiffness coefficient
Gravitational constant
Unit
prediction of dynamic behaviour of ship motion. Ship

motion excites the sloshing flow while the sloshing
flow in return affects the ship motion. Sometimes this
m/s
slosh induced forces and moments are significant, so
Filling level
that the coupling effect is critical in the prediction of
Length of tank
sea-keeping performance.
mij
Virtual mass of the ship
kg
Many studies on ship sloshing problems were carried
Incident wave potential
out in 1970 and early 1980 for the design of LNG
Scattered wave potential
carriers. Kim [4] developed a three-dimensional finite-
Radiated Wave potential
element method based on potential theory and
First natural frequency.
Hamiltons principle to calculate the impact pressure
rad/s
due to liquid sloshing in LNG tank. Kim [6]

1.
considered experimental and numerical observations of
INTRODUCTION
The demand for sloshing analysis is increasing in the
strongly nonlinear sloshing flows in ship cargo and
design of large LNG carriers and Floating-Production-
their coupling effects with ship motion. Lee et al [9]
Storage-Offloading (FPSO) vessels. There are two
presented a fundamental study on the sloshing effect
primary concerns related to sloshing flows in ship
for the sway motion of two boxes in two dimensions.
hydrodynamics: the prediction of sloshing induced
Liu et al [10] adopted potential flow approach in
impact loads on ship and the dynamics of ship motion
coupling the effect between rigid body ship motions
coupled with sloshing-induced excitation. The former
and sloshing and extended to the flexible ship-partially
is an important task in the design of internal cargo
filled tank system, using the de-singularized Rankines
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source method. Coupling between flexible ship and
Although fluid sloshing is intrinsically non-linear,
sloshing was illustrated for an idealized LNG carrier in
linear representation of sloshing, whether analytical or
beam regular waves, considering different partial
experimental are often used to predict the resulting
filling scenarios. Akyildiz [1] investigated the liquid
coupled fluidstructure interaction. All linear analyses
sloshing in a moving partially filled rectangular tank
share a common presumption that the slosh motion of
with a vertical baffle. Numerical algorithm based on
the fluid free surface is much smaller than the
Volume of Fluid (VOF) technique was used to study
dimension of the container. Therefore, a linear coupled
the nonlinear behavior of liquid sloshing. It was
fluidstructure model will remain valid so long as
concluded that even a small baffle height, suppresses
either the external disturbances are small or the
the liquid sloshing because of the hydrodynamic
structure and slosh natural frequencies are well
damping of baffle including the blockage effects and
separated. It may not be possible to satisfy both
the viscosity of baffle walls.
requirements within the constraints of design, even
Solution of liquid sloshing problem is challenging in
with attachment of slosh management devices such as
the field of mechanics. This fascinating non-linear
baffles and stiffeners. It may further be noted that if
phenomenon, which is characterized by the oscillation
the disturbance of free surface is small in magnitude in
of unrestrained free surface of the liquid in a partially
comparison to the liquid depth and wavelength, the
filled container due to external excitation, is a difficult
free surface conditions may be linearized. This has the
mathematical problem to be solved analytically as well
inherent advantage that the free surface boundary is
as numerically. This is because, not only the dynamic
fixed in time, which simplifies the numerical solution
boundary condition at the free surface is non-linear but
procedure considerably. On the other hand, in the case
also the position of free surface varies with time in a
of a non-linear transient free surface problem, the
manner not known a priori. The problem becomes
dynamic boundary condition at the free surface is non-
more complex when the contained structure is flexible,
linear and also the position of the free surface varies
resulting in coupled interaction between the container
with time. Non-linearity of boundary conditions and
and the contained fluid. In such a situation, neither the
presence of a moving boundary complicate the
fluid domain nor the structural domain can be solved
numerical algorithm to a large extent. In such a
independently of the other due to unknown interface
situation, due to time-dependent non-linear boundary
forces. Such dynamic interaction between a partially
conditions, the liquid potential and position of the free
filled flexible container and its contained fluid, due to
surface are unknown variables and therefore, both are
oscillation of the unrestrained fluid free surface, is
to be determined as a part of the solution. Therefore,
generally referred as coupled slosh dynamics, since
solution of problem relating to liquid sloshing and its
the interaction which couples the dynamics of liquid
coupled interaction with the contained structure is
with that of the contained structure is primarily due to
quite challenging in the field of hydrodynamics.
sloshing of the fluid.
The main objective of the work is to perform a
During the formulation of coupled problems involving
hydrodynamic and response analysis of sloshing
interaction of two or more non-linear physical systems,
effects on ships with forward speed for different levels
it is frequently assumed that the action of a particular
of fluid in the tank. Analysis was carried out for
non-linear subsystem can be accurately represented by
different levels of filling heights in tank under different
linearized models. Sloshing of the fluid mass contained
sea states. Coupling between wave exciting moments
within elastic containers is one such subsystem.
and sloshing moments was carried out and sloshing

effects were studied.
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MARPHY 2014
the velocity potential satisfies the Laplace equation
2. THEORETICAL FORMULATION
Internal sloshing flow in the tank is excited by the
Eqn.2
ships motion and the motion of the ship is affected by
Total velocity potential is given by the sum of
the sloshing-induced excitation as well as external
incident, diffracted and radiated wave potentials and is
wave-induced excitation. The sloshing in the tank
represented by
affects the dynamic stability of the ship. A freely
floating ship maneuvering at different forward speeds
Eqn. 3
The incident wave potential is given by
is considered. Two Cartesian coordinate systems are
defined. A co-ordinate system has been fixed at the

Eqn. 4
stern of the ship on mean sea level as shown in Fig. 1
The boundary value problem for diffracted potential
and a local tank-fixed coordinate system (xyz) is
can be formulated as
defined for sloshing flows with the origin at the centre
of tank. The co-ordinate system for the tank is fixed at

.
its centre of gravity.

.
.
(
in the fluid
Eqn.5
at z = 0
Eqn.6
at z = -d
Eqn.7
on the body surface
Eqn.8
Eqn.9
Boundary conditions associated with the wave theories

namely kinematic and dynamic free surface are used
along with the Sommerfeld radiation condition to solve
the governing Laplace equation.
Fig.1. Six degrees of motion of a floating body
2.1
The exciting force per unit length is given as
EQUATION OF MOTION
Equation for dynamic response of a ship coupled with
Eqn.10
Similarly, the added mass, damping force and
sloshing is given as:
moments were evaluated from the radiated wave
potential.
2.3
Eqn. 1
SLOSHING IN TANK
For the coupled analysis of the ship, all the above
Sloshing in the tank has been analyzed with
defined matrices are of order (66) and the force terms
computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) technique as the
are of order (61). Hydrodynamic added mass,
flow is turbulent in the tank. The governing equation
damping and wave exciting force,
are
for the flow in the tank is Navier-Stokes equation. The
estimated from diffraction analysis. The impulsive
governing equations in CFD are conservation of mass
slosh-induced load
and conservation of momentum.
is estimated by the
Conservation of mass is given by
computational fluid dynamics techniques.

2.2
Eqn.11
DIFFRACTION ANALYSIS
Assuming the flow to be inviscid and incompressible,
The 3-Dimensional Navier Stokes Equation for a
potential flow formulations govern the fluid flow. Thus
steady, incompressible flow is given by

Eqn.12
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MARPHY 2014
Tank is fitted with a body fixed non-inertial co-
fluid in the tank, it is evident that any numerical loss or
ordinate system. The earth is considered to be
gain of fluid mass will influence the computational
stationary as the time involved in sloshing is small
result.
when compared to the time taken for the rotation of the
3.
earth. The substantial derivative for the non-inertial
Response analysis of ship has been carried out in
reference frame of the tank is evaluated as:
ANSYS AQWA, a commercial package based on
RESPONSE ANALYSIS OF SHIP
boundary element method. It is a modularized, fully

integrated hydrodynamic analysis suite based on 3D
diffraction/ radiation methods. It provides both
Eqn.13
frequency domain and time domain simulations. Ship
Fluid in the tank is modeled as a multiphase flow; the
is discretized in panels and the pressure due to waves
violent sloshing is captured by Volume of Fluid (VOF)
is estimated at the midpoint of the panel. Panel
method. The Realizable k-epsilon has been adopted for
generation is based on Rankines panel method. The
the turbulence modeling of the fluid in the tank.
software is capable of load mapping which transfers
Time evolution of color function F is governed by
the pressure due to waves on the ship as a load, thus
Eqn.14
facilitating the analysis of the ship. Details of the
If the cell is empty, the value of F is 0. If the cell is
Wigley ship model under consideration are given in
filled completely the value of F is 1 and any value
Table 1. The ship is considered in a water depth of
between the 0 and 1 represents that the cell is partially
1000m. Wave of height 1m and period ranging from 2
filled. An Iso-surface of required value is created to
to 20s are assumed to be incident on the ship at 0 0, 900
track the free surface. These techniques are known as
and 1350.
Table 1. Details of Wigley ship model
surface capturing techniques and Volume of Fluid

(VOF) method is one amongst them. Sloshing forces in
Parameter
Value
the tank are calculated by integrating the pressure
Length
65m
exerted by the fluid in the tank over the wetted surface.
Beam
15m
Sloshing-induced force acting on the ship can be
Depth
5.1m
obtained by integrating hydrodynamic pressures on the
Draft
2.1m
tank surface.
Kxx
5.1m
Kyy
16.9m
Kzz
16.25m
VCG
2.55m
VCB
1.05m
Transverse metacentric height
9.54m
Longitudinal metacentric height
146.7m
F slosh (t )
S tank
Where,
n
p
dS
r n
Eqn. 15
indicates the normal vector of the tank
surface. The most severe sloshing occurs when the

natural frequency of the sloshing fluid and the
excitation frequency coincide. The natural sloshing
frequency of a potential flow in an open rectangular
3.1
tank may be written as
DISCRETIZATION OF THE MODEL
The ship under consideration has been discretized into

panels by Rankines panel method within ANSYS
Eqn. 16
AQWA. Fig 2 shows the discretization of ship model.

As the filling level is directly related to the amount of
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effect of width and height of the tank on the natural
frequencies of ship and tank to achieve maximum
frequency has been studied. The natural frequency of
sloshing. Thus the final dimensions of the tank have
the tank is given by:
been arrived as 10m 6.5m 1.8m which houses a

total volume 117 m.
Eqn.17
Table 5. Natural frequencies of tank for different tank
Dimensions of tank were fixed if the corresponding
height and filling levels
natural frequency of the tank falls in the vicinity of

Height of tank (m)
natural frequencies of ship in roll as shown in Table 3.

Table 3. Natural frequencies of the ship in roll
Wave frequency
(rad/s)
0.942
Natural frequency of the

ship in roll (rad/s)
1.284
1.256
1.363
Height of the tank equal to the draft of the ship (2.1 m)

was fixed and the width was varied.
The natural
frequencies were calculated and are shown in Table. 4.
4.2
Table 4. Natural frequencies of tank for different
25
1.4017
1.2764
1.1738
1.0846
1.0129
% Filling
50
1.8915
1.7348
1.6020
1.4881
1.3893
% Filling
50%
1.1560
1.2828
75%
1.3927
1.5325
1.8
1.0071
1.3927
1.6480
2.1
1.0847
1.4889
1.7436
2.4
1.1560
1.5734
1.8228
2.7
1.2217
1.6480
1.8881
1.2828
1.7137
1.9419
MODELLING THE TANK AND FLUID
Modeling of the tank has been done in ANSYS Design
widths and filling levels

Width of
tank (m)
5.0
5.5
6.0
6.5
7.0
1.2
1.5
25%
0.8258
0.9215
modeler. The tank is rectangular shaped with

dimensions 10m 6.5m 1.8m. The sloshing analysis
75
2.1655
2.006
1.8690
1.7444
1.6396
has been carried out with rectangular and cylindrical

tanks. The tank has been discretized into finite
volumes with the use of commercial meshing software
ICEM CFD which is integrated within ANSYS
software. The robust (Octree) algorithm has been
It was observed that the natural frequency of the tank
adopted to mesh the tank as it has a regular, simple
showed a decreasing trend with increase in the width
geometry and the above said algorithm can be handled
of the tank for all filling levels considered. Hence, it is
for
inferred that as length in the slosh direction increases,
regular
geometry
without
much
difficulty.
Excitation of the free surface with time was not studied
natural frequency of the tank decreases and natural
as our interest was to calculate the sloshing loads.
period of the tank increases. Thus the width of the
A reasonably coarse mesh was selected which has
tank has been fixed to 6.5m as the natural frequency of
served our purpose where we could evaluate the
the tank falls in the vicinity of the natural frequency of
sloshing loads. Volume mesh has been used by
the ship and the maximum sloshing is achieved. The
adopting the robust (octree) algorithm. Fig.3 (a) and
width of the tank was fixed at 6.5m and height of the
(b) show the discretization of cylindrical and
tank was varied and the variation of natural frequency
rectangular tanks respectively. Cylindrical tank was
with the height of the tank was studied. Table 5 shows
discretized into 8559 nodes and 49431 elements.
the variation of natural frequencies along height of
Rectangular tank was discretized into 2798 nodes and
tank for different % filling. It was observed that the
15832 elements.
natural frequency of the tank increases with the height
Fluid in the tank has been modeled as a two-phase
of the tank. Thus the height of the tank is fixed as 1.8m
flow and the method adopted was volume of fluid and
so as to achieve a resonant condition between natural
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MARPHY 2014
due to waves to get the total moments. Variation of
sloshing moment with time is shown in Fig 4. It has
been observed that the amplitude of sloshing moments
decreases with increase in forward speed. This trend is
observed as the response of the ship in roll has been
Amplitudes of sloshing
moments (kN-m)
decreasing with the increase in forward speed.
Fig.3 (a): Meshing of cylindrical tank
25
%
50
%
400
350
300
250
200
150
100
50
0
0
10
20
Forward speeds (knots)
30
Fig.4. Sloshing moment with forward speed

It was observed that the amplitude of moments show
an increasing trend with the increase in filling height
Fig.3 (b): Meshing of rectangular tank
of the water in the tank which make an obvious sense
the phases being Eulerian. One phase is modeled as air
that the increase in volume in the tank produces
and is known as primary phase. Water is modeled as
increased moments. Amplitude of sloshing moments in
other phase and is known as secondary phase. Surface
the cylindrical tank when ship is subjected to beam sea
tension between both the phases has been neglected.
is shown in Table 6 and 7.
Transient state analysis has been done with the implicit
Table.6. Sloshing moments for different filling heights
body force formulation. The realizable k- model has
Filling height
Amplitude of
moment (kN-m)
been used to model the turbulence. The realizable

model has been found to be stable than the standard k-
25%
50%
75%
60.80
138.31
196.57
model and hence, it was adopted. The pressure and

Table.7. Variation of sloshing moments for various
forward speeds.
Forward
Filling heights
speed
25%
50%
75%
(knots)
momentum corrections of 0.6 and 0.8 have been used

respectively. The PISO algorithm was used for
pressure-velocity coupling and the fractional step for
transient formulations.
16
39.74 kN-m
93.27 kN-m
132.81 kN-m
Dimensions of the tank have been fixed such that the
18
31.00 kN-m
74.78 kN-m
107.86 kN-m
natural frequencies of tank and ship are in the vicinity
20
23.75 kN-m
58.72 kN-m
85.69 kN-m
of each other and thus the extreme sloshing can be
22
18.85 kN-m
47.17 kN-m
68.59 kN-m
4.3
SLOSHING ANALYSIS
observed. Sloshing loads have been calculated using a

commercial finite volume solver, FLUENT 6.0.
Comparison of sloshing moments in rectangular and
Sloshing analysis has been carried out for 25%, 50%
cylindrical tanks show that the magnitude of sloshing
and 75% filling heights and the corresponding
moments generated in rectangular tank is higher than
moments were obtained. The moments thus obtained
that generated in circular tank.
were coupled with external moments acting on the ship
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Wave exciting moments are coupled with moments
besides volume of the tank being the same.
generated due to sloshing. Response of the ship is
Thus it can be concluded that the sloshing
evaluated with the resultant moment history from
moments are sensitive to the cross-section of
coupled analysis. Table 8 shows the response of ship
the tank.
coupled with sloshing moments.
6.
From the coupled analysis it can be observed
Table.8. Response of ship with coupled moments at
that a relation between the wave frequency
different forward speeds
and sloshing frequency can be established. It
Forward
speed
(knots)
Response
prior to
coupling ()
has been observed that the sloshing frequency
Response with coupled

moments for different
filling heights. ()
25%
50%
75%
is half that of wave frequency incident on the

ship.
7.
It has been observed that the roll response has
12.97
5.56
5.37
5.16
16
9.36
5.29
4.86
4.78
been considerably reduced due to sloshing in
18
7.20
4.8
4.7
the tank.
20
5.55
4.86
4.73
4.59
22
4.39
4.44
4.36
4.29
Beam sea
16.67
5.3
5.16
4.96
REFERENCES
1.
Akyildiz, H., A numerical study of the effects of

the vertical baffle on liquid sloshing in two-
CONCLUSIONS
dimensional rectangular tank, Journal of Sound
Following conclusions were derived from the study.
and Vibration, 331, 2012, 4152.

1.
The resonant frequencies in bow quartering
2.
sea and beam sea were found to be 0.942rad/s
2.
dynamics and its coupling with heave and pitch,
and 1.256rad/s respectively.
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Wayne
It has been observed that the natural
State University, USA.
frequency of the tank is sensitive to the filling
3.
Ibrahim, R. A., Grace, I. M., Modeling of ship roll
3.
Khezzar, L., Selbi, A. and Goharzadeh, A., Water
height and the length of the tank in the slosh
Sloshing in Rectangular Tanks An Experimental
direction.
Investigation
Amplitudes of sloshing moments were found
International Journal of Engineering, Vol. 3: Issue
to decrease with the increase in forward
&
Numerical
Simulation,
(2), 2009.
speed. Thus it has been concluded that the

4.
above trend is observed due to the decrease in
coupled with ship motion-the anti-rolling tank
the roll response with the increase in forward
problem, Journal of Ship Research, 46, 2002, 52
speed.
4.
62.
Amplitudes of sloshing moments increased

5.
with increase in filling height. It can be
motion
the tank increases, the pressure exerted on the
waves.
Proc.
8th
international
Busan, Korea, 2003.
sloshing moment.
amplitudes
in
conference on numerical ship hydrodynamics,
tank increases, thus is the amplitude of the
The
Kim, Y., Shin, Y.S., Lin, W.M. and Yue, D.K.P.,

Study on sloshing problem coupled with ship
concluded that as the volume of the fluid in
5.
Kim, Y., A numerical study on sloshing flows
of
sloshing
6.
moments
Kim, Y., Experimental and numerical analyses of

sloshing
generated in the rectangular tank are higher
flows,
Journal
of
Engineering
Mathematics 58, 2007, 191210.
than that generated in the circular tanks,
8
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MARPHY 2014
7.
Koli, G. C. and Kulkarni, V. V., Simulation of

Fluid Sloshing in a Tank, Proceedings of the
World Congress on Engineering, Vol. 2, 2010.
8.
Lee, Y.B, Kim, Y., Kim, Y.S., Shin, Y.,

Sensitivity
study
on
slosh-induced
impact
pressures, IWWWFB, Italy, 2004.

9.
Lee, S. J., Kim, M. H., Lee, D. H., Kim, J. W. and

Kim, Y. H., The effects of LNG-tank sloshing on
the global motions of LNG carriers, Ocean
Engineering, 34, 2007, 1020.
10. Liu, D. and Lin, P., A numerical study of threedimensional liquid sloshing in tanks, Journal of
Computational Physics, 227, 2008, 39213939.
9
217

Editors: P. Krishnankutty, R. Sharma, V. Anantha
Subramanian
and S.on
K. Computational
Bhattacharyya and Experimental
International
Conference
MARHY 2014
ESTIMATION OF SUBMARINE HYDRODYNAMIC COEFFICIENTS FROM SEA

TRIALS DATA USING EKF
Amit Ray, Indian Navy, India
Debabrata Sen, Dept. of Ocean Engineering & Naval Architecture, IIT Kharagpur, India
ABSTRACT
The System Identification technique of Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) has been used to estimate values of
hydrodynamic coefficients for a submarine from its manoeuvring sea trials data. The results of identification of linear
hydrodynamic coefficients and significant motion variables are discussed. The effects of input parameters, such as
initial estimates of coefficients and the noise parameters, on the identification process are examined. It is concluded that
while system identification techniques may offer impressive results when using simulated data, these techniques may
not be reliable for identification of hydrodynamic parameters from noisy full-scale data.
1.
INTRODUCTION
The purpose of the paper is to examine the utility of

System Identification, particularly the Extended Kalman
Filter technique, for identification of submarine
hydrodynamic coefficients from full-scale manoeuvring
sea trials data.
1.1
MANOEUVRING SEA TRIALS
Maneuvering trials of a vessel at sea typically consist of

a few definitive maneuvers (zigzag, meander, turning
circle, spiral, etc.) that may be performed for a number of
variants (execute angles, speeds, etc.). Sea trial data
consisting of motion parameters (motions, velocities and
accelerations in six degrees of freedom) were obtained as
a function of time, for various input parameters (plane
deflection angles, speeds), for two submarines, as
reported in Ray (2007). Using this data, this paper
describes the estimation of hydrodynamic coefficients
(HDCs) for the mathematical model, which could then
be used to simulate the motion of the submarine for any
maneuver.
1.2
SYSTEM IDENTIFICATION
System Identification (SI) involves characterization of

the dynamic behavior of a system based on its inputoutput data. Experiments need to be conducted on any
system to observe its behavior and collect the necessary
input-output data (Eykhoff, 1974; Knudsen, 2004).
Restrictions on the type of input are at times required to
obtain consistent estimates (Fossen, 1994). Any systemidentification technique involves the minimization of a
scalar function or error criterion.
Parametric identification seeks to determine a set of
parameters in an assumed model. Parametric SI
techniques can have different representations, one of
which is the state-space representation. The Kalman
Filter (KF) is widely used for state estimation problems.

It provides an optimal estimate of the system states
provided that the system and noise dynamics are
completely known. The Kalman filter is also used as a
parameter estimation technique by creating an
augmented state filter, which contains both the system
states and the estimated parameters (Eykhoff, 1974).
Various SI techniques have been applied for
maneuvering studies of ships by Ankudinov (1989),
Asinovsky (1989), Trankle (1989), Blanke and Knudsen
(1998), Yoon and Rhee (2003), Selvam et al (2005) and
Sekhar and Bhattacharyya (2006). Brinati (1973) used
two SI techniques: Model Reference Contouring and
Extended Kalman Filter (EKF), for state-space model of
a surface ship maneuvering in the horizontal plane.
Lundblad (1974) focused on developing a program to
identify HDCs from simulated sea trial data, using EKF,
for the Mariner class ship. Accuracy was found to be
within 5% of the accepted true values and the process
was found to work in identifying linear as well as
nonlinear coefficients for noisy data.
A landmark in full-scale maneuvering trials as well as SI
was the sea trial programme of the 278,000-DWT Tanker
(VLCC) Esso Osaka in 1979, described by Crane (1979).
Various maneuvers had been carefully planned based on
the requirements for SI. The data recorded during the
trials was run through SI programs by Hwang (1980).
Various studies using the Esso Osaka trials data have
been summarized by Abkowitz (1980) and also in Lewis
(1989). Liu (1984), Abkowitz and Liu (1988) and
Abkowitz (1989) have described use of SI techniques to
estimate the resistance, powering, and maneuvering
parameters of the tanker Exxon Philadelphia from trials
during a regular voyage. Comparisons with results from
model tests revealed that scaling effects are significant.
Coxon (1989) applied the EKF technique to identify
HDCs of a submarine based on sea trial data. The trial
data available were for acceleration and deceleration runs
Copyright
2014
byInstitution
IIT Madras,
India and
UK 1
2014: The
Royal
of Chennai,
Naval Architects
andthe
IITRINA,
Madras
218

MARHY 2014
and turning circles. The parameters identified were the
resistance and thrust coefficients and maneuvering
coefficients in the horizontal plane (for submerged
condition).
Many studies have been published since 1993 on the
maneuvering characteristics of Autonomous Underwater
Vehicles (AUVs), Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs)
and Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUVs) using SI
techniques like Least Squares (LS) and KF. These
include Morrison and Yoerger (1993), Marco et al.
(1996), Alessandri et al. (1998) and Caccia et al. (2000).
Identification of model parameters for ROVs / UUVs
have been discussed by Pereira and Duncan (2000),
Ridao et al. (2001), Carreras et al. (2004) and Smallwood
and Whitcomb (2001, 2003).
Most of the above studies have relied on somewhat
smooth data as inputs for the SI programs, either using
simulated data (with known noise superimposed), or
radio-controlled models, and only in few cases have
actual sea trials data been used. Moreover, no such sea
trials data is available for full-scale underwater vehicles
of the order of 100 m length. In this work, the focus is on
using full-scale sea trial data (which is invariably noisy)
for two such underwater vehicles. The aim is to examine
how reliably the hydrodynamic coefficients for
maneuvering equations of motion of the underwater
vehicle in vertical and horizontal plane can be extracted
using EKF technique of SI.
2.
THEORETICAL BACKGROUND ON EKF
2.1
KALMAN FILTER
z hx v
(1)
(2)
where x is the state vector and z the measurement

vector, while w and v represent the process and
measurement noise, respectively. The matrix operator F
is a system particular linear function, whereas the
measurement operator h varies with each time step and
state vector. These noises (w and v) are assumed to be
zero mean and variance, white disturbances such that, for
all time,
(3)
To extend filtering applicability, the Extended Kalman

Filter has been developed to provide a similar minimum
error variance solution for the nonlinear problem,
wherein the states (x) and covariance (P) are propagated
using:
x (t ) f ( x (t ), t )
(4)
P(t ) F ( x (t )) P(t ) P(t ) F ( x (t ), t ) Q(t )
(5)
x represents the expected value of the vector x .

The nonlinear filter updates the estimation matrix ( x )
Here,
and covariance matrix (P) at time k(+) from values at

time k(-) as per the following expressions:
xk ( ) xk ( ) Kk [ zk hk ( xk ( ) )]
(6)
Pk ( ) [ I Kk H k ( xk ( ) )]Pk ( )
(7)
In the above expressions, the Gain (K) is given by:
Kk Pk ( ) H k ( xk ( ) )[ H k ( xk ( ) ) Pk ( ) H k ( xk ( ) ) Rk ]1
(8)
In equations (5) and (8) above, Q is the process noise
(error) covariance and R is the measurement noise
covariance matrices such that
Q E[ww]
The Kalman Filter is a recursive technique designed to

provide an optimal estimation of a known linear system
(Eykhoff, 1974). The filter achieves this optimal result
by providing variable estimators (which are functions of
time), that minimize the error variance between the
system state model and measured states. In the linear
filter the system process and measurements may be
corrupted by noise, for which linear models are assumed:
x Fx w
E[wv] 0
2.2
EXTENDED KALMAN FILTER (EKF)
(9)
R [ vv]
(10)
The following definitions apply to the system function

(F) and measurement function (H):
F ( x (t ), t )
H k ( xk ( ) )
f ( x (t ), t )
x (t )
hk ( x (tk ))
x (tk )
(11)
x (t ) x (t )
(12)
x (tk ) xk ( )
The Extended Kalman Filter implemented here uses the

technique of state augmentation to provide the estimates
of the system states and desired coefficients. State
augmentation alters the previously discussed nonlinear
filter so that the state vector x is extended by including
the coefficients and currents that are to be identified. The
augmented state vector then becomes:
x {u, v, w, p, q, r , , , ; , ,...; C1,...Cn }T

State
Variables;
Environmental
Variables ;
Identified
HDC ' s
2014: The Royal Institution of Naval Architects and IIT Madras 2
219

MARHY 2014
(13)
SUBMARINE
2.3
FORMULATION
FOR
MANEUVERING PROBLEM
The state-space representation of any dynamic system

consists of a set of equations incorporating the state
variables (x) which forms the model of the system.
The extended vector shown in (13) may be reduced/

modified based upon the form of the model. In the
submarine maneuvering problem, environmental
variables like the current speed and direction may be
ignored since the submarine's velocity is measured
relative to the water. The number of coefficients
identified would depend on the type of maneuver, the
model (form of equations) selected and the desired
identification. The outline of the procedure used is
shown in Figure 1.
For a ship/ submarine in the horizontal plane, the linear

equations of motion are expressed in the following statespace form for use in the program developed for
horizontal plane motion:
(Yr mu ) v Y

( N r mxGu ) r N
Y
v
x f1 v
r
Nv
(14)
where
f1 1/[(m Yv )( I z Nr ) (mxG Nv )(mxG Yr )]
The hydrodynamic forces in the longitudinal, transverse

and downward directions of the vehicle are denoted by
X, Y and Z, while the moments about these axes are
denoted by K, M and N. The linear velocities along these
three axes are denoted by u, v, w and the angular
velocities by p, q and r. The notation used here is the one
commonly adopted for marine vehicle HDCs, i.e. Yv =
Y/v, etc. The mass of the vehicle is denoted by m.
The state-space representation of linear equations of

motion for the vertical plane in this study, derived from
relations in Fossen(1994), is shown below. (Equations
given by Feldman (1979) can be recast into similar form.)
Initial estimates for xk 1 & Pk 1
MEASUREMENT UPDATE (CORRECTION)

1. Compute the Kalman Gain
TIME UPDATE (PREDICTION)

1. Project the state ahead
Kk Pk ( ) H kT ( H k Pk ( ) H kT Rk )1
xk ( ) f ( xk 1 ,0)
2. Update estimate with measurement zk
2. Project the error covariance ahead
xk ( ) xk ( ) Kk ( zk h( xk ( ) ,0))
Pk ( ) Fk Pk 1 Pk 1FkT Qk 1
3. Update the error covariance
Pk ( I Kk H k ) Pk ( )
(Repeat till convergence)
Fig. 1 Steps in System Identification using Extended Kalman Filter (adapted from Welch & Bishop, 2003)
.
.
q
a12 = (mxG - Z q )( Mq - mxGu) - (Iy - M q )(Zq mu)
w
a11 a12
q
a
a

x (1/ d1) 21 22
0
z
1

0
1
a13
b11
w

a23
b12
q
(1/
d
)

1
0
0
0
0
(15)
where
d1 = (mxG - M w )(mxG - Z q ) - (Iy - M q )(m Z w )
a11 = Mw(mxG - Z q ) Zw(Iy - M q )
a13 = -(mxG - Z
). (BG).W
a21 = Zw(mxG - M w ) Mw(m - Z w )
a22 = (mxG - M w )(Zq mu) (m Z w )( Mq - mxGu)
a23 = (m - Z w ). (BG).W
.
.
w
.
.
w
b11 = M (mxG - Z q ) - Z( Iy - M q )
b21 = Z (mxG - M
) - M (m Z
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MARHY 2014
from first principles. Inputs were as follows:The partial derivatives of these motion equations (14,
15) were taken with respect to the extended state
variables (equations 11, 12) to obtain the system
function (F) and measurement function (H) for the
EKF algorithm.
(a) Initial estimates of all HDCs used in the

model and their estimated standard deviations.
(b) Initial estimates of primary state variables (v
and r), their estimated mean values and their
process
noise
and
measurement
noise
characteristics.
(c) Time history of rudder angle, sway velocity
and yaw rate from sea trial data (Ray, 2007).
3.
IDENTIFICATION OF SUBMARINE
HYDRODYNAMIC COEFFICIENTS
3.1
SEA TRIALS DATA

3.2(b)
Sea trials data for two different designs of submarines

were used, referred to as Class A and Class B. Both
vessels were manned submarines of 60-100 metres
length (details not provided due to confidentiality
requirements). In all, more than 80 maneuvers were
completed and recorded for each of the two vessels.
Four types of definitive maneuvers were conducted:
zigzag (horizontal and vertical planes), meander
(vertical plane), spiral (horizontal plane) and turning
circle, in both submerged and surfaced conditions. In
all, about 190 variants were conducted on the two
submarines, over a range of speeds and control surface
angles. The maneuvering sea trials methodology and
qualitative results have been described by Ray (2007).
3.2
PROGRAMS DEVELOPED
Linear maneuvering equations were used for the statespace model. Programs were developed to implement
the EKF technique discussed above. Original code was
written in MATLAB. (The System Identification
Toolbox available in MATLAB did not yield accurate
estimates of the HDCs, though motion variables were
identified well.)
3.2 (a) Horizontal Plane Manoeuvres
First, a program was written for the horizontal plane
maneuvering problem, based initially on the
FORTRAN code of Lundblad (1974), which had been
designed for simulated sea trial data as input. The
dimensional forms of all HDCs were used. Only linear
terms in the maneuvering equations and linear HDCs
were used. The basic algorithm used was shown in
Figure 1. The motion variables (primary state
variables) identified were sway velocity (v) and yaw
angular velocity (r). The HDCs identified were Yv , Yr
, Nv and Nr, which are the most sensitive and important
ones for horizontal plane maneuvers (Sen, 2000). The
extended state vector used was:
x = {v r Yv (Yr mu) Nv (Nr mxGu) }T
(17)
The matrix of partial derivatives of motion equations

with respect to the extended state variables was derived
Vertical Plane Manoeuvres
Another program was written for identification of

motion variables and HDCs for vertical plane
maneuvers. The primary state variables used were
heave velocity (w), pitch angular velocity (q ), heave or
depth (z) and pitch angle ( ). The HDCs that are most
sensitive and important for vertical plane maneuvers,
Zq and Mq (Sen, 2000), were selected for identification.
Thus, the extended state vector for the vertical plane
was:
x = { w q z Zq Mq }T
(18)
The matrix of partial derivatives of motion equations
with respect to the extended state variables was again
derived from first principles for the vertical plane.
Inputs were similar to those for the horizontal plane
program.
4.
In both the programs developed (for horizontal and

vertical plane maneuvers), the values of motion
variables are estimated with time and the estimates of
the HDCs are iteratively refined to match the sea trial
data, as the time history of the maneuver progresses.
Initial checks with the programs used simulated
maneuvers for a third type of submarine (referred to as
Class C here), using HDCs estimated from model
test data, since the simulated data would be noise-free.
Thereafter, the noisy sea trial data for Classes A and
B was used for identification of the most important
horizontal-plane and vertical-plane HDCs. Results
presented in this paper are mainly for Class B, and
similar features were observed for Class A also.
4.1
IDENTIFICATION BY NOISE-FREE DATA
Initial runs used data for simulated maneuvers. By finetuning the noise parameter inputs, effects of initial
estimates on the identified motion variables and HDC
values were studied. Sample results of Sway and Yaw
velocity for simulated underwater zigzag maneuvers of
submarine (Class C) are shown in Fig. 2(a) & 2(b)
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MARHY 2014
Fig. 2 Sway and Yaw velocities estimated for submarine Class C (simulated submerged zigzag manoeuvre)
Fig. 3
Results of identification of HDCs for submarine Class C (simulated submerged zigzag at 10 knots; rudder 10)
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Fig. 4 Sway & Yaw velocity estimates - Class B surface zigzag (5 Kn, 15 rudder)
Fig. 5
Sway & Yaw velocity estimates for Class B submerged zigzag (7 knots, 30 rudder)
(In Figures 2 to 10, the variation in the control surface

deflection is included only to indicate its effect on the
motion variables and on the HDC identification process.
The scales for rudder / plane deflection are not
mentioned on the axes, but the maximum values of
rudder / plane deflection are mentioned in the titles of
the Figures.)
The plots of variation in HDC values identified from this
maneuver are shown in Figures 3(a) to 3(d). Initial
estimates of HDCs were taken from model test values.
The sway velocity derivative Yv (Figure 3-a) converges
close to initial estimates, but the rotary derivative Yr
(Figure 3-b) shows fairly large variations. Values of both
Nv (Figure 3-c) and (Nr mxGu) (Figure 3-d) remain
almost constant. These results were systematically
varied to reach conclusions regarding choice of initial
estimates, noise parameters and criteria for acceptance,

discussed subsequently.
4.2
SEA TRIALS DATA HORIZONTAL
PLANE MANOEUVRES
Further runs of the program for horizontal plane
maneuvers were made for actual sea trial data
(submarine Class B). For maneuvers on surface, the
time histories of horizontal plane zigzags did not show
much variation in sway velocity (Figure 4-a), which
appears very noisy. The yaw angle data was less noisy
and showed correlation with rudder angle, as shown in
Figure 4(b). The HDC values did not show much
variation from initial estimates (from model test
values) for this maneuver with this particular
combination of inputs.
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MARHY 2014
For submerged zigzag maneuver in the horizontal
plane, the motion variables (sway and yaw velocity)
identified for one of the maneuvers are shown in Figure
5. The time histories were less noisy than for
maneuvers on surface (compare Figure 4), but sway
velocity still did not show much variation with rudder
deflection. The optimum input noise characteristics for
the sea trial data were identified after several trial runs.
The initial input values of HDCs were also varied. The
HDCs Yv and (Nr mxGu) values were taken as half of
their model test values, while (Yr mu) and Nv were
taken as twice their model test values. The input
estimated standard deviations of HDCs were also
changed so that they encompassed the model test HDC
values. The results of identified motion variables for a
sample maneuver are shown in Figure 6. It is seen that
all the HDCs showed a trend of converging towards
their model test values, irrespective of whether the
initial estimate was higher or lower. This is better in
case of Yv and Nv and poorer in case of Yr and Nr
(where the variation was seen to be dependent on input
rudder deflection.
4.3 SEA TRIALS DATA VERTICAL PLANE

MANOEUVRES
The program for identification of vertical plane
coefficients and motion variables was written for
identifying only two most sensitive HDCs: Zq and Mq.
The input time history of motion variables w, q, z and
was taken from vertical plane zigzag maneuvers (sea
trials) of submarine Class B. The initial estimates of
HDCs were the model test values, suitably converted to
dimensional values.
The results of identification of motion variables were
quite satisfactory, especially for the depth and pitch
angle, which were the least noisy variables. Results for
heave velocity and heave (for a particular maneuver) are
shown in Figure 7, and pitch velocity and pitch angle are
shown in Figure 8.
The results of identification of vertical plane HDCs Zq
and Mq for the same maneuver are shown in Figure 9.
The values converged close to the initial estimates
from model tests. Thereafter, the initial HDC estimates
were changed: values of Zq and Mq were increased/
decreased by 1.5 times to 10 times the values from
model tests. The estimated standard deviation was also
varied. However, suitable convergence towards the
model test values did not take place, thereby raising
doubts regarding the accuracy of estimated values of
HDCs for this model and this set of inputs. Figure
10(a) shows results of identification of HDC Zq for
initial HDCs same as model test values. Figure 10(b)
shows results of identification with initial HDC input

value varying by about 10% from the model test value.
Both are for the same vertical plane zigzag maneuver
data.
4.4
EFFECT OF INPUT PARAMETERS
The input values thus greatly affect the results of

identification by the EKF algorithm. The inputs
required to the programs include initial estimates of all
HDCs used in the model, their estimated standard
deviations, as well as initial estimates of primary state
variables (v and r for horizontal plane and w, q, z and
for vertical plane maneuvers), their estimated mean
values and their process noise and measurement noise
characteristics. These values need to be selected based
on some reasoning rather than purely by trial and
error.
4.4.(a)
Noise Input Parameters
The input values of noise parameters are the most

significant, in terms of effect on estimation of primary
state variables as well as HDCs. The covariance, mean
and standard deviation of measurement noise and
process noise for each primary state variable are to be
supplied as input to the programs. Measurement noise
refers to the noise induced by the environment or by
internal noise of measurement devices. Since their
sources can be many and independent, measurement
noise can be assumed to be uncorrelated, zero-mean
Gaussian noise. The process noise is the error, i.e.
deviation of model from the real system, due to:
(i) Incomplete knowledge of system mechanism
(ii) Simplified mathematical formulation for a
complicated physical law.
Process noise is also modeled as zero mean, white and
Gaussian, although it may not necessarily be so.
A large number of trial runs (more than 100) of both
programs were carried out by systematically varying all
input parameters for different maneuvers. Observations
regarding the effects of input noise parameters and HDC
standard deviation values were as follows:
(i) Filtering of primary state variable estimates
depends upon the ratio of process and measurement
noise standard deviations (SD). If process noise SD
is greater than measurement noise SD, there is lesser
filtering and closer fit of measured and estimated
values.
(ii) Too small values of noise SDs leads to
singularity and problem in matrix inversion to
determine Gain.
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MARHY 2014
Fig. 6 Results of identification of horizontal plane HDCs for submarine Class B (submerged zigzag at 7 knots; 30
rudder)
Fig. 7 Estimates of Heave velocity and Heave (depth) for Class B (vertical plane zigzag at 5 knots, stern planes 20 dive)
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MARHY 2014
Fig. 8
Estimates of Pitch velocity and Pitch angle for Class B (vertical plane zigzag at 5 knots, stern planes 20 dive)
Fig. 9 Results of identification of vertical plane HDCs for submarine Class B (vertical plane zigzag at 5 knots; stern
planes 20 dive)
Fig. 10 Comparison of HDC identification results starting with different initial estimates for same manoeuvre
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MARHY 2014
(iii) Reducing process noise SD causes HDC values
to diverge.
(iv) Increasing both process and measurement noise
SDs improves convergence of HDCs.
(v) Very small values of HDC SDs may lead to no
variation in identified HDC values.
(vi) If HDC values are diverging, then reducing
input SDs of HDCs may ensure convergence, but
may spoil match of primary state variables.
4.4(b) Proposed Procedure for Noise Input Parameters
The following procedure was evolved to judiciously
select the values of input noise parameters and SDs of
HDC estimates:
(i) Both process and measurement noise mean
values are set to zero, based on assumption of
Gaussian, zero mean noise.
(ii) The variance of measured data for each motion
variable can be calculated and square root of this
value is taken as the SD of measurement noise for
that particular variable.
(iii) Process noise SD can be initially taken the
same as measurement noise SD.
(iv) Process noise SD for particular variables can be
reduced (to 0.2 to 0.5 times measurement noise SD)
to improve filtering of noisy input data.
(v) Initially, SDs of HDC values can be taken
equal to the respective HDC values, thus allowing
for 100% deviation. If identified values of HDCs do
not show any variation, SDs should be increased; if
values diverge, SDs may be reduced and results
checked.
(vi) Technique of exaggerated over- and underestimation of initial guesses (Hwang, 1980) was
applied while varying input HDC estimates from the
model test values. This can counter to some extent
the phenomenon of simultaneous drift in HDC
estimates.
4.5
ACCEPTANCE
CRITERIA
IDENTIFICATION RESULTS
FOR
The optimum combination of noise parameters and HDC

standard deviations was thus identified, such that certain
basic requirements were satisfied in the results. These
qualitative requirements may be termed as acceptance
criteria for selecting the optimum combination of input
parameters in the SI process, and are listed as follows:
(a) Good match of primary state variables, but with
filtering of noisy motion variable input data.
(b) Convergence of identified HDC values, with
trend towards the model test values (for cases where
initial estimate was purposely higher or lower than

actual values).
(c) At least some variation in identified HDC
values as the maneuver progresses, which shows that
the values are being refined during iteration.
However, this variation should not be merely due to
change in control input (rudder or planes deflection).
The plots of estimated and measured motion variables
reveal that algorithms adopted were reasonably
successful in tuning the coefficients of the linear model
to match the measured motion variables. The HDC
values start from the initial estimate (input) and vary
within the specified bounds (input) as the maneuver
progresses, and the convergence of values was seen in
most cases, but only after numerous attempts for each
case.
5.
CONCLUSIONS
An EKF algorithm developed for ship maneuvering

coefficients identification was modified and adopted to
write
programs
for
identifying
submarine
hydrodynamic
coefficients
from
first-hand
maneuvering sea trial data. Programs were written for
maneuvers in the horizontal plane and the vertical
plane, using linear terms and coefficients of the
equations of motion.
Any parametric technique (such as EKF) of system
identification involves a large number of unknown
parameters, which need to be determined
simultaneously. Choices are necessary as to which
parameters and motion variables are to be identified by
EKF and what complexity of model is necessary.
It is therefore necessary to emphasize that whenever
simulation results are used for system identification,
invariably excellent results are obtained, as
demonstrated in many recent papers on the subject.
The reason is that even if the simulated data is made
noisy, the noise parameters are known and these can
be modeled accurately in the identification process.
For real-life (full-scale), noisy data, identification of
motion variables becomes more difficult. Even though
the motion variables (state variables) may be estimated
fairly well, the identification of the parameters of the
model (the HDCs) becomes extremely difficult and
input-dependent. The number of unknown HDCs to be
identified also pose practical complexity in program
implementation, hence only a few of the most
significant linear HDCs have been examined in this
study. Further, the motion of a submarine in the
vertical plane introduces more motion variables than
for ship maneuvering (horizontal plane), which also
increases the intricacy in identification. Thus the real
227

MARHY 2014
test of any identification program would be whether it
is able to identify parameters from full-scale data,
ensuring that the comparison is not with the data used
for the identification alone.
The results from the programs developed indicate that
the simulation of motion variables from horizontal as
well as vertical plane maneuvers is fairly accurate and
the noise in the full-scale trials data is also filtered out.
HDC values converge for different maneuvers to fairly
close values. However, this identification of HDC
values is found to be heavily dependent on initial HDC
estimates and noise parameters.
An attempt has been made to study these effects and a
procedure has been suggested to select and refine the
assumed values of input noise parameters and standard
deviation values of HDC estimates in the EKF
algorithm. Criteria for identifying the optimum
combination of noise parameters and HDC standard
deviations have also been proposed. However, the
Extended Kalman Filter technique in particular, and
System Identification in general, appears to have
limitations in providing consistent results for
submarine HDC identification from noisy sea trial data,
and further work is necessary towards this end.
6.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The results presented in this paper were initially

published in the 10th International Conference on
Hydrodynamics held on October 1-4, 2012 at St.
Petersburg, Russia.
7.
REFERENCES
1. Ray, A., Manoeuvring Trials of Underwater

Vehicles, Journal of Ship Technology, July 2007, Vol.
3, No. 2, pp. 35-48.
2. Eykhoff, P., System Identification- Parameter and
State Estimation, John Wiley, 1974.
3. Knudsen, M., Experimental modelling of
dynamic systems, (Lecture Notes) Aalborg University,
2004.
7. Trankle, T.L., Identification of T.V. Kings

Pointer Hydrodynamic Model Using Sea Trials Inertial
Data, 22nd ATTC, 1989.
8. Blanke, M. and Knudsen, M., A Sensitivity
Approach to Identification of Ship Dynamics from Sea
Trial Data, IFAC Conference CAMS98, Oct 1998.
9. Yoon, H.K., and Rhee, K.P., Identificaion of
Hydrodynamic Coefficients in Ship Maneuvering
Equations of Motion by Estimation- Before- Modeling
Technique, Ocean Engineering, Vol. 30, 2003.
10. Selvam, R.P., Bhattacharyya, S.K., and Haddara,
M., A Frequency Domain System Identification
Method for Linear Ship Manoeuvring, International
Shipbuilding Progress, Vol. 52, No. 1, 2005.
11. Sekhar, G.G.R., and Bhattacharyya, S.K., Neural
Network Based Identification for Nonlinear Ship
Manoeuvre Using Zig-zag Manoeuvre Data, MAHY
2006, NSTL, Visakhapatnam, India, 2006.
12. Brinati, H.L., System Identification Applied to
Maneuvering Trials, M.E. thesis, MIT, 1973.
13. Lundblad, J.C., Application of the Extended
Kalman Filter Technique to Ship Maneuvering
Analysis, M.S. thesis, MIT, 1974.
14. Crane, L.C.; Maneuvering Trials of a 278,000DWT Tanker in Shallow and Deep Waters; SNAME
Transactions, Vol. 87, 1979.
15. Hwang, Wei-Yuan, Application of System
Identification to Ship Maneuvering, Ph.D. thesis,
MIT, 1980.
16. Abkowitz. M.A., Measurement of Hydrodynamic
Characteristics from Ship Maneuvering Trials by
System Identification, SNAME Transactions, Vol. 88,
1980.
17. Lewis,E.V.
(ed.),
Principles
of
Naval
Architecture, Vol. III, SNAME, New Jersey, 1989.
4. Fossen, T.I., Guidance and Control of Ocean

Vehicles, John Wiley, 1994.
18. Liu, G., Identification of Ship Hydrodynamic

Coefficients from Simple Trial Maneuvers During
Regular Ship Operations, M.S. thesis, MIT, 1984.
5. Ankudinov,
V.K.
et
al,
Maneuvering
Performance of the Push Tows Based on the Analysis
of Model Tests and Identification Techniques with the
Full-Scale Trial Data, 22nd ATTC, 1989.
19. Abkowitz, M.A. & Liu, G., Measurement of Ship

Resistance, Powering and Maneuvering Coefficients
from Simple Trials During a Regular Voyage,
SNAME Transactions, Vol. 96, 1988.
6. Asinovsky,V., Use of Full-Scale Trial Results for

Investigations of Maneuverability of Ships, 22nd
ATTC, 1989.
20. Abkowitz, M.A., The Use of System

Identification to Measure the Ship Resistance,
Powering and Maneuvering Coefficients of the Exxon
228

MARHY 2014
Philadelphia and a Submarine from Simple Trials
During a Routine Voyage, 22nd ATTC, 1989.
21. Coxon, P.J., System Identification of Submarine
Hydrodynamic Coefficients from Simple Full Scale
Trials, M.S. thesis, MIT, 1989.
22. Morrison,
A.T.
and
Yoerger,
D.R.,
Determination of the Hydrodynamic Parameters of an
Underwater Vehicle during small-scale, non-uniform,
one-dimensional translation; IEEE, 1993.
23. Marco, D.B., et al, Surge Motion Parameter
Identification for the NPS Phoenix AUV, IEEE, 1996.
24. Alessandri, A. et al, Application of LS & EKF
Techniques to the Identification of Underwater
Vehicles, Proceedings of 1998 IEEE International
Conference on Control Applications, Sep 1998.
25. Caccia, M. et al, Modeling and Identification of
Open-Frame Variable Configuration UUVs, IEEE
Journal of Oceanic Engineering, Vol. 25, No. 2, Apr
2000.
26. Pereira, J. and Duncan, A., System Identification
of Underwater Vehicles, IEEE, 2000.
27. Ridao, P. et al , Model Identification of a LowSpeed UUV, IFAC, 2001.
28. Carreras, M. et al, On the Identification of NonLinear Models of UUVs, IFAC, 2002.
29. Smallwood,
D.A.
&
Whitcomb,
L.L.,
Preliminary
Experiments
in
the
Adaptive
Identification of Dynamically Positioned Underwater
Robotic Vehicles, IEEE/ RSJ International Conference
on Intelligent Robots and Systems, 2001.
30. Feldman, J.P., DTNSRDC Revised Standard

Submarine Equations of Motion; DTNSRDC Report
SPD-0393-09, June 1979.
31. Welch, G. and Bishop, G., An Introduction to the
Kalman
Filter,
http://www.cs.unc.edu/
~welch/kalman/kalmanIntro.html, Jul 2006.
32. Sen, D., A study on sensitivity of
maneuverability performance on the hydrodynamic
coefficients for submerged bodies, Journal of Ship
Research, Vol. 44 (3), pp. 186196, Sep 2000.
8.
AUTHORS BIOGRAPHY
Commander Amit Ray is a Naval Architect in the

Indian Navy (since 1998), presently posted at Naval
Dockyard Visakhapatnam. He has served in
managerial, staff, instructional and design assignments
for ship and submarine repairs, submarine design,
submarine sea trials and teaching graduate students at
IIT Delhi. He received the Directors Gold Medal in
M.Tech. (Ocean Engineering & Naval Architecture)
from IIT Kharagpur, and Medal of Distinction from the
Royal Institution of Naval Architects, UK. He obtained
Ph.D. in submarine hydrodynamics from IIT Delhi in
2010.
Dr Debabrata Sen is Professor in the Department of

Ocean Engineering and Naval Architecture at the
Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, India. He is
a Naval Architect with over 25 years of teaching and
R&D experience at IIT. His area of expertise is marine
hydrodynamics,
including
seakeeping
and
manoeuvring of marine vehicles.
229

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ASSESSMENT OF SLAMMING DYNAMICS ON HIGH SPEED VESSEL

Deepak Bansal, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, India
V. Anantha Subramanian, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, India
ABSTRACT
High speed hull forms encounter direct impact in the forward bottom area as a result of slamming in waves. Code
based design rules provide empirical estimation of the slamming impact pressures which form the basis for
determining the scantlings and ensuring safety of the hull from impact. This paper presents a method of assessment
of slamming loads on a high speed planing hull form using computational tool viz., CFD. The simulation for
different speeds is done for both calm water condition as well as regular wave condition. As a part of validation,
resistance obtained on the basis of numerical simulation, is compared with resistance results obtained from physical
tank tests for a feasible range of speeds. This numerical method uses 3D RANSE (Reynolds Averaged Navier
Stokes Equation) based on volume of fluid (VOF).Trimming mesh and prism layer mesh (adjacent to ship) are
adopted to ensure proper simulation of the kinematics and to obtain hydrodynamics forces with good accuracy. The
Body motion module is used to couple the fluid flow and body motion. The results show reliable capture of running
trim and total drag in forward speed conditions and the simulation in waves shows the distribution of peak pressures
as a function of distance along the length of the vessel and as a function of speed. The work demonstrates an
application for reliable estimation of stresses at the initial design stage.
overall shape of the resistance curve changes
favourably quite in contrast to the resistance curve for
displacement hulls. In a properly design vessel, the hull
effectively rides on the pressure created by it. The
investigation of severe dynamic pressures is the subject
of investigation in this paper. The estimation of peak
pressures is an important requirement in the design
process. Code based design (Classification Rules) give
empirical estimates of equivalent static loads. The
objective here is to assess the dynamic pressures as a
function of speed and sea-state and compare the values
for better estimation.
NOMENCLATURE
Abbreviations
RANSE
Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes
Equations
volume of fluid
Froude number
Indian Register of Shipping
VOF
Fr
IRS
Notations
1.
Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is a rapidly

emerging tool to predict the hydrodynamics in terms of
local kinematics as well as the trim, drag and body
motion behaviour. It also provides local insights, which
are generally quite difficult to obtain from
experiments. There may also be limitations in
extending the experiments to high speeds because of
limitations in the experimental facility. Numerical
techniques have rapidly evolved by way of improved
meshing technique, proven turbulence modelling, flow
modelling and solution algorithms. The numerical
solution of the Navier-Stokes equations is achieved
through Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANSE)
equations solver.
pressure at keel in calm water

condition (N/m)
slamming pressure (N/m)
pressure (N/m)
wave length (m)
length of hull (m)
INTRODUCTION
High speed planing hulls use special hull geometry to

encourage developing dynamic pressure beyond the
threshold planing speed. Dynamic lift is obtained due
to the dynamic pressure leading to successful
significant emergence of the craft out of water. Wetted
surface is reduced, wave resistance drops and the
Earliest schemes used analytical methods to understand

the dynamics of planing crafts [1]. Some numerical
method used 2D+t theory [2-4] which assume that
1
230

MARHY 2014
the planing craft consists of continuous 2-D wedge.
The water entry of a 2-D wedge using potential theory
slamming load is obtain but at the expense of accuracy.
Due to difficulty in the potential theory to capture
breaking surface, effort has been made to solve by
other methods [5] such as SPH method to simulate
water entry, Yang and Qiu [6] developed pressurebased algorithm coupled with the Constrained
Interpolation Profile (CIP) method to compute
slamming force using 2-D and 3-D method on planing
hull. Lee and Philip [7] performed experiments to
study the hydrodynamic impact on racing yachts. The
present work attempts a computational path with
validation within limits.
2.2
The VOF technique is used in CFD for tracking and

locating free fluid surface in large deformation. A
function F is defined as the integral of fluid
characteristic function in the control volume so called
fraction function.
F=1 means that the cell is filled in with liquid.
F=0 means that the cell is filled in with air.
0 <F<1 means cells containing both air and water.
F is discontinuous function and time evolution of F is
governed by a conservation equation:
A standard commercial code (STAR CCM+) is used

for the simulation studies. The RANSE solver uses K
Epsilon (-) turbulence model combined with VOF
method to capture free surface.
2.
NUMERICAL METHOD
2.1
GOVERNING EQUATIONS
F
div U W F 0
2.3
(1)
Y direction
Dv
p
div( grad (v)) S MY
Dt
y
(2)
Z direction
Dw
p
div( grad (w)) S Mz
Dt
z
(4)
BODY MOTION MODULE
To obtain the trajectory of a planing craft two

orthogonal Cartesian reference systems are adopted. A
body fixed coordinate system (dynamic reference
frame) G fixed at the mass centre of the body is used
for describing the equation of rigid body motion. The
x-axis is in the longitudinal direction pointing towards
the ship bow and y-axis is pointing the port side
following the right hand rule, z axis is set to be upward
pointing to the superstructure of the ship. A global
coordinate system is defined as a non-rotating, nonaccelerating frame of reference. The parameters used
in the definition are velocity for centre of mass G is
V(u, v, w), the force is F(x, y, z), angular velocity (p,
q, r), torque M(L, M, N).
X direction
Du
p
div( grad (u )) S MX
Dt
x
Where U is the interface velocity and W is the grid

velocity.
The basic equation is Navier Stokes equation which

satisfies flow around the planing hull as follows.
VOLUME OF FLUID (VOF)
dB
F
dt
dK
M
dt
(3)
Where u, v, w represent the velocity components in x,

y and z direction respectively. Normal stresses in terms
of pressure are denoted by p. S represents the body
force and represents the dynamic viscosity. Navier
Stokes equations describe mass and momentum
conservation of the flow and are applicable to laminar
as well as turbulent flows. Time averaging of
turbulence effects leads to
N E ( eynolds
veraged Navier to es Equation) that describes the
mean flow upon specification of turbulence effects by
means of suitable models. he reali able
model
has been used because of its accuracy and robustness.
(5)
Where K is momentum torque relative to G, and B is

momentum.
The dynamics are obtained as:
dB
B F
dt
(6)
dK
K V B M
dt
231

MARHY 2014
These are re-written as
m u qw rv X
m v ru pw Y
m w pv qu Z
I x p I z I y qr L
I y q I x I z rp M
(7)
I z r I y I x pq N
Fig.1 Computational domain

The computational domain extends 0.75L in front of
the bow, 1.5L behind the transom, 0.75L above the
deck and 0.75L below the keel as shown in Fig. 1. L is
length of the craft. The front of the planing craft is
defined as velocity inlet and velocity is equal to speed
of the planing craft. The back face of the domain is
defined as pressure outlet and the remaining four sides
are walls with slip and hull with no slip. The zone near
the water-air surface is very fine meshed to capture
wave surface perfectly. Total no. of cells in the domain
is 0.845 million.
Equation (7) is the planing craft six DOF of motion. In

simulation of planing craft in the head sea condition
(investigated here) only 2 DOF (heave and pitch) is set
free.
2.4
METHODOLOGY FOR NUMERICAL
SIMULATION
RANSE solver uses VOF method. The body motion
module couples fluid flow with body motion. Initially
the RANSE and turbulent closure are solved to obtain
pressure and velocity field. The moment and force are
calculated by integrating the normal (Pressure) and
tangential (friction) stresses over the body surface.
Computed force and moments from the flow solver are
used as input to body motion module which solves the
equation and motion velocities, accelerations and
displacement are obtained. Then the grid position in
the fluid domain is changed and flow variable updated
to new locations. Hence body trajectory is obtained.
2.5
3.
As part of the validation a series of towing tank tests

(82m x 3.2m x 2.8m depth, maximum speed 5m/s)
were conducted in the facility available at IIT Madras.
Resistance and running trim were measured to verify
the numerically obtained results. The three orthogonal
views of the vessel are shown in Fig.2 and particulars
of the vessel are presented in Table 1. MRU (motion
reference unit) was used to measure the running trim
angle and a sensitive load cell to measure resistance.
Fig. 3 shows the scale model of RIB vessel.
GRID GENRATION
It is necessary to generate high quality grids to capture

the complex geometry and flow gradients. The high
quality has to be balanced with the requirement of
economic computation. Here, trimmed hexahedral
grids are used; they predominantly consist of
hexahedral cells with trimmed elements in the
proximity of the input surface. This meshing method
helps to achieve high quality hexahedral mesh in most
of the region and at the same time helps to capture the
geometry details. To ensure proper calculation of
forces and gradients a Prism layer mesh is used
adjacent to the ship hull.
2.6
COMPUTATIONAL
BOUNDARY CONDITION
DOMAIN
MODEL TEST
Table 1
6.5 m RIB VESSEL
Model scale - 1 : 6.6
Prototype
Length Of Hull
6.50 m
Beam
2.30 m
Depth
0.85 m
Draft
0.55 m
Displacement
3500 kg
Wetted surface area
15.68 m
Water plane area
12.09 m
Pressure at keel line in
calm water
5382 Pa
AND
The vessel is enclosed by 3D Rectangular

parallelepiped computational domain over which the
flow is solved.
Block coefficient
Model
0.985 m
0.348 m
0.129 m
0.083 m
12.17 kg
0.359 m
0.277 m
815 Pa
0.454
Note: The data is for fully loaded condition.
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MARHY 2014
Fig. 2 Orthogonal views of the high speed (RIB) vessel (model)

Similarly running trim values show excellent match
showing that the kinematics are well captured in the
simulations, see Fig. 5. The planing characteristics are
clearly brought out.
Trim angle (deg)
10
Fig. 3 RIB vessel
4.
The CFD based results are validated from results based

on physical towing tank experiments. The results are
discussed below. Subsequently numerical results are
generated for simulated condition of the high speed
vessel in waves of different wavelength for different
forward speeds.
4.1
6
4
CFD
0.40
VALIDATION WITH EXPERIMENTS

4.2
15
10
EXP
CFD
0.40
0.60
0.80
1.00
Froude no.
0.80
1.00
Froude no.
1.20
SLAMMING
The effect of speed and consequent dynamic pressures

experienced by the hull are brought out in the CFD
simulations. The pressure peak typically occurs at the
forefoot region. The simulations were performed over
a speed range of 15 knots to 32 knots for wave-lengths
ranging from L to 6L (L=ship length), keeping wave
height constant at 0.4 m in consideration with the
vessel draft of 0.55m. One of the worst case scenarios
for bottom pressure is depicted in Fig.6 to 8. For the
passing wave, the particular instant of time (6.44s) at
which the maximum pressure occurs at a location for
the vessel speed of 20 knots and for wave length of 3L
is captured. The dynamic lift created at the bottom of
the craft lifts the forward out of the water.
20
0.60
Fig.5 Trim angle vs. speed
25
EXP
2
0
The resistance values are plotted on model scale in

Newton against Froude number see Fig. 4. The trends
of the results are faithfully captured and there is
maximum deviation to the order of 12%.
Resistance (N)
1.20
Fig.4 Resistance vs. speed

4
233

MARHY 2014
The continuously varying pressures are obtained
through the simulations as depicted in the graphs. The
pressures at the forward region which are indicative of
maximum slamming pressure are depicted in Fig. 9 to
12 for different wave lengths and speeds. These are
indicative of maximum slamming impacts.
8.00
6.00
30.0
4.00
Fr= 1
Fr= 1.3
0.5
0.7
Fr=1.6
Fr= 1.9
0.9
1.1
25.0
2.00
20.0
0.00
15.0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
aft
x/L
bow
Fig.6 Computed keel pressure at time instant=6.64s
10.0
5.0
0.0
x/L
Fig. 9 Slamming pressure for wave length= L

14.00
12.00
10.00
8.00
6.00
4.00
2.00
0.00
30
Fr=1
Fr= 1.3
Fr=1.6
Fr= 1.9
0.9
1.1
25
/
20
aft
0.2
0.4
0.6
x/L
0.8
15
10
bow
5
Fig.7 Computed keel pressure at time instant=7.99s
0
0.5
At time instant of 7.99s the bow of the craft touches

the water surface with slamming impact.
0.7
x/L
Figure 10 Slamming pressure for wave length= 2L
30
8.00
Fr= 1.3
Fr=1.6
Fr= 1.9
25
20
/
6.00
/
Fr =1
4.00
15
10
2.00
0.00
0
0
aft
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
x/L
0.5
bow
Fig. 8 Computed keel pressure at time instant=8.13 sec
0.7
x/L
0.9
1.1
Fig. 11 Slamming pressure for wave length= 3L

5
234

MARHY 2014
4.3
30
Fr=1
Fr= 1.3
Fr=1.6
The slamming pressure also can be estimated by

empirical estimation. The value of slamming pressure
obtains by IRS (Indian Register of Shipping Rules
2004) is compared with maximum slamming pressure
obtained by CFD as shown in Fig. 15.
25
20
COMPARISION WITH IRS CODE
Fr= 1.9
15
IRS Code
10
CFD
160
Max. Slamming pressure (KPa)
5
0
0.5
0.7
0.9
x/L
1.1
Fig. 12 Slamming pressure for wave length=4L

The critical region ie, maximum slam pressure region
is around the non-dimensionalized length position x/L
0.7 and 0.8. Fig. 13 and 14 show slamming pressure at
these locations for a range of speeds and wave lengths.
Fr =1
30.00
Fr= 1.3
Fr =1.6
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
Fr=1.9
0.8
1.2
1.4
1.6
1.8
Froude no.
25.00
Fig. 15 Comparison with IRS code
20.00
5.
15.00
The paper demonstrates CFD based simulation of the

effect of slamming on a high speed planing hull.
Slamming pressure due to speed in wave conditions is
successfully obtained. Towing tank tests have validated
the running trim angle and resistance in calm water.
The maximum slamming impact occurs at a wave
length of 2.5 times ship length at Froude no. 1. With
increase in speed, the maximum values occur at higher
wave lengths, which is reasonable. For the highest
speed simulation, the peak pressure is approximately of
the same order of magnitude, regardless of the wave
length. The methodology gives more realistic
slamming pressure when compare with code based
values for design purposes. The values on comparison
with rule based estimates show that slamming pressure
are in excess of empirical estimates at low speed and
larger differences at higher speeds.
10.00
5.00
0.00
0
4
/L
Fig. 13 Slamming pressure at location x/L= 0.7

Fr =1
Fr= 1.3
Fr =1.6
Fr=1.9
30
25
20
/
CONCLUSION
15
6.
REFRENCES
10
[1] Savitsky D, "Procedures for hydrodynamics
evaluation of planing hulls in smooth and rough
water," maritime technology, vol. 13, pp. 381-400,
1976.
5
0
0
/L
[2] Sun H and Faltinsen O, he influence of gravity

on the performance of planing vessels in calm water,
Fig. 14 Slamming pressure at location x/L= 0.8

6
235

MARHY 2014
Journal of Engineering Math, vol. 58, pp. 91-107,
2007.
[3] Garme K and Rosn A, "Time-domain simulations
and full-scale
trials on planing craft in waves,"
Journal of International Shipbuilding, vol. 50, pp. 177208, 2006.
[4] Sun H and Faltinsen O, Predictions of proposing
inception for planing vessels," Journal of Marine
Science Technology, vol. 16, pp. 270-282, 2011.
[5] Kim Y, Liu and Yue D., On the Water-Entry
Impact Problem of
symmetric Bodies, 9th
International Conference on Numerical Ship
Hydrodynamics, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 2007.
[6] Yang Q and Qiu W., Computational of lamming
Forces on Wedges of Small Dead rise Angles Using a
CIP Method, 18th International Offshore and Polar
Engineering Conference, Vancouver, Canada, 2007.
[7] Lee J and Phillip A, Experimental study of the
hydro-impact of slamming in a modern racing
sailboats Journal of Sailboat Technology, 2010.
7.
AUTHORS BIOGRAPHY
Deepak Bansal is a research scholar at the Department

Madras.
V. Anantha Subramanian is a Professor and holds
the current position of Head, Department of Ocean
Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Madras.
236

ESTIMATION OF HULL - PROPELLER SYSTEM PERFORMANCE FOR VARIATION IN

PITCH-DIAMETER (P/D) RATIOS
Md.Kareem Khan, Amit kumar, PC Praveen, Dr.Manu Korulla & PK Panigrahi
Scientists, Naval Science & Technological Laboratory, India
SUMMARY
Performance characteristics assessment of propellers using methodical series has been well established over decades for
variation in geometric parameters of propeller in open water condition. The main geometric parameters for a propeller
with specified diameter are P/D ratios, BAR (Blade area ratio) and blade sectional configuration. Although there is a
considerable amount of ease in attaining the open water characteristics for a propeller configuration from series charts
rather than model tests, the hull - propeller system model test data for a defined displacement condition can only be
generated experimentally through self propulsion tests. In the present paper, an attempt is made to employ an
approximate method for predicting the hull propeller system data for a range of P/D ratios for a defined hull
displacement condition, when the self propulsion data for a single P/D ratio is available.
NOMENCLATURE
1.
BAR
Cth
Ctq
CPP
D
Fn
KT
KQ
L/B
L/ (1/3)
n
P
P/D
Q
Rps
T
t
uA
uT
v
wts
Z
o
H
R
D
Blade area ratio

Non - dimensional propeller thrust
Non - dimensional propeller torque
Controllable pitch propeller
Propeller diameter (m)
Froude number
Open water propeller thrust coefficient
Open water propeller torque coefficient
Length to beam ratio
Length displacement ratio
Propeller rotation rate
Propeller pitch (m)
Propeller pitch to diameter ratio
Propeller torque (Nm)
Revolution per second
Propeller thrust (N)
Thrust deduction fraction
Axial flow velocity (m/s)
Tangential flow velocity (m/s)
Model speed (m/s)
Ship effective wake fraction
Number of propeller blades
Mass density of fluid (kg/m3)
Pitch angle (deg)
Angle of attack (deg)
Propeller open water efficiency
Hull efficiency
Relative rotative efficiency
Total efficiency
INTRODUCTION
Classical methods for hydrodynamic evaluation of

hull - propeller interaction characteristics involve
analytical approach along with empirical formulations,
regression analysis and model tests (self propulsion
tests) [3]. Computational efforts are being developed
more recently [2], yet experimental approach is the most
reliable, although it involves high cost & more time.
Most of the analytical calculations are based on theories
like boundary element methods (BEM) [6],
circulation/vortex methods [1] and treat the propeller
flow as open water condition in inviscid fluid to arrive
at the propeller characteristics which are further utilised
to estimate the powering/interaction parameters through
empirical relationships. Regression analysis which is the
outcome of model test data bank can only be applicable
for particular geometrical aspects of hull-propeller
system as database might involve limited number of
tests [9]. Computational methods use RANSE solvers,
large eddy simulation (LES) techniques which generally
have upper bound quantitatively (when validated with
the experiments). As such, a hull propeller system series
are not popular or might not have attempted because of
complexities like conduct of large number of model
tests which is time consuming, unique hull - propeller
behavior and uncertainties in generating such data
without detail experimentation. In general the model test
matrixes involve a set of proposed variations and the
variations most of the time can be on propeller, like
change in P/D ratio (for example in case of CPP during
off design conditions), number of blades and BAR etc.
Normally with increasing P/D ratios, the propeller
performance will be increased to some degree and with
increasing BAR, the propeller efficiency decreases [4].
After arriving at the hull - propeller system model test
data for particular variation, standard extrapolation
techniques (ITTC) [7] are incorporated to estimate
powering and hull - propulsor interaction parameters.
1
237
2.
which has been experimentally identified and theory

behind such behaviour has been worked out. Since the
total power required to self propel the model should
remain same for any variation to attain same self
propulsion condition, the model torque features can be
easily derived once the Rps for the variants have been
obtained. Figure.1 shows the schematic of the proposed
methodology.Variant1 contains a set of self propulsion
data through model tests and Variant2 is the derived set
by approximate method application. Further powering
and hull propeller interaction parameters can be
analysed after inclusion of open water and resistance
test data.
PROPOSED VARIATION - P/D RATIO
The proposed variation considered is P/D ratio (defined

at 0.7R) of the propeller. All other geometrical
parameters are maintained constant for the
hull - propeller system. Attaining self propulsion data
(i.e. thrust, torque & Rps of propeller at model self
propulsion point) from model tests for variation in P/D
ratios involves large test matrix. The idea of the present
approach/method is to derive the model self propulsion
data for the proposed variation from existing set of data
for the same hull - propeller system without much
experimentation. One should be very keen on the
generality, applicability and accuracy of such a method.
For the present method up to 30% variation P/D ratio
has been considered Two model propellers with distinct
geometrical features were selected whose open water as
well as self propulsion test data was readily available.
Approximate method developed was applied to one set
of test data (for both propeller configurations) and the
other set was derived. The percentage error band for
derived data was estimated w.r.t to actual test data to
have an understanding on the accuracy of the method.
Finally a comparison on the estimated powering
performance characteristics with P/D variation using
thrust identity method is presented to highlight the effect
of proposed variation on hull - propeller system.
3.
METHODOLOGY
Figure1. Schematic of the methodology
In order to derive the self propulsion data for variation

in P/D ratio of a propeller, maintaining all other
geometric parameters constant for a hull - propeller
system, it is not necessary to have the open water test
data of the propeller for which variation is being
considered. However one may require open water
characteristics for estimation of powering & hull propeller interaction characteristics. Performing open
water propulsion tests for few variations in P/D ratio is
not a time consuming task in the modern towing tanks
today.
Only
during
prediction
of
overall
powering/interaction characteristics open water test data
is of importance. The present methodology deals with
the derivation of the model self propulsion
characteristics i.e. model thrust, torque and Rps. Since
the hull - propeller system during self propulsion tests
has to generate same axial thrust for any variations in
P/D ratio to attain model self propulsion point
(assuming no thrust breakdown), it is sufficient enough
if model torque and self propulsion Rps are derived. The
self propulsion Rps for variation in P/D ratio have a
specific relationship with the geometric pitch angle,
The assumptions/limitations involved in the present

methodology are listed below:
Method is applicable for moderate change in P/D
ratio (up to 30% , with constant D)
Propeller advance and thrust required to attain same
model self propulsion condition does not vary with
P/D variation (within thrust breakdown limit).
4.
THEORETICAL BACKGROUND FOR

THE APPROXIMATE METHOD
Consider the general pitch diagram over the geometric

section of a propeller (say at 0.7R) defined by pitch, P
and geometric pitch angle , as shown in Fig.2
The geometric relationship for Fig.2 holds well as:
Tan =
P
D
4.1
also,
Tan =
nP
nD
4.2
238
Figure2. Geometric pitch angle definition

Equation 4.2 indicates the tangent of geometric pitch
angle as the ratio of axial advance velocity of the
propeller to the tangential velocity. Consider the
velocity diagram for variation in P/D ratio for variants 1
and 2 (Fig.3). Since the axial inflow velocity onto the
propeller remains same to achieve the desired self
propulsion point at a model speed for P/D variation, the
velocity component that can vary is the tangential
velocity and thus the resultant velocity component at a
radial location (say at 0.7R) as shown in Fig.3
Figure4. Approximation of y =Tan-1x with y =x

Equation 4.6 is an important relationship which states
that within 45deg pitch angle the ratio of pitch angles is
inversely proportional to the self propulsion Rps. The
power required to achieve the same axial thrust is
proportional to nQ where Q is the model torque.
n1
n2
1, 2 are the pitch angles and 1, 2 are the angles of

attack for the same inflow of variants 1 & 2
respectively. Axial (uA) and tangential (uT1 and uT2)
inflow components are also shown in Fig.3. Since the
axial inflow velocity is constant for variation in P/D
ratio, it can be expressed as:
Tan-1 (n1 P1
n1 D)
Tan-1 (n2 P2
n2 D)
5.
4.4
Also for pitch angles up to 45deg the function

Tan-1 x x
4.5
Finally the relationship can be written as
n2
n1
Q1
4.7
EXPERIMENTATION
Open water and hull-propeller system model tests were

conducted on scaled model at High Speed Towing Tank
(500m x 8m x 8m) with two propeller configurations for
a variation in P/D and results were attained The details
of the hull - propeller configurations tested are given in
Table.1 Resistance dynamometer (R-470) was used for
measuring tow force, dynamic heave and trim on the
hull model along with propulsion dynamometers (H29)
and (R-25) to measure thrust, torque and Rps during
open water and self propulsion tests respectively.
Propulsion motor with twin shaft output gearbox was
arranged in the hull model as a prime mover. Turbulent
stimulating studs were fixed to the hull model during
model tests.The acquisition and post processing of the
model test data were done onboard the towing carriage
by a PC based 16 Channel data acquisition system built
with A/D card (PCI 6014) from National Instruments,
USA and Lab VIEW software with the necessary
4.3
and,
n1P1 = n2P2 = C , a constant for same
propeller advance.
Q2
So after estimating Rps from equation 4.6, the model

torque can be derived from equation 4.7.The limitation
of the present approximation method is based on the
geometric variation of the pitch angle i.e. to be less than
45deg.The methodology has been well supported by the
model experiments. The error in the actual experimental
values to that of derived values based on the present
method was within acceptable limits.
Figure3. Velocity components for P/D variation
4.6
239
analysis software developed in-house. The sampling

frequency was chosen as 10samples/sec. The carriage
speed is measured accurately by a wheel with an optical
encoder delivering 10,000 pulses per meter and
displayed on a digital counter. For each test speed, load
variation was performed to attain the model self
propulsion point.
torque coefficient ratios (Ctq1/Ctq2) and results are

placed at Table. 2. It is observed that present
methodology is valid for openwater condition.
Table .1 Hull - propeller configuration details
1/3
Config 1
Config 2
8.018
7.494
1.
L/
2.
L/B
8.68
8.57
3.
D [mm]
263.5
160.7
4.
BAR
0.76
0.75
5.
P/D
variation
1.32 & 1.52
1.54 & 2.00
6.
[deg]
31.0 & 34.7
35.1 & 42.4
7.
Open water propeller characteristics for the above

configuration are highlighted in Fig.5 to understand the
influence of P/D variation. Results of hull - propeller
system tests & proposed methodology are discussed in
section 6.
6.
Figure5. Open water characteristics for the propeller

configurations (1 & 2)
Standard non-dimensional approach for the self

propulsion data (eg. KT , KQ) are given in many
references [7] which incorporate Rps n , propeller
diameter D & fluid density
and their associated
powers in the denominator. In order to present the test
data independent of variable n , a slightly different
non- dimensional approach for thrust, Cth and torque, Ctq
are followed as given below:
=
=
6.1
6.2
Firstly, non-dimensional data of torque coefficient ratios

during openwater tests for the two configurations is
given at Figs.6.Inorder to examine the validity of the
approximate method initially to openwater data, at
constant axial velocity (uA) & thrust coefficient (Cth) an
input Rps ratios (n1/n2) equal to pitch angle ratios
( 2 / 1) was incorporated to evaluate the corresponding
Figure6. Open water Ctq ratios for the propeller

configurations (1 & 2)
240
Table.2 Model test and derived parameters for

openwater condition
1.
2.
Open water condition
Config 1
Config 2
Constant parameters
uA , Cth
uA , Cth
31.0 & 34.7
35.1 & 42.4
&
3.
For an input n1/n2
1.119
1.207
4.
Model test Ctq1/Ctq2
0.873
0.821
5.
Derived Ctq1/Ctq2
0.893
0.828
6.
% change in Ctq1/Ctq2
w.r.t model test
2.3%
0.85%
Figure8. Ctq vs Fn for configuration 1 & 2
Secondly, non-dimensional data for thrust and torque

versus Froude number of hull - propeller system model
tests for the two configurations are presented in Figs.7
& 8 respectively. It can be observed from above Figs. 7
& 8 that at the same model self propulsion point (i,e. Fn
as reference) P/D variation has negligible influence on
thrust , where as torque changes quite noticeably. Also a
plot for Cth (at P/D 1.322, 1.547) versus Cth (at P/D
1.523 2.009) respectively shows a linear trend with a
slope value very close to 1 , which again substantiates
the above statement (Fig. 9)
Plot for Rps n (at P/D 1.322, 1.547) versus n (at P/D
1.523, 2.009) respectively indicates that ratio of the Rps
are equal to their inverse ratio of corresponding pitch
angles (Fig. 10, Table.1 & equation 4.6).
Self propulsion data at P/D - 1.523 and 2.009 are
derived from test data corresponding to P/D - 1.323 &
1.547 respectively using the approximate method
(equations 4.6 & 4.7) and comparison is performed
(Table.3 & 4).
Figure9. Influence of P/D variation on Cth
Figure7. Cth vs Fn for configuration 1 & 2
Figure10. Influence of P/D variation on Rps, n
241
Table .3 Model test and derived parameters for Config 1
Fn
0.13
0.16
0.19
0.21
0.24
0.27
0.3
0.31
0.33
0.34
0.36
0.37
0.39
0.4
0.41
Model test
(P/D 1.523)
Ctq
n
0.0314
3.552
0.0317
4.646
0.0318
5.137
0.0318
5.946
0.0324
6.77
0.0338
7.636
0.0357
8.565
0.0364
9.015
0.036
9.372
0.036
9.776
0.0367
10.224
0.0387
10.805
0.0401
11.354
0.0424
11.979
0.0455
12.664
Derived
(P/D 1.523)
Ctq
n
0.0307
3.485
0.0313
4.280
0.0324
5.110
0.0322
5.922
0.0349
6.825
0.0347
7.566
0.0366
8.506
0.0372
8.932
0.0368
9.303
0.0372
9.724
0.0371
10.140
0.0391
10.702
0.0407
11.270
0.0430
11.833
0.0448
12.457
Figure12. Error band in Ctq for Config 1 & 2
Table .4 Model test and derived parameters for Config 2
Fn
0.17
0.20
0.22
0.25
0.28
0.31
0.34
0.36
0.39
0.42
0.45
Model test
(P/D 2.009)
Ctq
n
0.0911
5.165
0.0958
6.073
0.0916
6.993
0.0975
7.973
0.1059
8.970
0.1124
10.062
0.1164
11.181
0.1213
12.370
0.1306
13.645
0.1434
14.923
0.1552
16.351
Derived
(P/D 2.009)
Ctq
n
0.0848
5.268
0.0850
6.213
0.0920
7.177
0.0971
8.176
0.1028
9.075
0.1119
10.246
0.1113
11.175
0.1142
12.253
0.1261
13.594
0.1326
15.012
0.1478
16.623
Figure13. t , wts vs Fn for Config 2
The error band in n and Ctq for the model test and
derived parameters are shown in Fig.11 and 12.It is
observed that the derived parameters fall within an
accuracy 2.5% in n and 4.5% in Ctq, which is quite
reasonable.
Figure14.
&
vs Fn for Config 2
Hull - propeller system performance was carried out as a

test case on Config 2 for P/D variation of 1.547 and
2.009.Relavant
performance
characteristics
are
compared in Figs. 13 & 14.
Figure11. Error band in Rps, n for Config 1 & 2
242
Observations on the estimated hull - propeller

interaction parameters are:
Thrust deduction fraction, t does not vary much
with P/D variation for the same self propulsion
condition, where as effective ship wake fraction,
wts increases with P/D because of lower rotation
rate n.
Open water propeller efficiency, O and hull
efficiency, H increases slightly with increase in
P/D . Increase in H is attributed due to increase
in wts.
Relative rotative efficieny, R and total efficiency,
D decreases with increase in P/D. Decrease in R
is attributed due to changes in the propeller
torque.
7.
[1]
[3]
J.D. van Manen , P. van Oossanen , Chapter VI ,

Propulsion ,Principles of Naval Architecture , Vol.
II , Resistance , Propulsion and Vibration (1988)
[4]
Baris BICER, Makoto UCHIDA. Numerical

Performance Investigation of Screw Propellers by
Lifting Surface Theory. Journal of IJME , Vol 48,
No. 2. (2013)
[5]
ITTC Recommended Procedures and Guidelines,

(2008)
Volker Bertram, Practical Ship Hydrodynamics,
ISBN: 0 7506 4851 1 (2000)
CONCLUSIONS
[7]
Hydrodynamic research model test reports,

NSTL/HR/HSTT/221/2 (2010) , Naval Science
and Technological Laboratory, India
[8]
D.G.M. Watson , Practical

ISBN:0-08-044054-8 (1998)
[9]
John Carlton , Marine Propellers and Propulsion ,

ISBN: 978-07506-8150-6 (2007)
[10]
K.J Rawson , E.C. Tupper , Basic ship Theory

Vol. 2 , Ship Dynamics and Design ,ISBN: 0 7506
5397 3 (2001)
10.
Ship
Design,
AUTHORS BIOGRAPHY
Md. Kareem Khan holds the current position of

Scientist C at Naval Science and Technological
Laboratory. He is responsible for experimental fluid
dynamics (EFD) research on surface ships/under water
bodies. His previous experience includes studies on
energy efficient devices,
hull-waterjet propulsion
interaction, full scale sea trials, multi-hulls and
experimental wave pattern resistance estimation,
manoeuvring of surface ships/under water bodies etc.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors would like to express sincere gratitude to

Technology Directorate of Hydrodynamic Research,
Naval Science & Technological Laboratory, India, for
their support throughout the journey of this research
work. The authors also extend their sincere thanks to
numerous people for their valuable contributions in
model making, model setting and conduct of
experiments.
9.
Villa, D., Gaggero, S., Brizzolara, S. Ship Self

Propulsion with different CFD methods: from
actuator Disk to potential flow coupled solver.10th
Int. Conf. on Hydrodynamics, St. Petersburg,
Russia (2012)
[6]
Hydrodynamic studies were carried out on

hull - propeller system using model tests for variation in
P/D ratio. An approximate method has been developed
to derive the self propulsion test data for variation in
P/D ratio. Theoretical backgrounds for the present
approximation along with sample test cases are also
discussed. Limitations for the applicability of the
method in terms of P/D variation of 30% with a constant
D , during self propulsion tests is based on the available
test data and so one can validate it to a further range
possible provided the geometric pitch angle is below
45deg.The present method find its application when
propeller configuration to a particular hull form needs to
modified to meet optimum Rps and torque
characteristics without much penalty on thrust
characteristics. Self propulsion characteristics of a
controllable pitch propeller with P/D variation can be
derived without large model test matrix by using the
above methodology.
8.
[2]
Amit Kumar holds the current position of Scientist B at

Naval Science and Technological Laboratory. He is
responsible for experimental research on surface
ships/under water bodies. His previous experience
includes model tests and analysis on multi-hulls,
underwater bodies etc.
PC Praveen holds the current position of Scientist E at
Naval Science and Technological Laboratory. He is
responsible for experimental research on manoeuvring
of surface ships/under water bodies. His previous
experience includes studies on manoeuvring aspects of
ships, submarines, and AUVs etc.
REFERENCES
Kerwin J.E. and Lee C.S., Prediction of steady
and unsteady marine propeller performance by
numerical lifting-surface theory , Trans. SNAME,
Vol.86, pp.218 - 253, (1978)
243
Dr Manu korulla holds the current position of

Scientist F, Head of High Speed Towing Tank division
at Naval Science and Technological Laboratory. He is
responsible for research on surface ships/under water
bodies, AUVs. His previous experience includes
studies on high speed crafts.
PK Panigrahi holds the current position of
Scientist G, Head Technology Directorate of
Hydrodynamic Research at Naval Science and
Technological Laboratory. He is responsible for
research on surface ships/under water bodies, AUVs.
His previous experience includes studies on
experimental fluid dynamics.
244

, 2014 at IIT Conference
Madras, India
(ISBN: 978-93-80689-22-7)
International
on- Vol.2
Computational
and Experimental
Marine Hydrodynamics,
MARHY 2014,
THE EFFECT OF MOONPOOL AND DAMPING PLATE ON DAMPING

CHARACTERISTICS OF SPAR HULLS USING CFD SIMULATION
P. M. Tom, Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, India
S. Nallayarasu, Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, India
ABSTRACT
Spar platforms used in offshore industry, commonly have moonpool at the centre to accommodate risers and
conductors (wells). In order to keep the heave response within an acceptable limits, heave damping plates have also
been introduced in some cases. While the research on damping and response characteristics of Spar hulls have been
progressing over the last two decades, the literature on the moonpool effect and damping plate is limited, in
experimental and computational fluid dynamics (CFD). The present work is a comparative study of heave and pitch
damping characteristics of three Spar hull configurations: (1) Classic Spar and (2) Classic Spar with moonpool (3)
Classic Spar with moonpool and damping plate. Free decay tests are carried out in a wave flume of 2 m water depth.
The experimental results exhibit an increase in heave damping for spar model with moonpool. This may be due to
the sloshing effects inside the moonpool. The pitch damping is not significantly altered due to the addition of
moonpool. The addition of damping plate further increases the heave and pitch damping. CFD simulations for the
same has been carried out in a numerical wave tank using commercial software Star-CCM+, which is capable of
establishing the viscous effects for floating bodies. The numerical investigations further substantiated the findings of
the experiment.
coefficients of floating structures. The present work
deals with the efficient determination of these values
using CFD, for three different Spar configurations.
NOMENCLATURE
CFD
DFBI
FVM
PIV
RANS
SST
VIM
VOF
Computational Fluid Dynamics

Dynamic fluid-body interaction
Finite Volume Method
Particle Image Velocimetry
Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes
SST Menter turbulent model
Vortex Induced Motions
Volume of fluid
Research interest on Spar platforms has evolved after
the successful installations of various prototypes in the
Gulf of Mexico region, during the 1990s. Several
investigators have studied various damping devices
aimed at the reduction of global Spar responses.
However, the effect of moonpool on damping
characteristics were neglected.
1. INTRODUCTION
Spar platforms are reliable and economic solutions for
oil extraction in deep and ultra deep waters because of
their excellent heave and pitch responses. Spar
platforms are designed in such a way that their natural
periods are kept outside the dominant periods of the
incident waves. Among
the various hull
configurations, the classical spar and the truss spar are
the most attractive concepts for deep and ultra deep
water production platforms. The classical spar is a
large circular cylinder with uniform cross section and
deep draft. The justifying factor for this enormous hull
is that, due to the large draft the heave and pitch
motion response of the platform is small enough to
permit installation of rigid risers with dry trees.
Haslum [1] estimated the heave and pitch natural

periods and damping of Spar models with and without
circular disk, and also Spar with strakes by model tests.
It was concluded that the Spar with circular disk of 1.3
times the Spar diameter, had higher heave damping
when compared with the classical model. The presence
of strakes were found to increase the pitch damping.
Tao and Cai [2] established a finite difference method
for investigating the vortex shedding flow and the
associated hydrodynamic behavior of Spar with
damping plates. They suggested that the extension of
the damping plate should be at least four times the
typical heave amplitude to achieve the optimum drag
and hence the optimum damping effect. Rho et al. [3]
carried out experimental free decay tests for bare
cylinder, cylinder with damping plate and cylinder
with damping plate and strakes. They found that the
natural periods of the model with damping plate and
strakes were slightly higher than those of the bare
cylinder. They concluded that the damping plates
predominantly affects the heave natural period, while
the strakes influence the pitch natural period.
In the recent past, a lot of researchers have focused on

wave-structure interaction of offshore platforms using
diffraction models based on potential theory. These
models, however, fail to capture the viscous effects.
Therefore, CFD simulation methods based on NavierStokes or Euler equations have become a
complementary tool to the extreme wave-structure
interaction problems. Free Decay tests are the standard
procedure for finding the natural periods and damping
2014:
Royal
Institution
of India
Navaland
Architects
Copyright
2014The
by IIT
Madras,
Chennai,
the RINA,and
UKIIT
Madras
1
245

MARHY 2014,
Oaklay et al. [4] evaluated the effectiveness of CFD
models in the prediction of spar platform vortex
induced motions (VIM) in sheared currents. They
compared VIM predicted in full scale using the density
and velocity profiles measured in the field with
predictions of model experiments. They suggested that
the simulation of turbulence effects at high Reynolds
numbers and the effects of small appurtenances and
boundary layer modeling need to be studied. They
further did a CFD benchmarking study of truss Spar
[5]. Here they focused on the CFD modeling capability
related to six degrees of freedom motions and loads for
Spar platforms. Atluri et al. [6] conducted free decay
simulations in CFD for hydrodynamic analysis of truss
Spar with strakes. The truss Spar displayed a reduction
in hydrodynamic response, when compared to the
classic Spar. Morison coefficients for specific flow
conditions involving exact scale models were
established using CFD. Free and forced oscillation
tests on various components (like heave plate, truss
assembly etc.) of Spar platforms in realistic
environments found that CFD underestimated
damping values when compared with experiments [7].
Pistidda et al. [8] established a standard procedure to
derive viscous damping coefficients for surge, sway
and yaw motions of floating bodies using CFD
simulations. The equivalent damping values of barge
model using CFD simulations were validated with
model tests. Nimmy et al. [9] conducted parametric
studies to establish the effect of spacing on the double
heave plate configuration using CFD simulations. The
damping characteristics of Spar with and without
damping plates were evaluated numerically and
compared with experimental results. They found that
velocity pattern and vortex formation around the
circular plates obtained through PIV study and CFD
simulation showed good agreement. Lefevre et al. [10]
proposed guidelines for CFD simulations of Spar VIM.
They performed sensitivity studies on turbulence
model selection, spatial convergence, and temporal
convergence of Spar models with strakes. Further,
vorticity and pressure contours with different Spar
headings were plotted.
From literature it is evident that majority of the
research work depended on free decay tests to find the
heave and pitch damping characteristics of Spar hulls.
In this paper we analyze the heave and pitch
characteristics of Spar hulls with moonpool using
CFD.
3. SCOPE
The scope of the present study includes the following.
a)
Experimental investigation of heave damping

characteristics of Spar hulls with moonpool
and damping plates using scale models in
laboratory wave flume by conducting free
decay tests.
b) CFD simulation of the free decay tests.

c) Benchmarking of the results obtained from
CFD
simulation
and
experimental
investigation.
The Spar models used for the experiments were
fabricated using acrylic tubes and plates. They were
designed for a water depth of approximately 300 m
with a payload of 10,100 tonnes. All the models were
fabricated with a scale ratio of 1:150, as per Froude
Law. The first Spar model has an outer diameter of 250
mm and a thickness of 5 mm. It is 1550 mm high, with
a draft of 1325 mm. The second model has an outer
diameter of 310 mm and a moonpool of 120 mm
diameter, both, 5 mm thick. It is 1225 mm high, with a
draft of 1000 mm. The third model is having same hull
geometry as the second, with an additional damping
plate at the bottom. All the models are deployed in
water in such a way that they attain the same
displacement. A detailed schematic drawing of the
models is shown in Fig.1. The Spar model properties
are outlined in Table 1.
Fig. 1: Schematic representation of Spar hulls used for

the current study
The three scale models used for the study are the
following:
Model no.01 : Classic Spar without moonpool
Model no.02 : Classic Spar with moonpool
Model no.03 : Classic Spar with moonpool and
damping plate

2
246

MARHY 2014,
Descriptions
Model No.01
Model No.02
Model
No.03
Proto
Model
Proto
Model
Model
01
Water depth
(m)
300
300
02
Material
steel
acrylic
steel
acrylic
acrylic
03
Density
(kg/m3)
7850
1200
7850
1200
1200
04
Displacement
(m3)
Main cell
Dia. (m)
2.16e5
0.064
2.16e5
0.064
0.065
37.5
0.25
46.5
0. 31
0. 31
175
286
19.5
0.13
0.13
286
199.2
33.75
232.95
1.328
0.225
1.553
150
33.75
183.75
1.00
0.225
1.225
1.00
0.235
1.235
3.90E7
11.55
7.04E7
20.85
21.92
3.41E7
10.10
3.41E7
10.10
10.10
1.42E8
99.6
90
42.10
0.664
0.600
1.04E8
75
66.6
30.95
0.5
0.444
32.15
0.5
0.447
10.05
0.067
9.45
0.063
0.06
05
06.
07.
08.
Main cell
thick. (mm)
Moonpool
dia. (m)
14.
15.
16.
Moonpool
thick. (mm)
Draft (m)
Freeboard(m)
Total length
(m)
Spar weight
(kg)
Topside
weight (kg)
Ballast (kg)
KB (m)
KG (m)
17.
GM(m)
09.
10.
11.
12.
13.
where, x0 is the greater of the two amplitudes and xn is

the amplitude of a peak n periods away. The damping
ratio( ) is then found from the logarithmic
decrement:
= ln 0
1+(
d =
2 2
)
where, T, the period of the waveform is the time

between two successive amplitude peaks. The natural
frequency and natural time period is given by:
1 2
A sample time responses for heave and pitch free

decay are shown in Fig. 2. Similar free decay tests for
all the Spar models were carried out and the results are
discussed in subsequent sections.
Experimental studies were carried out in a laboratory

wave flume in the Department of Ocean Engineering,
IIT Madras. The dimensions of the wave flume are 2m
x 2m x 72m (width x depth x length). The scale models
of the Spar were used for the measurement of the free
decay heave response.
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0
-0.1
-0.2
-0.3
-0.4
0
20
15
10
Time (sec)
25
30
10
Pitch response (deg)
Free decay tests were carried out to obtain natural

period and damping ratio for heave and pitch motions.
Heave decay test was conducted by giving a static
vertical displacement to the spar model and the
response was recorded using an accelerometer. The
tests were repeated for different vertical displacements
to obtain the variation of damping with amplitude of
motion. Similarly, pitch decay test was done by giving
an angular displacement at the top of the model and the
motion was measured using an inclinometer. The
damping ratio and the natural period can found using
logarithmic
decrement
method.
Logarithmic
decrement, , is used to find the damping ratio of an
under damped system in the time domain. The
logarithmic decrement is the natural log of the
amplitudes of any two peaks:
The damping ratio can then be used to find the

undamped natural frequency n of vibration of the
system from the damped natural frequency ;
Heave acceleration (m/s2)
Table 1. Spar model properties
-5
-10
0
12
Time (sec)
16
20
Fig. 2: Heave and pitch free decay for model no. 03

6. CFD SIMULATION
All simulations were performed at a model scale 1:150,
using the commercial software STAR-CCM+
v8.06.005 [11]. It's a CFD code with finite volume
method (FVM) discretization. The fundamental
equation used is the Navier-Stokes equation. It is a
combination of equations for mass conservation,
momentum conservation and energy conservation. The

3
247

MARHY 2014,
The test Spar configurations were modelled using the

3D-CAD module within STAR-CCM+. For present
simulations, the implicit unsteady solver for Reynolds
- Averaged Navier Stokes (RANS) equations was
used. In the implicit unsteady approach, each physical
time-step involves some number of inner iterations to
converge the solution for that given instant of time.
These inner iterations can be accomplished using
implicit or explicit spatial integration schemes. The
integration scheme marches inner iterations using
optimal pseudo-time steps that are determined from the
Courant number. The turbulence model implemented
was the k-omega SST turbulence model. Numerical
errors have been assessed by performing sensitivity
analysis on time step and grid size [11]. This study
uses volume of fluid (VOF) method to model the free
surface water flows. This method is provided for
systems with two or more immiscible fluid phases,
each phase constituting a large structure within the
system. This approach captures the movement of the
interface between the water and air phases of the
current models.
The computational mesh was generated using the
mesh generator of STAR-CCM+. A rectangular
domain of length 10 m, width 5 m, and depth 3 m was
considered. Velocity inlet boundary conditions were
provided at the entrance of the fluid domain and its
lateral sides. Pressure outlet was considered at the
domain exit. Spar hull surface was modelled as a nonslip wall. The main domain was meshed using the
hexahedral mesher. For accuracy the near-wall region
was captured using a prism layer mesh, allowing highaspect-ratio cells to provide better cross-stream
resolution. In this prism layer mesh the number of
layers and the distribution of the cells in the normal
direction to the wall were defined.
The mesh domain contains approximately 8.0 lakh to
10 lakh cells. The base mesh size for the outer domain
is 100 mm with 10 numbers of prism layers near the
Spar surface. The 'surface remesher' helps to provide a
proper meshing pattern ,which improves the quality of
surface mesh. The mesh was finer towards the wall
surface of Spar with the size of the first element being
20% of the base mesh size.
The total domain was discretized into three control
volumes, to define the varying mesh densities. The size
of the elements in the domain decreases from 60% of
the base mesh size to 20%, from the outer control
volume to the inner one. A separate volume shape
enclosing a region 25cm above and below the water

surface was defined for fine meshing, to capturing the
wave response. Mesh optimization studies were carried
out for the above specified volume shapes. The
optimized mesh was fixed for further simulations. This
mesh overview is shown in Fig. 3. A time convergence
study was performed to determine an optimum time
step. This was determined to be 0.001 s and was
standardized for all simulations.
Fig. 3: Mesh overview for heave free decay CFD

simulations for model no. 02
For pitch simulations, a domain similar to the one
described above was used, but the inner volumes were
fine meshed with spherical volumes. The 'Overset
mesh' option is used in inner volumes, which helps in
capturing the free rotations of the Spar model.
7. RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS
7.1. HEAVE
The heave response obtained from free decay tests and
CFD simulation on scale models for initial heave
displacement of 3cm is shown in figure 5(a) to 5(c) for
scale models 1, 2 and 3 respectively. The tests were
conducted for initial heave displacement of 3cm, 5cm,
6cm and 7cm.
0.04
Heave response (m)
free decay tests have been simulated using a dynamic

fluid body interaction (DFBI) model. DFBI model
enables the fluid induced motion of an object to predict
the six degrees of freedom motions. In this approach
the Spar is meshed within a large surrounding volume
mesh and the entire mesh moves along without
distortion.
CFD
Expt.
0.03
0.02
0.01
0
-0.01
-0.02
-0.03
-0.04
0
Time (sec)
10
12
Fig. 5(a): Comparison of measured and simulated free

decay response in heave(model no. 01)

4
248

MARHY 2014,
CFD
Expt.
0.03
0.02
0.01
0
-0.01
-0.02
-0.03
-0.04
0
Time (sec)
10
12
Fig. 5(b): Comparison of measured and simulated free

decay response in heave (model no. 02)
6
5
Model01-CFD
Model02-CFD
Model03-CFD
Model01-Expt.
Model02-Expt.
Model03-Expt.
2
1
0.04
Heave response (m)
Similarly the damping ratios were also calculated

based on CFD simulations for four initial
displacements of 3cm, 5cm, 6cm and 7cm . The effect
of geometry on heave damping can be observed when
it is plotted against initial displacement (Fig. 8).
Heave damping ratio (%)
Heave response (m)
0.04
CFD
Expt.
0.03
0.02
0
2
Initial heave displacement (cm)
0.01
0
Fig. 6: Comparison of heave damping ratios for all

Spar geometries
-0.01
-0.02
-0.03
-0.04
0
Time (sec)
10
12
Fig. 5(c): Comparison of measured and simulated free

decay response in heave (model no. 03)
It can be observed from the figures 5(a) to 5(c) that
results obtained from CFD simulations closely follows
that from the experiments. The natural period for each
model was calculated and summarized in Table 2. The
results obtained from CFD simulation compares well
with that of the experimental studies with maximum
difference less than 2%.
Table 2: Comparison of measured and simulated heave
natural periods.
Spar models
Model No.01
Model No.02
Model No.03
Experiment
2.4
2.15
2.27
CFD
2.4
2.11
2.25
% difference
0.0
1.86
0.88
The heave natural period of the classic Spar (without

moonpool) is 2.4 sec while the introduction of
moonpool (scale model 2), the natural period reduce to
2.15 sec. Thus is due to additional water mass added to
the system due to moonpool. However, the Spar with
moonpool and damping plate ( scale model 3), the
natural period is in between the scale model 1 and 2.
This may due to the complex interaction between the
moonpool and the heave damping plate.
The heave damping values obtained from both CFD

and experimental studies shows an increasing trend
with increase in initial heave displacement applied to
the scale model. This indicates the dependency of
damping with the heave response. This can be seen
from figure 6. The heave damping values varies
between 1.5% to 2.5% for the Spar with no moonpool,
which is a typical value comparing the values reported
in the literature [1]. The heave damping increase
marginally for the Spar with moonpool compared to
the Spar without moonpool. The increase is around
15%. Hence the effect of moonpool on the heave
response in terms of natural period of oscillation and
damping is marginal. However the introduction of the
heave damping plate to the Spar with moonpool, the
heave damping ratio increases multifold to a value in
the range of 4% to 7.4%. This increase in damping is
due to the additional added mass created by the
damping plate kept at the keel.
7.2. PITCH
The pitch free response plots from the CFD
simulations were compared with the experimental
results, for all Spar models corresponding to initial
rotation of 80. The plots are shown in Fig. 7(a) to Fig.
7(c). The CFD free responses of Spar with moonpool
and the Spar with moonpool and damping plate are
similar to experimental results. The CFD free
responses of classic Spar was found to have deviated
from the experimental values. This may due to the
error in the experimental free decay tests. It is very
difficult to obtain pure pitch free responses from the
model with higher draft.

5
249

MARHY 2014,
Pitch angle (deg)
10
CFD
Expt.
5
0
-5
-10
0
Time (sec)
10
8. CONCLUSIONS
Fig. 7(a): Comparison of measured and simulated free

decay response in pitch (model no. 01)
Pitch angle (deg)
10
CFD
Expt.
-5
2
Time (sec)
10
Fig. 7(b): Comparison of measured and simulated free

10
Pitch angle (deg)
The CFD simulations has been used to simulate the

free decay experiments to obtain heave and pitch
damping and natural periods. It has been shown that
the CFD can be successfully used for this purpose
instead of experimental studies which involves cost.
The results indicate that significant change in heave
damping due to the addition of heave damping plate
while the presence of moonpool does not alter the
heave damping characteristics significantly. Further, it
has been shown that the dependency of heave damping
due to heave response. This effect seems to be linear.
-10
0
The CFD simulations of the pitch motion, the natural

periods of all the models are similar to the
experimental values, but they differ in the damping
values. The model without moonpool (model no.01)
having higher natural period compared with other two.
This is due to the increased draft compared with other
models. The introduction of damping plate to the
model with moonpool increases the pitch natural
period as well as the pitch damping values. The
increase in pitch damping of Spar with moonpool and
damping plate (model no. 03) is 20% when compared
with Spar with moonpool (model no.02).
CFD
Expt.
5
0
9. REFERENCES
1.
2.
3.
-5
-10
0
Time (s)
10
4.
Fig.7(c): Comparison of measured and simulated free

The average pitch natural periods were calculated
based on the CFD free decay plots are compared with
the experimental values and shown in Table 3.
5.
Table 3: Comparative table of pitch natural periods

Spar models
Model No.01
Model No.02
Model No.03
Experiment
4.8
4.44
4.6
CFD
4.9
4.46
4.57
% difference
2.08
0.45
0.65
6.
Haslum, H. A., PhD thesis, 'Simplified

methods applied to nonlinear motion of Spar
platforms,
Department
of
Marine
Hydrodynamics, Norwegian University of
Science and Technology, 2000.
Tao, L. and
Cai, S., 'Heave motion
suppression of a Spar with a heave plate',
Ocean engineering, 31, pp. 669-692, 2004.
Rho, J.B., and Choi, H.S., Shin, H.S., and
Park, I.K., 'A study on Mathieu type
Instability of conventional Spar platform in
regular waves', International Journal of
Offshore and Polar Engineering, Vol. 15, No.
2, pp. 104-108, 2005.
Oakley Jr. H.O., Constantinides Y., Navarro
C., Holmes S., 'Modeling vortex induced
motions of spars in uniform and stratified
flows', 24th Ocean Offshore Mechanics and
Arctic Engineering Conference (OMAE
2005); Halkidiki, Greece.
Oakley Jr. H.O., Constantinides Y.,'CFD
Truss Spar hull benchmarking study', 26th
Ocean Offshore Mechanics and Arctic
Engineering Conference (OMAE 2007),
California, USA.
Alturi, S., Halkyard, J., Srinivas, S., 'CFD
simulation of truss spar vortex-induced
motion', 25th Ocean Offshore Mechanics and
Arctic Engineering Conference (OMAE
2006), Hamburg, Germany.

6
250

MARHY 2014,
7.
Alturi, S., Magee, A., Lambrakos, K., 'CFD

as a design tool for hydrodynamic loading on
offshore structures', 28th Ocean Offshore
Mechanics
and
Arctic
Engineering
Conference (OMAE 2009), Hawaii, USA.
8. Pistidda, A., Ottens, H., Zoontjes, R., 'Using
CFD to assess low frequency damping', 32nd
Ocean Offshore Mechanics and Arctic
Engineering Conference (OMAE 2012); Rio
de Janeiro, Brazil.
9. Nimmy, T. P., Nallayarasu, S., and S. K.
Bhattacharyya, 'Experimental investigation
and CFD simulation of heave damping effects
due to circular plates attached to spar hull',
Ships and offshore structures, 2013.
10. Lefevre, C., Constantinides, Y., Kim J.W.,
Henneke M., Robert Gordon, Hyunchul Jang,
Guangyu Wu, 'Guidelines for CFD
simulations of Spar VIM', 32nd Ocean
Offshore Mechanics and Arctic Engineering
Conference (OMAE 2012); Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil.
11. CD-Adapco, User Guide STAR-CCM+,
version 8.06.005, London, 2013.
Tom P.M. is a research scholar at the Department of
Madras,
Chennai
600036
(email:
tompmathai44@gmail.com)
S. Nallayarasu is a Professor at the Department of
Madras, Chennai - 600036 (email: nallay@iitm.ac.in)

7
251

MARHY 2014
HYDRODYNAMIC ANALYSIS OF SELF-INSTALLING MONO COLUMN

WIND FLOAT DURING TRANSITION PHASE
Utkarsh Ramayan, Department of Ocean Engineering, IIT Madras, Chennai India
R.Panneer Selvam, Department of Ocean Engineering, IIT Madras, Chennai, India
Nagan Srinivasan, Deep-water Structure Inc., Houston, Texas, USA
ABSTRACT
Offshore wind energy has emerged as a major frontline competitor for producing sustainable and carbon free energy.
With the recent advancement in engineering the researchers and developers are challenging the conventional
wisdom of existing technology to improve the economics of wind power. Offshore wind turbines are rated in
megawatts (MW) and costs approximately $1.5 million per MW for an installed capacity of 5 MW. On an average
basis 5% to 15 % of this total capital investment goes into transportation and installation which is basically due to
high day rates of jack up barges and other dynamic position vessels. An innovative floater conceived and designed
by Nagan Srinivasan wherein the concept of self installation is introduced has been undertaken for hydrodynamic
analysis during the transition phase in this study. Analysis has been carried out for different drafts and statistics of
responses summarized for seastate 5.
1. INTRODUCTION
In the recent past, fossil fuels were considered as the
major contributors in the energy producing sector.
However, due to their limited existence and negative
environmental impact more emphasis is laid on
renewable energy sector. Wind energy is one of the
most reliable sectors when it comes to renewable
energy. Till now wind energy farms are restrained to
the land space and shallow water areas. The present
study is a sincere effort to accelerate the process of
shifting the offshore wind farms to the deeper water
where the wind turbine structure are able to exploit
steadier wind and are not subjected to constrains like
space restriction, noise and visual impact. The
proposed design incorporates the tilt and telescope
technology that allows the self-installation capability
of a wind turbine at the operational site without any
external assistance of jack up barge and other dynamic
positioning vessels. The proposed structure is equipped
with a circular keel tank that supports a mono column
on it. The circular tank is used as a barge and is
transported to the installation site with a small tug boat.
The tilt and telescopic technology is facilitated through
a frame structure which supports the wind turbine
tower that can be telescoped inside and outside through
a winch mechanism. Hydraulic cylinders are used for
tilting the wind turbine from horizontal to vertical
upright position and vice versa. Wind turbine tower is
kept initially in horizontal position during
transportation phase, so as to reduce the wind loads on
the structure and maintains the safe metacentric height.
The main advantage of the proposed design is that the

whole structure can be assembled near the quay side.
The keel tank is equipped with ballast chambers that
can be ballasted to obtain an operational draft on the
installation site. Installation phase of mono column
wind float is very crucial step since the keel tank has to
be ballasted in a manner such that a positive
metacentric height is maintained at different drafts.
The present paper discusses and investigates
characteristics of mono column wind float at various
drafts during the transition phase, wherein the structure
is deployed to float and operate at a certain depth after
suitable mooring.
Various types of floating substructure for supporting
wind turbine have been analyzed and studied by
researchers in order to come up with a design which is
both economically and technologically viable. The Tri
- floater is one of the designs which is considered as
the potential candidate for supporting 5 MW wind
turbine with an acceptable roll, pitch and heave
characteristics [1]. A numerical simulation tool for
capturing rotor- floater- tether interaction has been
developed and both coupled and uncoupled analysis
has been carried out for mono column TLP. The
coupled analysis considers the time varying
aerodynamic loads, tower blade elastic deformation,
blade control induced loads and gyroscopic effect
Copyright 2014 by IIT Madras, Chennai, India and the RINA,1UK

252

MARHY 2014
inserted inside the cylindrical slot provided in the
mono column such that mono column and keel tank are
completely attached to each other. On the installation
location the keel tank is ballasted which results the
telescopic rod to be telescoped outside the cylindrical
slot and thus exhibits the characteristics of deep draft
floater. The most innovative feature of the proposed
structure is tilt and telescopic technology which is
basically used to position the wind turbine from
horizontal to vertical upright position. Tilt and
telescopic mechanism is facilitated in the structure with
the help of hydraulic cylinders and winch through
which the wind turbine tower can be moved inside and
outside of the frame attached on the top of the mono
column.
during simulation where as in uncoupled analysis the

wind turbine is considered as a rigid structure attached
to the substructure. It is found that the pitch resonance
effect is more pronounced in uncoupled analysis due to
absence of aero-dynamic damping [2]. Modal analysis
has been carried out in order to better understand the
behaviour of an offshore floating wind turbine and was
found that the natural modes of the structure are
excited differently regardless of wave direction [3].
Finite element and hydrodynamic analysis are carried
on various conceptual semisubmersibles in order to
study the response and structural integrity under
different wave load conditions. In order to reduce the
heave and pitch responses, researchers have conducted
various numerical and experimental studies on the
stepped spar platform. It is also observed that four
point mooring system reduces the surge to a greater
extent [4]. Rigorous analysis has been done on the spar
type of platform along with catenary mooring lines for
station keeping. It is found that the peak amplitude of
surge and pitch response decreases with the increase in
the length of the mooring line. Also the position of the
fairlead point plays a very significant role in the surge
and pitch peak amplitude. With the decrease in the
position of the fairlead point below the center of
buoyancy there is a slight increase in the surge
displacement whereas pitch exhibits a monotonic
increment [5]. Feasibility study on two types of spar
platform for moderate and deep water depth has been
conducted and is reported that short spar platform for
moderate water depth exhibits better response
characteristics and is more economical than the spar
platform used in deep waters [6]. Various types of
models are being investigated for their performance in
various sea states and the present work deals with the
analysis of a new concept of monocolumn wind float
during the transition phase.
3. SALIENT DETAILS
COLUMN WIND FLOAT
OF
MONO
Mono column wind float is an innovative floater

design to support 5 MW NREL wind turbine for deep
water expansion of offshore wind farms. The proposed
structure integrates the transportation facility in the
initial design itself. The salient details of the mono
column wind turbine are shown in Figure 1. The
structure consists of three different parts namely mono
column, telescopic rod and a keel tank. Keel tank is a
circular barge that is attached to the mono column
through telescopic rod such that it can be used as a
barge during the transportation phase with a wind
turbine in horizontal position. Telescopic rod is fully
Figure 1.Salient details of mono column wind float
4. TRANSITION PHASE OF MONO

COLUMN WIND FLOAT
Transition phase of mono column wind float is the
most important phase in the whole installation process.
The keel tank is ballasted until the telescopic rod is in
full extended out position from the mono column.
Figure 2(a) to Figure 2(g) shows the complete
installation process of mono column wind float.The
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MARHY 2014
present study investigates the transition draft of 66m,
76m, 86m and 93m with wind turbine both in
horizontal and at 45 position. The schematic diagrams
of above mentioned transition drafts are shown in
Figure 2 (b) to Figure 2 (f). Figure 2(a) and Figure 2(g)
shows the transportation and operational phase of the
mono column wind float and are not the focus of the
present study. At the installation site keel tank is
ballasted so that the draft of the structure increases as
shown in Figure 2(b), Figure 2(c) and Figure
2(d).Telescopic rod connecting the keel tank and mono
column attains the full extension to achieve the desired
draft as shown in Figure 2(e).Once the telescopic rod is
in full extended position the hydraulic cylinders are
used to raise the frame from horizontal position to

vertical upright position. At the same time the wind
turbine tower is telescoped outside the frame with the
use of a winch and is shown in Figure 2(f) and Figure
2(g).The proposed design not only reduces the
transportation and installation cost but also reduces the
economic burden during decommissioning of the
proposed structure. At the time of decommissioning
the frame supporting the wind turbine tower can be
lowered down so as to bring the wind turbine back to
the initial horizontal position and then can be
transported back to the quay side.
Figure 2.(a) Mono column in transportation phase

(b) Transition phase draft= 66m
(c) Transition phase draft=76m
(d) Transition phase draft= 86m

(e) Transition phase, draft= 93m (W.T. horizontal)
(f) Transition phase draft= 93m (W.T. 45 )
(g) Transition phase draft= 93m (W.T. vertical)
3
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MARHY 2014
5. STATIC STABILITY ANALYSIS OF

MONO COLUMN WIND FLOAT
At the water surface the restoration is provided by the

change in the water plane area due to variable
submergence of the structure. The combine equation of
inertial and hydrostatic stability of the mono column
wind float can be expressed by :.
Hydrostatic analysis of mono column wind float is

carried out for transition drafts as discussed in section
4. The proposed design of the structure eliminates the
initial offset in steady state pitch angle and maintains a
positive metacenteric height for all the drafts. The
mono column wind float acts as a surface piercing
cylinder in transition phase and hence static stability at
all the transition drafts are achieved mainly due to the
restoration provided by the vertical distance between
the position of center of buoyancy (C.B.) and the
center of gravity(C.G.). The C.G. is lowered down
well below the C.B. by adding the required amount of
ballast and hence the stability achieved can be
considered as inertial stability.
M restoring (M B gZCB M G gZCG g x 2 dS )5
(1)
where MB, MG, ZCB, ZCG represents buoyant mass,

gravitational mass, center of buoyancy and center of
gravity respectively. 5 is a steady state pitch angle and
x is the lever arm of section dS from center. Salient
details of mono column wind float and Hydrostatic
analysis are presented d in Table 1.
Table 1. Hydrostatic analysis of mono column wind

Float at various transition draft
Platform
Description
Transition Phase
(Draft=66 m )
Transition
Phase
(Draft=76 m )
Transition
Phase
(Draft=86 m )
Transition Phase.
W.T. in horizontal
position(Draft=93 m )
Transition
Phase.W.T. at
45(Draft=93 m )
Total Displacement
11538 t
11667 t
11796 t
11886 t
11886 t
Self-mass
4255 t
4255 t
4255 t
4255 t
4255 t
Ballast
7283 t
7412 t
7541 t
7631 t
7631 t
Total Height
76 m
86 m
96 m
103 m
103 m
Draft
66 m
76 m
86 m
93 m
93 m
53.4 m
61.5 m
70 m
75 m
73.2
Metacentric Height
3.3 m (+ve)
4.7 m (+ve)
6.3 m (+ve)
7.5 m (+ve)
4.8 (+ve)
Radius of gyration
(Rx, Ry, Rz)
29 m, 26 m, 17
m
32 m, 29.4 m,
17 m
35 m, 33 m,
17 m
37.2 m, 35 m, 17m
45 m, 43 m,
17.6 m
Center of Gravity
(from Sea level)
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MARHY 2014
6. NUMERICAL MODELLING
Average of the highest 10% of the response
Hydrodynamic study of mono column wind float in

transition phase is carried out in commercial software
ANSYS-AQWA for a water depth of 200m. Numerical
studies in transition phase are carried out in the
frequency domain at various transition drafts.
Response Amplitude Operators (RAOs) of the
proposed structure are obtained by subjecting the
structure to a wave heading of 0 and wave period

ranging from 3.5 sec to 45 sec.
H1/10 5.09 m0
(8)
where m0 is statistical variance and numerically

calculated as the area under the spectrum. Significant
and RMS response can be used to fit it probability
denisity functions for the reponses and which in turn
are used to find the probability of exceedance of
certain values and in fatigue related calculations.
PM spectrum is used as an input spectrum and is given

by [7].
Sr r ( )
5H s204 5
exp[1.25( ) 4 ]
16
0
(2)
where Hs represent the significant wave height and 0

is the peak frequency. The wave parameters, i.e. Hs
and 0 are chosen according to Indian coastal
environment [8]. Sea state 5 (Hs = 3.22 m and 0=
0.688 rad/sec) is considered for the hydrodynamic
analysis and is shown in Figure 3.
Response spectrum of surge, heave and pitch in
transition state for various drafts are obtained by
relation given as
Sr r RAO S
2
(3)
Figure 3. PM spectrum for sea state 5
where Srr is response spectrum and S is input

spectrum for a given sea state.From the response
spectrums the significant response statistics can be
obtained using the equations below:
Average height of the response (doubled amplitude),
H avg 2.5 m0
7.1 RESPONSE AMPLITUDE OPERATOR
(4)
Response Amplitude Operator (RAO) of the proposed

structure at various transition drafts in Surge, Heave
and Pitch degree of freedom are shown in Figure 4,
Figure 5 and Figure 6. Figure 4 shows that with
increase in the draft of the proposed structure the peak
of the of the surge RAO decreases. Similar trends are
observed in heave RAO as well as for pitch RAO. The
heave natural period at the initial draft of 66m is 42 sec
which is well away from the wave frequency region
and exhibits the typical behavior of deep draft floater
attached with heave plate at bottom. Pitch natural
period is observed at 10 sec.
Maximum Height of the response,
H max 7.44 m0
(5)
Root mean Square height of the response,
H rms 2 2m0
(6)
Significant height of the response
H s 4 m0
(7)
5
256

MARHY 2014
7.2 RESPONSE SPECTRUM

The surge, heave and pitch response spectrums at
various draft for sea state 5 are shown in Figure 7,
Figure 8 and Figure 9 respectively. The response
statistics are reported in Table 2. The maximum
significant response height of surge and heave are
obtained for the initial transition draft of 66m and
reported as 0.18m and 0.05m respectively. The
maximum significant height in pitch is 0.2135 . It is
observed that with increase in draft the significant
response in the surge, heave and pitch decreases.
Figure 4.Surge RAO
Figure7. Response spectrum of surge motion
Figure 5.Heave RAO
Figure 8. Response spectrum of heave motion

Figure 6.Pitch RAO
6
257

MARHY 2014
Figure 9.Response spectrum of pitch motion

Table 2.Response statistics of mono column wind float
for sea state 5
Standard
Draft
Modes
Havg
Deviation
Hmax
Hrms
Hs
H1/10
Surge (m)
0.132
0.330
0.983
0.374
0.530
0.671
Heave (m)
0.047
0.120
0.353
0.134
0.190
0.241
Pitch (degree)
0.121
0.302
0.900
0.342
0.483
0.613
Surge (m)
0.123
0.306
0.911
0.346
0.500
0.622
Heave (m)
0.034
0.086
0.255
0.097
0.137
0.175
Pitch (degree)
0.114
0.284
0.847
0.322
0.455
0.580
Surge (m)
0.115
0.286
0.852
0.324
0.457
0.581
Heave (m)
0.024
0.060
0.180
0.068
0.097
0.123
Pitch (degree)
0.105
0.262
0.780
0.300
0.420
0.533
Surge (m)
0.110
0.273
0.814
0.310
0.437
0.560
Heave (m)
0.019
0.046
0.138
0.052
0.074
0.094
Pitch (degree)
0.100
0.248
0.740
0.281
0.397
0.504
Surge (m)
0.110
0.270
0.801
0.305
0.431
0.547
Heave (m)
0.017
0.043
0.130
0.050
0.069
0.088
Pitch (degree)
0.094
0.235
0.700
0.266
0.376
0.477
66 m
76 m
86 m
93 m (Wind
Turbine
Horizontal
Position)
93 m (Wind
Turbine 45
Position)
7
258

MARHY 2014
[7]Chakarbati S.K. (1987), Hydrodynamics of Offshore
Structures, Computational Mechanics Publications,
Southampton, UK.
8 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION

The present study examines and investigates the
hydrodynamic response of a new innovative selfinstalling mono column wind float in transition phase
at various drafts. RAOs and response specturms are
presented for different cases. It is observed as the
draft increases the peak of the response spectrum
decreases. Response spectrums for surge, heave and
pitch of the monocolumn wind float in floating
condition for sea state 5 are obtained and response
statistics are presented. The heave RAO of the
proposed structure shows that the peak response of the
structure lies well away from the wave frequency
range. Though the peak of the pitch RAO lies within
the wave frequency range, the maximum pitch
response of the structure is found to be 0.18 degree/m
which within the acceptable range of 10 for the towing
and installation conditions [9].
The proposed structure shows that the motion response
of the structure in transition phase for surge, heave and
pitch are very less.
[8] Sannasiraj S A (2007), Coastal problem and

mitigation measures- Including the effect of TsunamiIndo Japan workshop, India.
[9] Crozier. A (2011), Design and dynamic modeling
of support structure for a 10 MW offshore wind
turbine.
AUTHORS BIOGRAPGHY
Utkarsh Ramayan is a research scholar (M.S.) in
department of Ocean Engineering, IIT Madras, India.
R. Panneer Selvam is an Associate Professor in the
Department of Ocean Engineering, IIT Madras.His
research expertise covers Stochastic modelling and
simulation, System Identification, Nonlinear dynamical
fluid structure systems - its applications in ocean and
wind engineering.
REFERENCES
Nagan Srinivasan holds the current position of Lead

Engineer at Cheveron, Houston, Texas.
[1] Robertson A.N., Jonkman J.M. (2011) Loads

Analysis of Several Offshore Floating Wind Turbine
Concepts. Presented at the International Society of
Offshore and Polar Engineers 2011 Conference, Maui,
Hawaii.
[2] Bae Y.H., Kim M.H. (2013). Rotor- floater-tether
coupled dynamics including second order sumfrequency wave loads for a mono column TLP-type
FOWT (floating offshore wind turbine).Ocean
Engineering 61.2013, 109-122.
[3] Phillippe M., Babarit A., Ferrant P. Modse of
response of an offshore wind turbine with directional
wind and waves.Renewable Energy 49(2013) 151-155.
[4]
LathaSethuraman,
VengatesanVenugopal
2012.Hydrodynamic response of a stepped-spar
floating wind turbine: Numerical modeling and tank
testing. Renewable Energy 52,160-174.
[5 ] Jeon S.H., Cho J.R. Seo M.W. Dynamic response
of floating substructure of spar-type offshore wind
turbine with catenary mooring cables. Ocean
Engineering 72.(2013) 356-364.
[6] Karimirad M., Moan T., Feasibility of the
application of a spar-type wind turbine at a moderate
water depth.EnergyProcedia24. (2012), 340-350.
8
259
International
on Computational
MarineConference
Hydrodynamics
(ACEMH 2014) and Experimental Marine Hydrodynamics
MARHY 2014
3-4
December
2014,
Chennai,
India.
Experimental and Computational Study of Lift - Based Flapping Foil Propulsion for Ships
Naga Praveen Babu Mannam1, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai, India.
Krishnankutty P2, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai, India.
ABSTRACT
Flying and marine animals often use flapping wings, fins, or tails to generate thrust . This was based on law of action
and reaction because a force given by swimming animals to a fluid causes a reacting force from the fluid to animals,
namely thrust. The entire sub-sea aquatic propulsion modes are classified into four different forms: Lift - based, Drag
Based, Undulation mode and Jet Propulsion. Fluid dynamics related to thrust of swimming animals was discussed. In
this paper, we used lift-based propulsion modes for 3m ship model. The reciprocating motion consists of yawing and
swaying. In this study, the concept design of flapping foil propulsion boat is done with reference to penguin or turtle
propulsion. Resistance tests are carried out in towing tank with hull and fins attached to bottom of ship model. The
efficiency of lift - based bio-mimetic flapping foil propulsion system is presented in this paper. Numerical simulations
have been carried out in CFD Package Ansys Fluent to analyze the vortices of flapping foils. We have studied the
thrust generation by a dual flapping foils in tandem mode and the results are presented here. The staggered array of
vortices that forms in the wake of a cylinder (or any bluff body) is von karman vortex street (vks) which is drag. At low
flapping amplitude for a fixed strouhal number a forced wake resembling a von karman vortex street. When the
amplitude increases the rotation of direction of vortices changes and the flows in the wake transit from von karman
(vks) to reverse von karman (rvks) and the mean flow is a typical jet profile which characterizes thrust.
1. INTRODUCTION
Birds and insects use flapping to generate both
Engineers are increasingly looking for inspiration from
propulsion and lift. Flapping motion can be viewed as a
nature and there is a great interest in making miniature
combined pitching and heaving motion and Knoller and
machines that can mimic those that Nature has perfected
Betz [46] were one of the first to explain the
through millions of years of evolution. Researchers have
mechanism of thrust generation for such flapping foils.
already built a micro-aerial vehicle of the size of a
Combined pitching and heaving is a motion that also
housefly and several mechanical designs evolved in fish
makes an appearance in swimming animals. For
are currently inspiring robotic devices for propulsion and
instance, the motion of the tail (caudal) fin of most fish
maneuvering purposes in underwater vehicles [1,2]. One
can essentially be viewed as a combined pitch-and-heave
engineered system that could substantially benefit from
motion [7]. One key feature that is unique to fish is the
biological inspiration is the autonomous underwater
presence of multiple sets of fins which allow them to
vehicle (AUV). As research and use of AUVs is
propel and maneuver precisely in aquatic environments
expanding [3], there is increased demand for improved
that are usually highly unsteady. For instance, many
efficiency and performance to allow for longer and more
species of fish have highly developed dorsal, pectoral,
complex missions.
pelvic, anal and caudal fins and the fish can choose to
employ one or more of these fins at any given time. This
Copyright
India
andTthe

2014
by
IIT
Madras,
Chennai,

2014:
he RINA,
Royal UK
Institution of Naval Architects and IIT Madras
260

MARHY 2014
suggests the interesting possibility that a downstream fin
of the trout in the wake of a D-cylinder. The
might find itself immersed in the flow disturbed by
experimental results show that the trout voluntarily alter
another upstream fin, and that fishes might gain some
their body kinematics when interacting with vortices
hydrodynamical advantage from such an interaction.
present in the environment that are not self-generated.
There have been other studies that have examined the
Their results suggest that fish can capture energy from
effect of upstream vortices on the performance of
vortices generated by the environment to maintain
flapping
station in downstream flow.
foils.
Several
theoretical
studies
have
emphasized the potential for wake interaction among

nearby fish fins to increase propulsive efficiency [710].
In this paper, the fuid dynamics of aquatic deep sea
Gopalkrishnan et al. [11] have examined the interaction
propulsors
of a flapping foil with vortices shed by a bluff body. In
simulations are carried out in Ansys Fluent CFD package
their experiments, a foil was placed in the wake of a D-
at different amplitudes and frequencies to witness von
section cylinder, sufficiently far behind the cylinder so
karman vortex and reverse von karman vortices of
that it did not interfere with the vortex formation
flapping
process. The foil performed combined heaving and
characteristics of flapping foil propulsion ship is
pitching oscillations at a frequency close to the Strouhal
presented here.
is
foils
briefly
in
described.
tandem
mode.
Two
The
numerical
propulsive
frequency of the cylinder, while the cylinder and foil

also moved forward at a constant speed. Flow
2. BIOMIMETIC PROPULSION SYSTEMS FOR
visualization experiments were conducted at a Reynolds
MARINE VEHICLES
number (Re) of 550 and force and torque measurements

were made at a Reynolds number of 20000. By varying
Bio-mimetics is a field of mimicking how form matches
the phase of the foil oscillation (varying the spacing
function in natural systems. Aquatic animals swim using
between D-cylinder and foil), three basic interaction
a combination of four different propulsive techniques:
modes were identified: expanding wake, destructive
Undulation, Rowing, Lift and jet mode.
interaction
with
cylinder
wake
and
constructive
interaction with cylinder wake. They also observed a
2.1 UNDULATION
variation in the propulsive efficiency as a function of

spacing between cylinder and foil. Tuncer and Platzer
Undulation is the process of fish propulsion
[12] have studied the thrust generation by a single
through wavelike motions of a portion of a fishs body.
flapping airfoil and a flapping/ stationary airfoil in
These wavelike movements push backward on the water
tandem. In their simulations, they observed that a
thus propelling the fish forwards. To optimize forward
flapping airfoil undergoing heave motion
motion thrust must be maximized while drag and any
produces thrust. In flapping/stationary airfoil analysis,
lateral forces minimized. The amplitude of undulations
they have studied the effect of a heaving airfoil over a
along with surface area of the interacting part typically
stationary airfoil placed downstream in its wake and
increases from head to tail along the fishs body. This
observed a significant augmentation of thrust in the latter
results in greater force generation. Examples of
case. Liao et al. [13] have performed experiments on
Undulating Fish: Tuna, Shark, and Eels
rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss and studied the gait
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MARHY 2014
2.2 DRAG BASED PROPULSION
Jetting is noticeably different from undulatory and

flapping fight , but in many ways it is simpler to
Whereas propulsion by undulation is obtained by the
understand. Some of the most familiar biological jetters
movements of the fish body and more specifically the
are ocean squids and jellyfish. Both propels themselves
caudal tail, propulsion by rowing is obtained through the
by accelerating a jet of fluid backward, causing them to
motions of the pectoral and pelvic fins which are also
move forward according to the reaction force from
known as paired fins. This method is broken up into two
Newton's third law. Each has a unique way of generating
main motions: the power stroke and the recovery stroke.
the jet.
The power stroke is the first half of the motion where the
paired fins move backward with respect to the body.
3.
FLAPPING
FOIL
PROPULSION
When the fins flip backward they push on the water
EXPERIMENTAL STUDY
SHIP
behind them. During the motion of the fin, drag is

induced opposite to the direction of the fin. During the
The flapping foil propulsion ship creates less turbulence
power stroke this drag points in the forward direction
in water. With each stroke of the paddle, you'll see
(from fish tail to head) while in the recovery the drag is
vortices, or whirlpools, on the surface of the water.
opposite. These drag forces act to push the fish in the
These vortices are connected underwater, and there is
direction they act. It follows that in order to maximize
considerable energy in these rotating masses of water. To
forward efficiency of rowing drag should be zero during
create forward thrust on the water, a boat must move
the recovery stroke and greatest during the power stroke.
water backward. It can either move a little water quickly,
The shape and flexibility of the fishs fins have a large
or a lot of water slowly. The key to efficiency is to move
impact on the drag coefficient and as a result directly
a lot of water slowly with the least amount of turbulence.
relate to the efficiency of motion.
Oscillating foils can make use of vortices that are

naturally shed from anything going through the water to
2.3 LIFT - BASED PROPULSION
offset the vortices that would normally be generated by

fins. This equates to less turbulence in the water. " The
In lift-based propulsion however animals do not
solid works model of flapping foil propulsion ship is
need to push backward on the water. Animals that swim
shown in figure 1. The main dimensions of the vessels
using this method use their fins as wings. Lift is created
are given in Table 1.
when there is a pressure difference between the top and

bottom of the wing. In order to keep the lift with a
Table I: Main Dimensions of Flapping Foil Ship
component facing forward animals adjust the angle of
Particulars
Model
attack by rotating and swinging their "wings". It is
LOA
2.943 m
Breadth
0.667 m
Depth
0.253 m
Max. draft
0.187 m
however important to note that the lift forces in addition

to providing forward movement will also provide up and
down motion. To balance these vertical forces the animal
must alternate positive and negative angles of attack.
Displacement at
2.4 JET PROPULSION
max. draft
Design speed
291.8 kg
1.328 m/s
262

MARHY 2014
The ship model fitted with fins and other fixtures (Fig. 3)
was run in the towing tank to experimentally determine
the model resistance at different speeds. The model was
built in fiber glass to the above scale. The towing tank
dimensions are 82.0 m long 3.2 m wide 2.5 m (water
depth). The model was ballasted to the loaded condition
with even keel. Model towing tests were conducted in
the speed range covering the design speed. The
Figure 2. Solidworks model of Flapping Foil Ship
resistance test results are tabulated in Table 2. The

effective power of the model with fins is 33.15W at a
Oscillating fin propulsion has been used to produce
speed of 1.3m/s. The measured motor output power to
efficient propulsion. Oscillating foils are a pair of
the drive system is 59.66W. Thus the efficiency of the
counter-oscillating, passive pitch, chord wise flexible
model is 55% ignoring the mechanical losses in the drive
foils. The foils are designed with a stiff leading edge and
and transmission system. The test set up of the model in
a flapping pivot point at the top of the foil with a
the towing carriage is shown in Fig. 4.
decreasing chord length from the top to the bottom of the

foil. The forward and aft foils are inline and are designed
to have equal but opposite instantaneous angular position
and velocity. From top to bottom, the foils measured
approximately 0.33 meters and at 7/10 the way downs
the foil, the chord length was 0.1 meters. The propulsion
means comprises a pair of flappers each having a leading
Figure 3. Resistance Test Set-up
edge and a trailing edge and adapted to oscillates with

respect to the central longitudinal dimension of the
TABLE II. RESISTANCE TEST RESULTS
vessel.. The fin is oscillated from a pivot point near the

base of its mast. This motion induces a velocity field
S.NO
Speed
Resistance
Effective
(N)
Power (W)
1.
0.4
0.78
0.8
proportional to the distance from the base. In order to
2.
0.6
1.17
achieve efficient lift (avoid stall and operate near optimal
3.
0.8
1.56
10
Lift Coefficient), the fin must twist in a manner
4.
1.0
1.94
16
16
proportional to the increased perpendicular flow speed. It
5.
1.2
6.
1.3
perpendicular to the fin that increases in strength
has been found that having a wider cord length at the tip;
(m/s)
Speed (Kn)
2.33
2.53
22
25.5
26.4
33.15
(essentially square-tip design) creates the desired fin

twist and thus more efficient propulsion. The flappers
The graph between resistance and speed is showin in
can be made with rubber and polyurethane.
figure 4. The graph between effective power and speed is

shown in figure 5.
3.1 RESISTANCE EXPERIMENTS
263

MARHY 2014
vortex street and is known as reverse von Karman street.

If time-averaging is applied at some location cutting the
wake in the normal direction to the free-stream a jet
profile or momentum surfeit wake is obtained. The
vortex street produced by the flapping foil in effect
produces a jet flow. This vortex configuration is
hereafter referred to as thrust producing wake. This is to
be expected since the thrust experienced by the foil must
be found as momentum increase in the fluid.
4.1 GEOMETRY
Figure 3.
Resistance vs ship speed at fully

The dimension of the flapping foils and their relative
loaded condition with even keel.
position used for the numerical simulation have is same

as that of the experimental model. The span along the
negative Z axis is 300mm. The hydrofoil cross section is
tapered linearly along the span. The dimension of the top
cross section has a maximum width of 32.6mm and a
maximum chord length of 150mm. The geometrical
shape of the cross sections are same. The distance
between two flapping foils is 100mm and the distance
from the rotating shaft centre to the topmost cross
section is 50mm. Figure 5 shows the dimensions of the
Figure 4.
Effective power vs ship speed at fully
flapping foils.
loaded condition with even keel.

4. FLAPPING FOILS - CFD STUDY
It is well known, every change in the incidence of the
hydrofoil will produce a starting vortex which is shed
from the trailing edge. Therefore, a sinusoidally
oscillating foil will generate a vortex street behind the
foil. This phenomenon can be reproduced easily
experimentally or simulated with the computational
approaches. Depending of the
velocity, the resulting
vortex street can be drag producing wake or can consist

of an upper row of counterclockwise vortices and a row
of lower clockwise vortices. This vortex street therefore
is just the opposite of the well known von Karman
Figure 5. Dimensions of Flapping Foil
264

MARHY 2014
4.2 SIGN CONVENTION
4.4 MESHING
In this research, a right handed coordinate system, fixed
The meshing was done in GAMBIT software. After
to the moving carriage, is used with the x-axis aligned
points were given different domains were created
with the flow and the z-axis pointing upwards. All angles
by lines and curves. Five Surfaces were created two
and moments are defined as positive in the right-handed
hydrofoil, two outer moving surfaces, one non
sense. Figure
6 shows a schematic of the sign
conventions used to describe the foil kinematics. The

foil "flaps" by rotating about X axis (rotating shaft).
moving back ground surface. Hydrofoil surfaces

was subtracted from outer moving surfaces. Mesh
domain was split for the purpose of dynamic
meshing.The static domain edges (four outer edges
) has given the spacing of 0.4. The hydrofoil edge
and outer hydrofoil edge is given 0.2 for spacing.
Size of 0.2 was chosen for face mesh option
triangular mesh was chosen. Mesh was created and
the zones were defined in Figure 8.
Figure 6. Sign convention

4.3 KINEMATICS
The two hydrofoils are flapping in out of face there by
cancelling any rotational moment which could be formed
for the vehicle. Figure 7 shows the front view of the
geometric model for two different angles 450 and 900.
Green represent foil one and blue for foil two as shown
in Figure 1. These figures were made in Rhinoceros
Figure 8. Mesh Generation
Software. The front and top side of the foils is kept rigid
as in experimental model.
4.5 CFD RESULTS

Two numerical simulations are performed in Ansys
Fluent with varying parameters, strouhal number (st) and
aspect ratios (A/D) of flapping foils. Strouhal number
(St), this number is well known for characterizing the
vortex dynamics and shedding behavior of unsteady
flows. In some St ranges, the flapping foil produces
thrust, and the vortices in the wake are termed reverse
Figure 7. Foil Kinematics
von Karman vortices. In general, for flapping flight,
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MARHY 2014
the dimensionless parameter St is normally defined as,

st = fA/U
....(1)
where f is the stroke (flapping) frequency in flapping

flight, A is the stroke (flapping) amplitude, and U is the
forward velocity.
Case 1: At strouhal number (st) = 0.31 and A/D = 6.153
Figure 11. Drag Force vs Time
Figure 9. Mesh used for present compuatation

Table III. Input Parameters for Case I
Mesh
Inlet Velocity
Wma
Figure 12. Lift Force vs Time

Case I1: At strouhal number (st) = 0.18 and A/D =2.84
I
1 m/s
Wmax
20.09mm
Lmax
120mm
A/D
6.153
Strouhal Number
0.313
Frequency
12 Hz
Figure 13. Mesh used for present compuatation

Table IV. Input Parameters for Case II
Mesh
Inlet Velocity
Wma
2
1 m/s
Wmax
30.43mm
Lmax
140mm
A/D
2.84
Strouhal Number
Frequency
0.1826
6 Hz
Figure 10. Instantaneous velocity contours at st = 0.31
266

MARHY 2014
Table V shows the simulation results

SIM
Case
I
Case
II
MDS1
-8426.3
MDS2
-9570.5
MLS1
-6599.4
MLS2
-6959.3
StNo
0.31
A/D
6.15
-38.8
-148.6
678.1
391.6
0.18
2.84
From this analysis, clearly we see that increasing the

vertical spacing between the rows increases the region of
lower time-averaged velocity (for von Karman street) or
higher velocity (for reverse von Karman street) between
Figure 14. Instantaneous velocity contours at st = 0.18
the rows. This then increases the drag (or thrust) of the
configuration in the direct proportion to the vertical
spacing.
5. CONCLUSIONS
This
paper
illustrates
two-dimensional
numerical
simulations of flapping foils under different amplitudes

and frequencies. At low amplitudes, we observe von
karman vortex street, as the amplitude and frequency
increases we observe reverse von karman vortex street
Figure 15. Drag Force vs Time
which is a thrust producing wake. Numerical simulations

also allow us to determine the mechanism responsible
for this performance enhancement. This study points the
way to a bio-inspired tandem flapping foil combination
that could potentially be employed in underwater
vehicles
and
ships
for
thrust
and
efficiency
augmentation. The current simulations do not include

effects that could potentially have an impact on fin-fin
interactions.
The
first
is
the
effect
of
three-
dimensionality on the flow. Thus, future studies that

examine these effects are recommended. Such studies
Figure 16. Lift Force vs Time
should also investigate the effect of parameters such as

foil distance, foil amplitude and frequency since these
The following Table V shows the results of the two

numerical simulations that was conducted.MDS is mean
drag per unit span and MLS is mean lift per unit span in
N. St.No is Strouhal number and A/D is the aspect ratio.
could potentially have a significant effect on the

performance of the tandem foil configuration. The ship
model experiment performed here using dual flap system
has demonstrated the working technology of flapping
foil system for ship propulsion. The propulsive
efficiency in the present setup is low at 55%, but it is
obvious that further improvement in the transmission
267

MARHY 2014
and foil system are possible, which will improve its
9.
Yates, G.T.: Hydrodynamics of body and caudal fin

propulsion. In: Webb, P.W., Weihs, D. (eds.) Fish
efficiency.
Biomechanics, pp. 177213. Praeger, New York (1983).
6. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
10.
Weihs, D.: Design features and mechanics of axial

locomotion in fish. Am. Zool. 29, 151160 (1989).
The authors would like to thank Dept. of Ocean
11.
Gopalkrishnan, R., Triantafyllou, M.S., Triantafyllou, G.S.,
Engineering, IIT Madras, India for providing financial
Barrett, D.S.: Active vorticity control in a shear flow using
support for doing this project. We are also thankful to
a flapping foil. J. Fluid Mech. 274, 121 (1994).
Mr. Richards C S for his generous support in this work.
12.
Tuncer, I.H., Platzer,M.F.: Thrust generation due to airfoil

flapping. Am. Insit. Aeronaut.Astronaut. J. 34(2), 324331
7. REFERENCES
1.
(1996).
13.
Liao, J.C., Beal,D.N., Lauder, G.V.,
Triantafyllou,
flippers or two? Tetrapodal swimming with an aquatic
M.S.: The Karman gait: novel body
kinematics of
robot. Bioinspirat. Biomimet. 1, 2029 (2006).
rainbowtrout swimming in a vortex street.
Long, J.H., Joseph, S., Nicholas, L., Mathieu, K.: Four
J. Exp. Biol.
206, 10591073 (2003).

2.
Triantafyllou, G.S., Triantafyllou, M.S., Grosenbaugh,

M.A.: Optimal thrust development in oscillating foils with
application to fish propulsion. J. Fluids Structures 7, 205

224 (2003).
3.
Anderson, J.M., Kerrebrock, P.A.: The vorticity control
5.
6.
Dept. of Ocean Engineering, Indian Institute of
unmanned undersea vehicle (VCUUV)An autonomous
technology Madras, India. His field of research includes
vehicle
biological
employing
fish
maneuvering.
In:
Symposium
Unmanned
swimming
Proceedings
of
propulsion
10th
Untethered
and
International
Submersible
Technology, NH, 189195 (1997).

4.
Mannam Naga Praveen Babu, Ph.D scholar in the
propulsion
and
vortex
dynamics,
ship
propulsion.
2
Dr. Krishnankutty. P holds the current position of
Knoller, R.: Die Gesetze des Luftwiderstandes. Flug -Und
Professor Dept. of Ocean Engineering, Indian Institute
Motortechnik(Wien) 3(21), 17 (1909).
of technology Madras, India. His field of research
Betz, A.: Ein Beitrag zur Erklarung des Segelfluges.
includes Ocean wave-structure interaction, ship-to-ship
Zeitschrift Fur Flugtechnik Und Motorluftschiffart 3, 269
hydrodynamic
272 (1912).
motions, high-speed vessel passenger comfort, HSV
Jones, K.D., Dohring, C.M., Platzer, M.F.: Experimental
interaction,
ship
maneuvering
and
wave wash study.
and computational investigation of the Knoller Betz effect.

Am. Inst. Aeronaut. Astronaut. J. 36(7), 12401246 (1998).
7.
Lighthill,
Philadelphia:
M.J.:
Mathematical
Society
for
Biofluiddynamics.
Industrial
and
Applied
Mathematics (1975).
8.
Wu, T.: Hydrodynamics of swimming fishes and cetaceans.

Advanced Appl Math 11, 163 (1971).
268

International
Conference
onand
Computational
and Experimental Marine
Editors: P. Krishnankutty, R. Sharma,
V. Anantha
Subramanian
S. K. Bhattacharyya
Hydrodynamics
MARHY 2014
INVESTIGATION ON THE EFFECT OF FINENESS RATIO ON THE

HYDRODYNAMIC FORCES ON AN AXISYMMETRIC UNDERWATER BODY AT
INCLINED FLOW
Praveen PC1, Krishnankutty P2, Panigrahi PK1
1 Naval Science and Technological Laboratory, Visakhapatnam, India
2 Department of Ocean Engineering, IIT Madras, India
ABSTRACT
In this paper the effect of fineness ratio on the hydrodynamic forces and moments generated on an
axisymmetric body at inclined flow is studied. The present body is torpedo shaped with an elliptical nose,
tapered tail and a cylindrical middle body. The nose and tail shapes and lengths of underwater vehicles are
generally designed for minimum drag, proper inflow to propeller etc. The length of middle body is decided
based on the internal volume requirements for carrying various payloads. This study deals with the estimation
of hydrodynamic forces and moments acting on the axisymmetric body for five different fineness ratios varying
from 10 to 15 due to inclined flow. The flow inclination is varied from 0 to 18. The change in fineness ratio is
obtained by changing the length of the cylindrical middle body only. The estimation is done by experimental,
numerical and empirical means. Experiments are done in NSTL towing tank using a Planar Motion Mechanism
(PMM) at a speed of 3m/s resulting in a Reynolds numbers of 2.2 107 to 2.9 107 depending on the fineness
ratio. The axial force, normal force and pitch moment acting on the model was measured during the
experiments using a 6 component dynamometer. Numerical study based on RANS was carried out using
commercial CFD code Fluent 6.2 and the mesh generation was carried out using ICEM-CFD 10.0 meshing tool.
A comprehensive study on mesh densities, domain size and turbulence models were done to establish the
accuracy of numerical predictions. Empirical study is done based on a method suggested by Allen and Perkins.
In this method the total cross force is estimated as a sum of potential cross force and viscous cross force, which
is a function of cross flow drag. The numerical results are in very good agreement with the experimental values
in addition to giving detailed predictions of flow field and force distributions. The empirical results agree
reasonably well with the experimental results. The variation of forces and moments due to change in fineness
ratio is estimated and its influence on the hydrodynamic behavior of the body is discussed.
NOMENCLATURE
1. INTRODUCTION
[Symbol]
L
D
f
Cf
Cd*
Cdb
Cd0
Ca
Cl
Cm
k2, k1
Cdc
Ab
Ap
x1
Underwater vehicles used for ocean science

research and naval warfare needs to be stabile,
manoeuvrable
and
controllable. Trajectory
simulations of the vehicle under various control
commands require accurate estimation of the
hydrodynamic forces and moments due to linear
and angular velocities. These hydrodynamic
parameters are usually estimated by experimental,
numerical or empirical means. Most of the common
underwater vehicles are torpedo shaped with
elliptical nose, tapered tail and a cylindrical middle
body. The nose and tail shapes and lengths are
dictated by hydrodynamic reasons like minimum
drag and proper inflow to the propeller and
positioning of control fins. However the middle
body is the portion which carry the payloads and
hence its length is determined by the requirement
of internal volume. During the initial stages of
design the vehicle length is usually kept as a
variable to meet various design requirements. In
this study the effect of variation of the fineness
ratio (length-diameter ratio) on the hydrodynamic
forces and moments of a torpedo shaped
axisymmetric underwater vehicle due to angle of
attack is presented. The hydrodynamic parameter
x0
x0*
xm
xc
[Definition] [[(unit)]
Length of body (m)
Diameter of body (m)
Fineness ratio, L/D
Angle of attack (deg)
Friction drag coefficient
Drag coefficient
Base drag coefficient
Total drag coefficient
Axial drag coefficient
Lift coefficient
Pitch moment coefficient
Lambs apparent mass coeff.
Cross flow drag coefficient
Correction factor to Cdc
Effective base area (m2)
Planform area (m2)
Volume (m3)
Location of max negative slope
in the body profile (m)
Location of effec. base area (m)
Modified x0 (m)
Centre of buoyancy (m)
Centre of planform area (m)
1
269

MARHY 2014
determined are the axial force, normal force and
pitching moment due to angle of attack by
experimental, numerical and empirical means The
change in fineness ratio (f) of the vehicle is
accomplished by changing the length of the
cylindrical middle body while keeping the nose and
tail lengths and diameter constant. The present
study is confined to bare hull configuration of the
vehicle.
The nose of the vehicle used in this study has a
length of ~0.8D, where D is the maximum body
diameter while the tail has a length of 2.1D. Five
different middle body lengths were selected to
obtain different fineness ratios varying between
10.8 and 14.4. The range of fineness ratio is
selected to cover the nominal values of practical
AUVs, submarines and torpedoes from literature
[6-18]. The details of the models are given in the
Table 1 and Figure 1.
accomplished by inserting the intermediate sections

between the other three sections. All the model
sections were manufactured out of FRP and joined
together by means of aluminium rings.
The model was instrumented with six
component force balance system which was placed
at the middle section. The force balance consists of
3 force gages to measure the forces in the x, y and z
direction at each of the two struts of the VPMM.
During the tests the tow struts were lowered into
water to get deepest practical depth of submergence
around 2.1m (~4D) [2]. The photograph of the
model connected to the towing carriage is given in
Figure 2.
Figure 1: Schematic of the models

Figure 2: Model during experiments
Model
Lnose/D
Lmid/D
Ltail/D
L/D
0.8
7.9
2.1
10.8
0.8
8.5
2.1
11.4
0.8
9.6
2.1
12.5
0.8
10.4
2.1
13.3
0.8
11.5
2.1
14.4
Table 1: Details of the models

2. EXPERIMENTAL ESTIMATION
The experimental investigations were conducted at
High Speed Towing Tank (HSTT) at Naval Science
&
Technological
Laboratory
(NSTL),
Visakhapatnam. The tests were conducted using
Vertical Planar Motion Mechanism (VPMM)
available at HSTT. Since this study involves a
parametric study of the effect of fineness ratio on
the hydrodynamic forces the models were
manufactured in modular fashion consisting of nose
section, tail section, middle section and 3
intermediate sections. The length variation was
The quantities measured during the tests are

axial and normal forces, angle of attack of the body
and the carriage speed. During the tests the forces
are directly obtained from the gage system through
the data acquisition system averaged over the
chosen period. Here the gage signal is fed through
low pass filter (cut-off frequency 0.05 Hz) and
amplifier unit which amplifies and converts the
gage signal from mV to N. The sampling frequency
during data acquisition is kept at 10Hz during the
tests. During the tests the axial force, X and normal
force, Z acting on the axisymmetric body model at
different angles of attack were measured. The pitch
moment, M acting on the model was estimated by
taking the moment of the normal force about the
centre of buoyancy of the model. The tests were
conducted at a constant forward velocity of 3m/s at
different angles of attack (18 deg at 2 deg
interval) [2-4].
3. NUMERICAL ESTIMATION
Numerical method by RANS is becoming an
alternate means for estimation of hydrodynamic
coefficients. Ref [6, 7, 10] deals with such studies
conducted on AUVs for estimation of
2
270

MARHY 2014
hydrodynamic coefficients due to angle of attack.
Studies are reported for DARPA submarine, in bare
hull and appended hull configuration, for which
extensive experimental data is available [8, 9, 11 to
14]. Ref [13] gives an account of numerical
estimation of bare hull DARPA submarine at
incidence while [9] gives key techniques for better
numerical prediction of forces and moments at
incidence. Ref [8, 11 to 14] gives detailed analysis
of the integral values as well as flow parameters for
DARPA submarine.
The present numerical analysis is carried out using
commercial CFD package, Fluent 6.2. The
modelling of the geometry of the vehicle and
generation of mesh is carried by using ICEMCFD
10.0 meshing tool. For the numerical analysis the
fluid domain surrounding the vehicle is modelled
using
incompressible
isothermal
Reynolds
Averaged Navier Stokes (RANS) equations to
predict the flow field (U = u, v, w) and pressure (p)
around the vehicle model. The typical mesh used
for numerical study is given in Figure 3.
Figure 3: Typical mesh used for numerical analysis

Mesh Generation: A structured grid using
hexahedral cells with H-O topology is employed
for the present study. The results of the numerical
study are highly dependent on the various mesh
parameters. The most important parameters which
influence the numerical results are the distance of
the first layer of the cells to the hull, mesh size and
domain size. In this study the first cell height was
placed such that the wall y+ is kept in the range 30100, as this range gives better prediction of normal
forces and moments as per literature. The mesh size
was kept between 1.3 to 1.6 million for the five
models. Mesh dependency study was conducted for
Model-C by using four mesh sizes 0.17, 0.36, 0.63
and 1.35 million. During the mesh dependency
study wall y+ was kept constant at about ~ 40.
Boundary Conditions:
The velocity inlet
boundary condition is applied at inlet and far
boundary. Outflow boundary condition is applied at
outlet. Stationary wall condition is applied on the

body wall. The inlet and outlet boundary are kept at
distance of one length and five lengths respectively
from nose and aft of vehicle respectively. This
ensures that the flow gets fully developed at the
exit. The far boundary is placed one body length
away from the hull, to ensure that the flow
conditions at far boundary is same as free stream
conditions and not affected by flow inside the
domain. There are generally two means to
accomplish an angle of attack to the flow (i) by
specifying the velocity components at the inlet and
(ii) by tilting an inner portion of the mesh to the
required angle of attack. In this study the former is
adopted as literature suggests that this gives
reasonably good prediction of forces and moments.
Turbulence Model: Due to time averaging of
the Navier Stokes equations to generate the RANS
equations 6 unknowns are created, named as
Reynolds stresses. Various turbulence models are
available to solve the Reynolds stresses using the
known quantities which enable closure of the
RANS equations. The most widely used two
equation turbulence models by marine industry are
k- and k- models and their variations RNG k-,
Realizable k- and SST k-. In this study k-
model was used as this model gives better
prediction for complex boundary later flows with
adverse pressure gradients and separation.
Literature suggest that k- model along with a wall
y+ of 30-100 gives best predictions of normal
forces and moments. However studies were also
conducted with k-, RNG k-, and SST k- for
Model-B to evaluate the comparative performance
of various turbulence models.
Solver settings: Fluents double precision,
segregated, pressure based solver is used to carry
out the steady RANS simulations. For convection
and diffusion terms, QUICK scheme is adopted
while SIMPLE algorithm is used for pressurevelocity coupling. The convergence criteria are
kept at 1e-5.
4. EMPIRICAL ESTIMATION
The axial force, normal force and pitching moment
on bare hull when placed at an angle of attack are
estimated based on a method suggested by Allen &
Perkins. Here the total cross force is estimated as a
sum of potential cross force and viscous cross
force, which is a function of cross flow drag. The
simplified expression for normal force (Zw) and
pitch moment (Mw) is derived from the lift, drag
and pitching moment coefficients for slender blunt
based bodies in incompressible flow. The
formulations of Allen & Perkins are modified to get
better predictions by Barros et.al and Mackay [7,
3
271

MARHY 2014
15-18] and are employed here. The general
expressions for drag, lift and moment coefficients
are given below.
Ca=[Cd0cos3 + (k2-k1)Absin2 + CdcApsin3]/L2
(1)
5. RESULTS OF THE EXPERIMENTAL

STUDY
The axial and normal force and pitching moment
for the five model configurations obtained through
experiments are compiled in Figure 4, 5 and 6.
Cl=[(k2-k1)Absin(2)cos(/2) + CdcApsin2]/L2
(2)
The effective base area, Ab is based on the location

x0*. The distance x0* is estimated as the average of
vehicle length, L and the distance from nose at
which the flow can no longer be considered as
potential, x0. The semi empirical expression for x0
is given by [7]
x0 = 0.378L + 0.527x1
(4)
The cross flow drag coefficient, Cdc is based on the

relation given by Mackay [18], which gives a lower
value than the value of 1.2 for a infinitely long
cylinder [7, 15]. The correction factor,
accounting for the finite length of the body is
obtained from chart 14 of Ref [15].
The drag is estimated based on drag coefficient Cd0
which is estimated as a sum of hull drag coefficient
based on DATCOM, Cd* and base drag coefficient,
Cdb. Cd* is a function of skin friction drag, Cf and
body fineness ratio, f. The various drag coefficients
are estimated as below [17,18].
Cf = 0.075/(log(Re)-2)2
(5)
Cd* = Cf(1+60/f +0.0025f)S/L

3
Cdb = 0.029(Db/D) (Cd*)

Cd0 = Cd* + Cdb
-0.5
(6)
2
An/L
(7)
(8)
Where Re is the Reynolds number based on length,

S is the hull wetted surface area, Db is the base
diameter and An is the cross section area at the end
of nose section.
Model A
Model B
Model C
Model D
Model E
-100
-150
-200
-250
0
10
15
Angle of attack [deg]
20
Figure 4: Experimental results for axial force

200
0
Normal force, Z [N]
-200
-400
Model A
-600
Model B
-800
Model C
-1000
Model D
-1200
Model E
-1400
-1600
0
10
15
20
Figure 5: Experimental results for normal force

2500
Pitch moment, M [Nm]
Cm=[(k2-k1)(-Ab(x0*-xm))sin(2)cos(/2)
(3)
CdcAp(xm-xp)sin2]/L3
Axial force, X [N]
-50
2000
1500
1000
500
Model A
Model B
Model C
Model D
Model E
The axial force coefficient, X and normal force

coefficient, Z are estimated from Cd and Cl as
follows
X=Cdcos - Clsin
(9)
Z=Clcos + Cdsin
(10)
10
15
20
Figure 6: Experimental results for pitch moment

6. RESULTS OF NUMERICAL ANALYSIS
The numerical prediction of normal force and pitch
moment coefficient for Model-C carried out with
different mesh sizes show that the predictions with
4
272

MARHY 2014
The comparison of longitudinal force, X estimated

by numerical and experimental methods for all the
5 models (=0) are presented in Table 2. Where
Re is the Reynolds number, Xiitc is the skin friction
drag as per ITTC model-ship correlation line, k is
the form factor (k = Xexpt/Xiitc), Xvis and Xpr is the
viscous and pressure part of drag from CFD
analysis and %diff is the percentage difference
between the experiment and CFD predictions. The
difference in CFD predictions (7 to 12 %) is
considered reasonable.
The comparison of longitudinal force, normal force
and pitch moment estimated by numerical and
experimental methods for all the 5 models (=18)
are presented in Table 3, 4 and 5. It can be seen that
the CFD predictions of normal force and pitch
moment match reasonably well with the experiment
(difference 8 to 22% for Z and 1 to 12% for M).
It can be seen from the above that the axial force is
predominantly due to viscous nature while the
normal force and pitch moment is predominantly
due to pressure effects.
Axial force, X [N]
The axial and normal force and pitching moment

for the five model configurations obtained through
CFD are compiled in Figure 7, 8 and 9.
0
-20
-40
-60
-80
-100
-120
-140
-160
-180
Model A
Model B
Model C
Model D
Model E
10
15
Figure 7: Numerical results for axial force
200
Normal force, Z [N]
0
-200
-400
Model A
-600
Model B
-800
-1000
-1200
0
10
15
20
Figure 8: Numerical results for normal force

3000
different mesh sizes are quite close to each other.

However the finest grid was selected for all further
studies. The numerical prediction of normal force
and pitch moment coefficient for Model-B carried
out with different turbulence models has shown
that k- model gives the best prediction among the
various turbulence models and was used for all
further studies.
Model A
Model B
Model C
Model D
Model E
2500
2000
1500
1000
500
0
-500
0
10
15
20
Figure 9: Numerical results for pitch moment

Model
Re10
22.1
23.2
25.4
27.1
29.3
Xexpt [N]
129.6
142.9
154.8
160.9
169.6
Xiitc [N]
106.4
111.1
120.7
127.8
137.2
(1+k)
1.22
1.28
1.28
1.26
1.23
Xcfd [N]
120.4
125.7
135.6
142.8
153.1
Xvis [N]
110.5
114.9
126.7
133.9
144.1
Xpr [N]
9.9
10.8
8.9
8.9
9.1
Xvis/Xittc
1.04
1.03
1.05
1.05
1.05
%diff
7.1
12.1
12.4
11.2
9.7
-6
Table 2: Comparison of axial force at =0

Model
Xexpt [N]
-113.4
-124.5
-159.7
-149.0
-192.3
Xcfd [N]
-94.85
-97.65
-107.0
-114.6
-126.2
Xpr [N]
35.5
39.64
43.79
46.2
48.24
Xvis [N]
-130.4
-137.3
-150.8
-160.8
-174.4
Xvis/Xcfd
1.37
1.41
1.41
1.4
1.38
%diff
16.4
21.6
33.0
23.1
34.4
20
Table 3: Comparison of axial force at =18

5
273

MARHY 2014
200
A
Zexpt [N]
-962.0
-1031.5
-1144.6
-1246.8
-1428.8
Zcfd [N]
-880.8
-896.8
-979.0
-1031.9
-1104.5
Zpr [N]
-847.2
-861.8
-941.4
-992.2
-1062
Zvis [N]
-33.59
-34.99
-37.62
-39.64
-42.32
Zpr/Zcfd
0.96
0.96
0.96
0.96
0.96
%diff
-8.4
-13.1
-14.5
-17.2
-22.7
Table 4: Comparison of normal force at =18
0
Normal force, Z [N]
Model
-200
-400
-600
-800
CFD
-1200
Allen Perkins method
-1400
0
10
15
20
Figure 11: Empirical result for normal force
3000
Zexpt [N]
1832.1
1905.3
2109.0
2230.8
2302.7
2500
Zcfd [N]
1809.4
1950.8
2175.7
2350.7
2585
Zpr [N]
1796.4
1937.0
2159.0
2331.9
2563.1
Zvis [N]
12.99
13.77
16.69
18.81
21.88
Zpr/Zcfd
0.99
0.99
0.99
0.99
0.99
%diff
1.2
2.4
3.2
5.4
12.3
Model
Table 5: Comparison of pitch moment at =18
Experiment
-1000
Experiment
CFD
2000
1500
1000
500
0
-500
0
10
15
20
Figure 12: Empirical result for pitch moment

8. CONCLUSIONS
7. RESULTS OF EMPIRICAL STUDY
Axial force, X [N]
The empirical predictions of the hydrodynamic

parameters for Model-C along with the
experimental and numerical results are presented in
Figure 10, 11 & 12. Other models also have shown
similar trends for the forces and moments.
0
-20
Experiment
-40
CFD
-60
-80
-100
-120
-140
-160
-180
0
10
15
Figure 10: Empirical result for axial force
20
The hydrodynamic forces and moment for an

axisymmetric underwater vehicle with 5 different
fineness ratios were estimated by experimental,
numerical and empirical means. The numerical
estimates were found to be in good agreement with
the experimental results. The empirical method
employed gave good prediction only in the linear
range. This is probably due to constant cross flow
drag coefficient used for the entire length of the
body and due to higher deviations in the axial force
with experimental results.
The percentage variation of axial force (=0) and
normal force and pitch moment (=18) due to
change in fineness ratio is given in Table 6. The
dimensional values all hydrodynamic parameters
increase with fineness ratio. However the nondimensional values of Z and M show a reduction
with fineness ratio. The reduction of Zw with
fineness ratio can be explained similar to the
reduction in lift coefficient of an airfoil with
decrease in aspect ratio. The reduction of Mw with
fineness ratio indicates a reduction in the
destabilising moment; however the overall stability
of the vehicle will depend on nature of variation of
Mq, Zq and m with fineness ratio.
6
274

MARHY 2014
Model
X (=0)
Z (=18)
M (=18)
A
100
100
100
B
110
107
104
C
119
119
115
D
124
130
122
E
131
149
126
Table 6: Variation of forces and moment with

fineness ratio
The present study is limited to estimation of forces
due to angle of attack for bare hull configuration.
To study the dynamic performance of the vehicle,
coefficients due to angular velocity also needs to be
estimated for bare as well as appended hull
configurations. A study in this direction is presently
being pursued by the authors. It is felt that once
completed the results will be useful to designers of
underwater vehicles.
9. REFERENCES
[1] Crane CL, Eda H, Landsburg AC,
Controllability Chapter 9, Principles of Naval
Architecture, SNAME, 1989
[2] Goodman A, Description and Operation of
Sub
Planar
Motion
Mechanism
Tracor
Hydronautics, Technical Manual 84070-1, 1985
[3] Feldman JP, Methods for Performing Captive
Model Experiments to Predict the Stability and
Control Characteristics of Submarines CDNSWC
report CRDKNSWC-HD-0393-25, 1995
[4] Mackay M, Williams CD, Aouat AD, Recent
Model Submarine Experiments with the MTDF,
8th Canadian Marine Hydromechanics and
Structures Conference, 2007
[5] Fluent 6.2, Users Manual
[6] Philip A, Furlong M, Turnock SR, Use of
Computational Fluid Dynamics to Determine
Dynamic Stability of an Autonomous Underwater
Vehicle, Proceedings 10th Numerical Towing Tank
Symposium, 2007
[7] de Barros EA, Dantas JLD, Pascoal AM, de Sa
E, Investigation of Normal Force and Moment
Coefficients for an AUV at Nonlinear Angle of
Attack and Sideslip Range IEEE Journal of
Oceanic Engineering, Vol33, No 4, 2008
[8] Vaz G, Toxopeus S, Holmes S, Calculation of
Manoeuvring Forces on Submarines using two
Viscous-Flow Solvers Proceedings of the ASME
2010, 29th International Conference on Ocean,
Offshore and Arctic Engineering, OMAE2010,
2010
[9] Zeng G, Zhu J, Study on Key Techniques of
Submarine
Maneuvering
Hydrodynamics
Prediction using Numerical Method, 2nd
International Conference on Computer Modeling
and Simulation, 2010
[10] Yu X, Su Y, Hydrodynamic Performance
Calculation on Mini-Automatic Underwater
Vehicle, IEEE International Conference on

Information and Automation, Harbin, China, 2010
[11] Jeans TL, Watt GD, Gerber AG, Holloway
AGL, Baker CR, High-Resolution Reynolds
Averaged Navier Stokes Flow Predictions over
Axisymmetric Bodies with Tapered Tails, AIAA
Journal, Vol 47, No 1, 2009
[12] Watt GD, Baker CR, Gerber AG, ANSYS
CFX-10 RANS Normal Force Predictions for the
Series 58 Model 4621 Unappended Axisymmetric
Submarine Hull in Translation, DRDC Atlantic TM
2006-037, 2006
[13] Toxopeus S, Viscous Flow Calculations for
Bare Hull DARPA SUBOFF Submarine at
Incidence, International Shipbuilding Progress 55,
2008
[14] Toxopeus S, Vaz G, Calculation of Current or
Manoeuvring Forces using a Viscous-Flow Solver
Proceedings of the ASME 28th International
Conference on Ocean, Offshore and Arctic
Engineering, OMAE2009, 2009
[15] Allen HJ, Perkins EW, Characteristics of
Flow over Inclined Bodies of Revolution NACA
RM A50L07, 1951
[16] Allen HJ, Estimation of the Forces and
Moments acting on Inclined Bodies of Revolution
of High Fineness Ratios NACA RM A9126, 1949
[17] de Barros EA, Pascoal A, de Sa E, Progress
towards a Method for Predicting AUV Derivatives
Proceedings IFAC Manoeuvring Control Marine
Crafts, Lisbon, Portugal, 2006.
[18] Mackay M, Semi-empirical Component based
Modeling of Submarine Hydrodynamics and
Systems: the DSSP21 (build 061102) Companion
Defence R&D Canada, Technical Report, DRDC
Atlantic TR 2007-039, 2007
[19] SNAME, Nomenclature for Treating the
Motion of a Submerged Body through a Fluid
SNAME Technical and Research Bulletin No 1-5,
1950
Praveen PC holds the current position of Scientist
at NSTL, Visakhapatnam
Krishnankutty holds the current position of
Professor at IIT Madras, Chennai
Panigrahi PK holds the current position of
Associate Director at NSTL, Visakhapatnam
7
275

Hydrodynamics
MARHY 2014
FALPPING FLEXIBLE FOIL PROPULSION

Sachin Y. Shinde, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore-560012, India
Jaywant H. Arakeri, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore-560012, India
ABSTRACT
The present work is an experimental study of
an airfoil flapping and simultaneously moving forward
in quiescent water in a tank. The focus here is to study
using flow visualizations and PIV how the flexible flap
attached at the trailing edge of a rigid airfoil affects the
flow generation. The parameters that were varied were
the frequency and amplitude of flapping and forward
speed. The Strouhal number based on lateral excursion
of the trailing edge is kept around 0.3 in all the
experiments. We also briefly present the flow in the
absence of free-stream velocity or forward speed
(Strouhal number = ).
NOMENCLATURE
Symbol
Definition
C
FT
f
St
TE
U
u
VTEmax
v
X
Y
max
TEmax
Chord of rigid foil

Flap tip
Frequency of Pitching
Strouhal number
Trailing Edge
Forward velocity
Streamwise velocity
Maximum velocity of TE
Transverse velocity
Streamwise direction
Transverse direction
Amplitude of pitching
y-amplitude of TE deflection
Fluid density
1. INTRODUCTION
Most wings of birds and insects and fins and tails of
fish are flexible [1], [2], [3]. Does the flexibility
improve the flying or swimming performance is an
open question. And how does flexibility affect the flow
is also not clearly known. The present work is an
attempt to understand the effect of flexibility by
introducing it in a very simple way: we attach twodimensional uniform thickness flexible flap to a rigid
NACA 0015 airfoil. The motion also is kept simple:
pure pitching of the foil about 0.32 chord from the
leading edge, with either the foil moving with constant
velocity in stationary fluid or just pitching in stationary
fluid with zero forward velocity.
It is now well established that for oscillating airfoils as
well as many swimming and flying animals, the
propulsive efficiency is maximum for Strouhal number
(St) range 0.2 to 0.4 [4], [5]. The Strouhal number is

defined as, St = fA/U, where, f is frequency of
flapping, A is y-amplitude of the airfoil trailing edge
motion, and U is forward speed. In the present
experiments we choose a Strouhal number which falls
in the middle of this range; we keep the Strouhal
number fixed, close to 0.3. Amplitude and frequency
of flapping are varied independently, and the forward
speed is adjusted such that the St comes around 0.3.
Using dye visualization and particle image
velocimetry (PIV), we study the flow field for both the
cases, with forward velocity, and with zero forward
velocity. The measured velocity fields allow us to,
using integral analysis, estimate the thrust coefficients.
We give the experimental details in section 2. First
(sections 3 and 4) we discuss the case with forward
velocity. Section 5 discusses the case with zero
forward velocity. We look at flap deformations in the
two cases in section 6, and list the conclusions in
section 7.
2. EXPERIMENTAL DETAILS
Figure 1(a) shows the schematic of the experiment: an
airfoil model is oscillated sinusoidally about a pitching
point (12 mm away from its leading edge) and
simultaneously moved forward in a circular path (of
radius 250 mm). Figures 1(b) and 1(c) show the two
airfoil models used for the experiments: 'model-F' is a
rigid foil with a flexible flap attached at its trailing
edge and 'model-R' is the rigid foil without a flexible
flap. Figure 2 shows the details of the experimental
arrangement. Experiments have also been done with
the airfoil having zero forward velocity.
The experimental setup consists of a glass tank (80cm
x 80cm x 35cm). All experiments are conducted in
stationary water in a glass tank. The airfoil section
used is a standard NACA0015 with the chord 38 mm,
span 100 mm and maximum thickness 6 mm; it is
made from a plastic (Acrylonytril Butadyne Sulphide)
using a novel vacuum casting technique. The flexible
flap is 30 mm wide along the chord line and 0.05 mm
thick. The flap is inserted into a slot provided at the
trailing edge along the span. Flapping motion to the
airfoil is given by a servo motor mounted on the rotary
arm. The servo motor used is a Panasonic A series AC
motor, 30 W; the driver is a Panasonic digital AC
servo drive 30 watt, 220 V, single phase input with a
digital and analog command interface. The controller
card is DMC-1425 from GALIL motion controls. The
rotary arm is moved in a circular path by a DC motor
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MARHY 2014
whose speed can be controlled through a indigenously
designed controller.
F: flap, SA: small airfoil, SM: servo motor, DM: DC

motor, MC: motor cable, EC: encoder cable, BH:
bearing housing, RA: rotary arm, CW: counterbalance
weight, WL: water level, GT: glass tank, SF: steel
frame, VM: viewing mirror, C: camera, LS: laser
sheet, M1, M2, M3: mirrors, CL: cylindrical lens, SL:
spherical lens.
The motion given to the airfoil is = max sin(2ft),
here max is the amplitude and f is frequency of
pitching, t is time and is instantaneous pitching
angle. We varied the amplitude and frequency of
pitching independently, and also forward speed in such
a way that the Strouhal number comes to 0.3. We
studied twelve cases corresponding to three amplitudes
of pitching (max = 10, 15, 20) and four
frequencies (f = 1, 2, 3, 4 Hz) for each amplitude. The
Reynolds number (Re), defined based on the chord and
the forward velocity of the foil, varies between about
1700 to 14000. In this paper, we discuss a particular
case that is nearly in the middle of the parameter
range, namely, max = 15, f = 2 Hz. For the zeroforward velocity case St = , and Re = 0.
(a)
Figure 1: (a) Schematic showing the theme of the

experiments: An airfoil model mounted at one end of
the rotary arm oscillates sinusoidally about a pitching
point and simultaneously the arm moves in a circular
path. The field of view is around the highest point on
the arc. (b) Airfoil model with a flexible flap, 'modelF'. (c) Rigid airfoil model, 'model-R'. All dimensions
are in millimeters.
We studied the flow in a horizontal plane along the foil

mid-span using the dye and particle visualization
techniques. We used Fluorescein Sodium salt as dye
and Polystyrene particles (75-100 microns) for
visualizations. The velocity field is measured using the
particle image velocimetry (PIV) technique. The foil
and the flap locations are obtained by using their
shadows. For flow visualization, we used a continuous
laser operating at up to 4 W at 488 nm (model:
Spectra-Physics, Stabilite 2017). The images are
acquired using CCD cameras, namely, either a Sony
camcorder (model:DCR-PC9E PAL, 720 x 576 pixels)
or KODAK Motion Corder Analyzer (SR 100, Ultra,
512 x 480 pixels). For PIV, we used a Nd:YAG pulsed
laser with double exposure (model: Big Sky Laser
Quantel, ULTRA CFR Nd:YAG laser) which
generates 120 mJ of energy in a pulse width of 8 ns.
We acquired images using SharpVISION camera
(model: 1400-DE) synchronized with pulsed laser
firing which is controlled through a computer. We
used the 30 microns hollow glass spheres (3M
Scotchlite) as tracers. The velocities are obtained using
the PIV software IDT proVISION-XS; 32 x 32 pixels
interrogation window with 50% overlap. The further
details about the experiments are available in [6].
3. FLOW STRUCTURE
Figure 2: Schematic of the experimental set-up.

Abbreviations are explained here. AM: airfoil model,
Figure 3 shows the dye visualization images for both

the airfoil models when the airfoil is about to leave the
field of view. In case of both the airfoil models, two
relatively big counter rotating vortices are shed in
addition to multiple small vortices in each pitching
cycle. However, there are three important differences:
one, the relatively big vortices are shed away from the
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MARHY 2014
mean path by the airfoil with flexible flap (Figure 3(a))
whereas they are shed close to the mean path by the
airfoil with rigid trailing edge (Figure 3(b)); two, more
number of smaller vortices are shed in case of model-F
compared to those in case of model-R; three, all of the
smaller vortices shed by model-F are nearly equispaced along the path of the flap tip, whereas those
shed from model-R are not. With time, some of the
smaller vortices merge with the big vortices. These
flow features are also evident from the vorticity field
obtained from PIV data (Figure 4).
mean path and flow is induced perpendicular to the

mean-path, indicating a self propelling body (zero
thrust/drag).
(a)
(a)
(b)
Figure 3: Dye visualizations for max = 15, f = 2
Hz: (a) model-F, (b) model-R. Curved red line in the
images is the mean path of TE motion, yellow line is
the instantaneous chord of the airfoil, curved green line
is the instantaneous flap profile. Airfoil moves across
the field of view from left to right. The large vortices
shed below the mean path rotate counterclockwise and
those above the mean path rotate clockwise. For
visualizations, the laser light sheet was passed from
bottom to top, and the flap was blackened. The dye
visualizations for two airfoil models were with two
different cameras.
From the vortex positions, we may deduce that in the
case of the foil with a flexible flap the two sets of
counter-rotating vortices (Figures 4(a) and 5(a)) induce
a component of motion in the downstream direction,
indicating thrust generation by the airfoil. A
quantitative measure of the momentum will be
presented later. On the other hand, for the rigid foil
(Figures 4(b) and 5(b)), vortices are aligned along the
(b)
Figure 4: Instantaneous spanwise vorticity field when
the airfoil is about to leave the field of view for max =
15, f = 2 Hz: (a) model-F and (b) model-R. Airfoil
moves from left to right, red line is the mean path,
green line is the flap and black line is the instantaneous
chord. For PIV, the laser sheet was passed from left to
right, and flap was transparent. Vorticity is nondimensionalized by the quotient of maximum trailing
edge velocity and maximum trailing edge deflection.
The contours are plotted from +0.25 to 4.5 and from 0.25 to -4.5 in a step of 0.25. Notice that the smaller
multiple vortices observed in the dye visualization are
not seen in the PIV data because the resolution used
during PIV was insufficient to resolve the smaller
vortices; however, some relatively stronger multiple
vortices are seen in case of model-R.
The instantaneous velocity field for the foil with a
flexible flap (Figure 5(a)) shows an undulatory jet flow
along the mean path associated with vortices arranged
in a reverse Karman vortex street fashion and
producing thrust. Figure 5(b) shows that in the case of
the rigid foil vortices being arranged nearly on the
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MARHY 2014
mean path of motion results in flow in a direction
nearly perpendicular to the mean path and a nearly
momentum-less wake.
(a)
(b)
Figure 5: Instantaneous velocity field in the wake
corresponding to the same instant as shown in Figure 4
for max = 15, f = 2 Hz: (a) model - F, (b) model - R.
Figure 6 shows the instantaneous u-velocity profiles at
different downstream locations for the two models (at
the same instant for which the velocity field is plotted
in Figure 5). For model-F, the instantaneous u-velocity
profiles show jet-like nature in a direction opposite to
the forward motion of the airfoil (left column in Figure
6). For model-R, the instantaneous u-velocity profiles
across the field of view fluctuate about zero velocity
(right column in Figure 6).
4. MOMENTUM AND ENERGY ANALYSIS

The x-momentum in the wake is calculated using the
following relation,
momx = y u (U-u) dy
where, 'u' is the fluid velocity in the X-direction and
'U' is the forward velocity of the airfoil.
Figure 6: Velocity profiles at several downstream

locations in the wake corresponding to the velocity
field shown in Figure 5 for model-F (left column) and
model-R (right column); max = 15, f = 2 Hz. The
velocity profiles in each column (top to bottom) are at
a distance of about 0 (top), 1, 2, 3, 4, 4.5 C (bottom)
from TE.
Global average of the streamwise momentum flux in
the wake of model-F and model-R are shown in
Figures 7(a) and 7(b), respectively. Beyond about
seven chords downstream, the number of realizations
available for the global averaging were very small, and
therefore, the momentum flux data plotted beyond 7
chords distance in Figure 7 should be ignored.
Figure 7(a) indicates that the globally averaged
normalized u-momentum for model-F increases in the
vicinity of trailing edge for half chord downstream and
then stays nearly constant till 7 chords distance
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MARHY 2014
downstream.
In case of model-R, the globally
averaged normalized u-momentum flux (Figure 7(b))
is about -0.04 for about two chords distance
downstream, beyond which it is almost zero with small
fluctuations about the zero momentum line.
The maximum non-dimensional kinetic energy is

nearly 0.2 at about one chord downstream of model-F
(Figure 8(a)) and about 0.22 at about half a chord
downstream of trailing edge of model-R (Figure 8(b)).
Note that model-F is generating thrust whereas modelR is not, and some work is done by the former but
none by the latter.
(a)
(a)
(b)
Figure 7: Global average of the normalized umomentum flux in the wake for max = 15, f = 2 Hz:
(a) model-F and (b) model-R. Broken red line is zero
momentum line.
The kinetic energy in the wake is lost and gives an
indication of how good the performance is; strictly
viscous dissipation also needs to be considered [7]. A
self-propelling body does no useful work, but energy is
spent in moving the body forward. The kinetic energy
per unit mass is calculated using the relation,
KE = 1/2 y (u2 + v2) dy.
Figure 8 shows the global average of the normalized
kinetic energy in the wake of both the airfoil models.
The data downstream of X/C = -7 should not be
considered for the same reasons mentioned above.
The average kinetic energy in the near wake for both
the airfoil models is nearly the same (see Figure 8).
(b)
Figure 8: Globally averaged normalized kinetic
energy in the wake for max = 15, f = 2 Hz: (a)
model-F and (b) model-R. Broken red line is zero KE
line.
In case of model-F, the kinetic energy reduces almost
linearly and gradually beyond the maximum kinetic
energy location. For model-R, the kinetic energy
variation follows a different trend. From half chord
distance downstream of the trailing edge, the energy
curve starts drooping down in a nonlinear fashion up to
nearly 3 chords, and from this point the kinetic energy
decays rapidly to zero at about seven chords distance
downstream.
It appears that in case of model-R, threedimensionality in the wake flow is accompanied by the
sudden decrease in the average kinetic energy at
around 3 chords distance downstream. In case of
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MARHY 2014
model-F, there are a larger number of smaller vortices
and perhaps these vortices decay at different rates,
giving rise to a more gradual reduction in the kinetic
energy.
5. FLOW IN THE ABSENCE OF FREE

STREAM
parameters. The leading edge vortices are not

generated; what appears as a vortex near LE in (a) is a
'blob' of dye that is convected by the flow. Note that
the dye is released from both sides of the airfoil,
however, since the laser sheet is passed from bottom to
top, one side of the airfoil always remains in dark.
If we arrest the forward motion of the airfoil model

and oscillate it at a fixed location in quiescent fluid, it
generates very interesting flow fields which are
described in details in [8]. Figures 9 and 10 show
instantaneous flows generated by the two models.
Figures 9(a) and 10(a) show that model-F, i.e., the foil
with a flexible flap generates a strong, narrow
undulatory jet aligned along the centerline. The jet
contains a reverse Bernard-Karman vortex street. On
the contrary, if the flexible flap is removed, the same
rigid foil, i.e., model-R produces a quite divergent and
weak jet without any organized pattern of vortices as
shown in Figures 9(b) and 10(b). The weak jet
generated by model-R inclines with the center-line and
moreover changes the direction continuously and
randomly. Shinde and Arakeri [9] have discussed in
detail the random jet meandering by model-R. It is the
presence of the flexible flap in case of the model-F that
not only prevents the random jet meandering but also
aligns the jet along the center-line. The mechanisms by
which the jet meandering is overcome and related
results are presented in [10].
(a)
(b)
Figure 10: The vorticity fields obtained from PIV data
in the absence of free-stream velocity for the case with
max = 15, f = 2 Hz for one instant when the TE is at
the mean-position: (a) model-F (TE is moving down
and FT is moving up) and (b) model-R (TE is moving
up).
6. FLAP MOTION
Figure 9: Dye visualization showing the flow in the

absence of free-stream velocity for the case with max =
15, f = 2 Hz: (a) model-F (TE is moving down, FT
is moving up) and (b) model-R (TE is moving up).
The large vortices shed below the center-line rotate
counterclockwise, and those above clockwise. Notice
the stark contrast in the flows for the same pitching
In the present experiments flap thickness is very small

and mass of the flap is negligible compared to that of
the fluid added mass. The fluid dynamic pressure force
is mainly responsible for producing the deflection in
the flap. The flap undergoes very large deformations,
for example, notice the deformed geometry of the
flexible flap in Figure 11 for the two extreme cases of
the parameter sets. One convenient non-dimensional
measure of flap stiffness which can be used to
ascertain extent of flap deformation is through an
effective stiffness parameter EI* that characterizes the
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MARHY 2014
deflections of the flexible flap arising from the flexible
flap-fluid interaction [10].
Figure 13 shows the trajectories traced by the airfoil

trailing edge and flap tip. These are near sinusoids
wrapped around part of the circle corresponding to the
mean path of the airfoil. There is a phase difference
between TE and FT motion of 92 with TE leading FT.
The y-amplitude of FT deflection is about 2.2 times
the y-amplitude of TE deflection.
(a)
(b)
Figure 11: Flap profiles for the two sets of extreme
parameters: (a) max = 10, f = 1 Hz, (b) max = 20,
f = 4 Hz.
Geometry of the flap deflection is a function of
amplitude, frequency of flapping and forward speed of
the airfoil. The flap deflection profiles at some phases
over a half cycle are shown in Figure 12 for the case
with amplitude 15 and frequency 2 Hz and forward
speed (U) of 12.8 cm/sec. The images are separated by
0.04 seconds apart. As expected, the flap profiles in
images B and H are exactly opposite when TE is on
mean path location. In Image E, TE is at the bottom
extreme position and flap tip is near the mean path.
Figure 13: Locus of the airfoil trailing edge and flap

tip for max = 15, f = 2 Hz. The thick black arc is the
mean path of TE motion. The curve which is closer to
the mean path corresponds to the TE locus and the one
which is farther corresponds to the FT locus.
In the absence of free-stream flow/forward velocity the
flap profiles are more distorted (compare Figures 11
and 14).
(a)
(b)
Figure 14: Flap profiles in case of zero free-stream
velocity for the two sets of extreme parameters: (a)
max = 10, f = 1 Hz, (b) max = 20, f = 4 Hz. The
images are at one phase when the rigid foil TE is near
the center-line and is moving up.
(a)
Figure 12: Flap geometry at some phases over half

cycles for max = 15, f = 2 Hz. Image A shows the
points on the sinusoidal curve for which the flap
profiles are plotted in images B to H. Airfoil moves
from left to right. Curved red line is the mean path of
motion of the TE and the yellow line indicates the
instantaneous chord of the rigid airfoil.
(b)
(c)
Figure 15: Flap geometry at some phases over half
cycles for max = 15, f = 2 Hz for the zero freestream condition. (a) TE is near mean position and is
moving down; (b) TE is near bottom extreme position;
(c) TE is near mean-position and is moving up.
Figure 15 shows the flap deformations at three phases
for the case with max = 15, f = 2 Hz. The phase
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MARHY 2014
difference between TE and FT motion is 137 with TE
leading the FT and the y-amplitude of FT deflection is
about twice that of the TE deflection.
Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India. Currently

he is working as a post-doctoral fellow at JNCASR,
Bangalore, India.
7. CONCLUDING REMARKS
Prof. Jaywant H. Arakeri is a Professor at the

Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian
Institute of Science, Bangalore, India.
Our work was to study the effect of flexibility in a

flapping foil on the flow. A simple configuration,
flexible flap attached to a rigid foil undergoing pure
pitching motion, was chosen. There is strong
interaction between the fluid and the flexible flap,
which alters the flow substantially. We have given
examples of flow with the pitching foil having forward
velocity and its forward velocity equal to zero.
8. REFERENCES
1. Wootton, R. J., 'Invertebrate paraxial locomotory
appendages: design, deformation and control', J. Expl
Biol. 202, 33333345, 1999.
2. Daniel, T. L. and Combes, S. A., 'Flexible wings
and fins: Bending by inertial or fluid-dynamic forces?',
Integr. Compar. Biol. 42, 10441049, 2002.
3. Shyy, W., Berg, M. & Ljungqvist, D. 'Flapping and
flexible wings for biological and micro air vehicles',
Prog. Aerosp. Sci. 35, 455505, 1999.
4. Taylor G. K., Nudds R. L. and Thomas A. L. R.,
'Flying and swimming animals cruise at a strouhal
number tuned for high power efficiency', Nature 425,
707-710, 2003.
5. Triantfyllou M. S., Triantfyllou G. S. and
Gopalkrishnan R., 'Wake mechanics for thrust
generation in oscillating foils', Physics of fluids A(3),
2835-2837, 1991.
6. Shinde, S. Y., 'Hydrodynamics of an oscillating foil
with a long flexible trailing edge', M.Sc.(Engg.) thesis,
Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India,
Department of Mechanical Engineering, 2007.
7. Shukla, R. K. and Arakeri, J. H., 'Minimum power
consumption for drag reduction on a circular cylinder
by tangential surface motion', Journal of Fluid
Mechanics, 715, 597-641, 2013.
8. Shinde, S. Y., 'Creation of an orderly jet and thrust
generation in quiescent fluid from an oscillating twodimensional flexible foil', Ph.D. thesis, Indian Institute
of Science, Bangalore, India, Department of
Mechanical Engineering, 2012.
9. Shinde, S. Y. and Arakeri, J. H., 'Jet meandering by
a foil pitching in quiescent fluid', Physics of fluids, 25,
041701, 2013.
10. Shinde, S. Y. and Arakeri, J. H., 'Flexibility in
flapping foil suppresses meandering of induced jet in
absence of free stream', Journal of Fluid Mechanics,
757, 231-250, 2014.
Sachin Y. Shinde was a M.Sc.(Engg.) and PhD
student at the Department of Mechanical Engineering,
283

Proc. ofInternational
Conf. MARHY-2014
held on 3&4
India - Vol.2 (ISBN:
978-93-80689-22-7)
Conference
On Dec.
Computational
And Experimental
Marine
Hydrodynamics
(MARHY-
2014), 03 & 04 December 2014 at IIT Madras, Chennai, India.
ESTIMATING MANOEUVRING COEFFICIENTS OF A CONTAINER

SHIP IN SHALLOW WATER USING CFD
Ankush Kulshrestha and P Krishnankutty, Department of Ocean Engineering, IIT Madras,
Chennai, India
SUMMARY
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has been keen in dealing with aspects of ship
maneuverability, which are vital to its objectives of safer shipping and cleaner oceans for the
past three decades. The standards specified by IMO on ship manoeuvring are for deep water
condition, whereas it becomes more demanding on the designer to come up with a vessel
which meets the more stringent requirements of controllability in shallow and confined
waterways. The dynamic tests performed on a ship model using PMM in a towing tank yield
these hydrodynamic coefficients, both linear and non-linear components in uncoupled and
coupled modes of sway and yaw. The objective of the present work is to study shallow water
effect on the manoeuvring coefficients of a container ship (S 175) model in a numerical
towing tank. In dynamic simulations, the prescribed body motions have been imposed on the
hull using user-defined field functions within the commercial CFD solver in pure sway and
pure yaw mode. The hydrodynamic derivatives have been derived for the shallow water
depths and are found to be in reasonably good agreement with the experimental data.
1. INTRODUCTION
NOMENCLATURE
B
Beam of the ship (m)
CB
Block-coefficient
D
Depth of the ship (m)
Ls
Length between perpendiculars of
the ship (m)
T
Mean draft (m)
h
Water depth (m)
T0
Time period of oscillation
Amplitude of sway velocity (m/s)
y 0 a
ra
Amplitude of yaw velocity (rad/s)
Amplitude of yaw angular

displacement (rad)
Forward speed (m/s)
Surge velocity (m/s)
Sway velocity (m/s)
Yaw velocity (rad/s)
Hydrodynamic surge force (N)
Hydrodynamic sway force (N)
Hydrodynamic yaw moment (N-m)
Frequency of sinusoidal motion
(rad/s)
Density of water (kg/m3)
Um
u
v
r
X
Y
N
0
Ships are vital in world trade and logistics

as they carry 90% of what the world
produces today. As a result, the traffic and
operation of ocean going vessels have
increased manifold over the recent years,
especially in restricted waterways. The
port environments have also changed
drastically. The vessels are becoming
bigger, larger and faster to meet the
demands of the twenty-first century,
posing greater challenges to the maritime
industry worldwide. Naval architects are
trying to reflect these changes in their
designs. With the new generation ultralarge cargo ships, high capacity container
ships, faster moving passenger ferries and
advanced marine vehicles operating in
shallow water region with vessel
crowding, the study of ship manoeuvring
in shallow water has acquired greater
significance in the recent times. In shallow
water, the flow around the vessel modifies
1
284
International Conference On Computational And Experimental Marine Hydrodynamics (MARHY2014), 03 & 04 December 2014 at IIT Madras, Chennai, India.
drastically and thus the manoeuvring

coefficients. Hence the correct estimation
of these coefficients or hydrodynamic
derivatives become detrimental in the
prediction of vessel controllability when it
operates in water depth restricted region.
Vessels operating in such region become
more sluggish and also respond poorly to
the use of control surface. Therefore, the
manoeuvring motion control becomes
much more critical in restricted and
shallow waters, given the risk of lack of
control and collision. Knowledge of the
hydrodynamic derivatives in shallow water
is essential to study the effect of waterdepth on the ship manoeuvring. This will
help in predicting the vessel manoeuvring
performance in shallow water regions such
as harbour, inland and back waters. Hence,
the importance of shallow water effects in
ship manoeuvring is identified and this has
given an impetus for the present research
work.
2. MATHEMATICAL MODEL
Mathematical models developed for ship
manoeuvrability represent a time sequence
of the ship's instantaneous positions
modelling the motion. The Newtonian
equations of motion for a vessel executing
motions in all six degrees of freedom on
the sea surface have been developed by
Abkowitz (1964). Since only manoeuvring
motions of surface ships in calm water are
considered here, pitch and heave motions
are neglected. The external forces and
moments for a ship in unrestricted and
calm water without currents consist of the
hull hydrodynamic forces and moments
and the rudder forces and moments.
The success of a manoeuvring simulation
study depends on how accurately these
forces and moments are modelled. An
analytic form for these functions can be
arrived at by identification of the physical
relationships between the forces and the
fluid flow or by adopting a purely
mathematical approach such as a Taylor
series expansion of each force or moment
with respect to parameters that govern it. A
non-linear rolling coupled steering model
for high speed container ships has been
proposed by Son and Nomoto [12]. In the
present study, roll effects in the original
model have been neglected. The simplified
form of the selected model after
rearrangement of the terms becomes
X H X u u Yv vr X uu u u 1 tr Tp
Ship manoeuvring predictions have been

one of the most challenging tasks in ship
hydrodynamics because of its highly
complex, unsteady and non-linear nature.
In the recent times, CFD based methods
have given more insight to the entire flow
behaviour and turbulence structure around
the hull for computing hydrodynamic
forces
for
steady
and
unsteady
manoeuvres. Studies with shallow water
effects in ship manoeuvrability are scanty.
Even such studies are confined to static
tests and some on dynamic tests where the
predictions are limited to linear
hydrodynamic derivatives. The present
study aims to look into the effect of
shallow water on linear and non-linear
hydrodynamic derivatives and their
subsequent
effects
on
ship
manoeuvrability.
X vr vr X vv v 2 X rr r 2 X sin
YH X u ur Yv v Yr r Yv v Yr r Yvvv v 3
Yrrr r 3 Yvvr v 2 r Yvrr vr 2 Y cos
N H N v v N r r N v v N r r N vvv v 3
N rrr r 3 N vvr v 2 r N vrr vr 2 N cos
where X u is velocity dependent damping
function, for instance X u X u u u u .
285
a distinction of it made by PIANC (1992)

as,
3. NUMERICAL STUDY
The container ship S 175, which has been
used by various researchers has been taken
as a benchmark example for the present
study. A 1:36 scale model of container
ship S175 is shown in Fig. 1 below. The
details of the hull form are given in Table
1.
h
> 3.0
T
1.5<
h
< 3.0
T
medium deep water
1.2 <
h
< 1.5
T
shallow water
h
<1.2
T
Table 1. Particulars of the Container ship

and model (scale 1:36)
Ship
Model
Length between
perpendiculars, L (m)
175
4.86
Beam, Bt (m)
25.4
0.705
Draft at the fore end, Tf

(m)
8.0
0.22
Draft at the aft end, Ta (m)
9.0
0.25
Mean draft, Tm (m)
8.5
0.236
Depth, Dt (m)
11.0
0.305
21,222
0.4548
0.559
0.559
3
Displaced volume, (m )
Block coefficient, CB
very shallow
When a ship moves in waterway with

restricted depth, the water flow lines
around the ship are altered from the
situation of deep water, causing a change
in hydrodynamic forces acting on the hull.
The water flow under the hull is somewhat
restricted causing more water to flow
along the sides. This in turn changes the
side force and moment acting on a ship
and
therefore
can
change
the
hydrodynamic derivatives and hence the
manoeuvring characteristics. As the ship is
bound to overcome larger forces and
moments, it exhibits more of a sluggish
behaviour
and
the
controllability
deteriorates.
Fig. 1 Container ship model (bare hull)
Particular
deep water
The computational grid can be generated

in several ways in STAR-CCM+ after
importing the CAD geometry as shown in
Fig. 2. The boundaries of the grid consist
in planes delimiting a block surrounding
the ship such that non-physical boundaries
are far away from the vicinity of the ship.
Typical dimensions of a grid for
manoeuvring application are 3-5 ship
lengths in longitudinal direction and 2-3
ship lengths in transverse direction
according to ITTC guidelines [6].
The knowledge of ship behaviour in

shallow water range is of utmost
importance for the reliability of
manoeuvring simulations carried out for
harbour and restricted waterways. The
effect of water depth, h of the navigating
area on an operating vessel is generally
judged with reference to the vessel draft T,
286
4.2LBP
2.4LBP
imposed on the hull using simple Rigid
Body Rotation motion.

Table 3. Physics set-up
Solver parameter
Solver
Fig. 2 Computational domain
Material
Fig. 3 shows the volume mesh generated
from trimmed hexahedral cells having four
layers of prismatic cells near wall, with
volumetric control defined by refining the
volume mesh near the water surface to
capture free surface effects. In transient
problems, it is important that the user
specifies the distribution of all flow
variables at the boundaries correctly and
understand their role in the numerical
algorithm. The boundary conditions for the
computational domain used in this work
are explained below in Table 2.
Pressure-Velocity
Coupling
Turbulence Model
Momentum,
turbulent kinetic
energy and energy
dissipiation rate
discretization
Pressure
discretization
Velocity
formulation
(c)
(b)
(f)
(e)
(a)
(d)
Model
3-D Segregated,
Implicit Unsteady
Multiphase mixture
using Volume of
Fluid (VOF)
Rhie-and-Chow
type combined with
a SIMPLE-type
algorithm
k- SST (Shear
Stress Transport)
Second order
upwind convection
scheme
Body force
weighted
Absolute
Fig. 3 Grid and mesh topology
Table 2. Boundary conditions
In a CFD environment, the planar motion

mechanism used in ship manoeuvring
experimental studies is numerically
accomplished by imposing pre-defined
motions on the hull unlike the
experimental technique, where the
prescribed motion is given to the hull
using struts and oscillators. A user-defined
function (UDF) defines velocity in all the
three modes of motion in the horizontal
plane viz. pure sway and pure yaw modes.
The values of the various constants used in
the oscillatory motions of the mesh on the
hull, given in Table 4 are taken from the
reference [11].
Table 4. Simulation constants
Parameters
Values used
To
13.33s
o
0.4714 rad/s
Um
1 m/s
y 0 a
0.212 m/s
ra
0.09 rad/s
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
(f)
Inlet
Outlet
Top
Bottom
Side walls
Hull
Velocity Inlet
Pressure outlet
Symmetry plane
Wall (with slip)
Wall (with slip)
Wall (with no-slip)
Commercial CFD package STAR-CCM+

offers a wide choice of models for
simulating flow and energy, of which a
specific set of settings is chosen to define
physics continuum suitable for the present
study listed in Table 3. STAR-CCM+ has
MORPHER motion node which uses
control points and their associated
displacements to generate an interpolation
field throughout the region which can then
be used to displace the actual vertices of
the mesh. The Grid Velocity method takes
a velocity specification to impose pure
sway motion on the hull. The pure yaw is
4
287
In the present study, RANS simulations

are carried out for a container ship model
(scale 1:36) moving at a forward speed of
1m/s. The numerical PMM tests are
simulated by imposing prescribed body
motions on the hull in pure sway and pure
yaw mode. The simulations are carried out
to complete four cycles of oscillation. The
first cycle show a lot of fluctuations due to
unsteady nature of flow resulting in higher
values of forces and moments. After
second cycle, the transients almost die out
and constant trends are noticed with same
maximum values. Hence, the fourth cycle
is chosen for the Fourier analysis. In the
present study, the grid size is selected
based on the grid independence study
carried out for the static test. The time
histories of amplitude, velocity and
acceleration in sway are shown in Fig. 4
and those in yaw are shown in Fig. 5
Sway Amplitude
0.4
Sway Velocity
0.2
Sway Acceleration
0.2
Yaw rate
0.1
Yaw acceleration
0
-0.1 0.0
5.0
10.0
4.0
9.0 Water 14.0

Deep
h/T = 2.25 Time(s)
h/T = 1.5
h/T = 1.35
h/T = 1.2
-0.2
15.0
Time (s)
-0.3
Sway Force, Y [N]
175
75
-25
-1.0
-125
-225
300
Deep Water
h/T = 2.25
h/T = 1.5
h/T = 1.35
h/T = 1.2
200
100
0
-1.0
-100
4.0
9.0
14.0
Time (s)
-200
-300
-0.2 0.0
5.0
10.0
Time(s)
The time histories of forces and moments

follow a definite trend with the values
becoming larger with decrease in water
depth. All these curves are not smooth.
The undulations in the curves show the
presence of higher harmonics in the forces
accounting for the non-linear effects,
leading to the determination of higherorder hydrodynamic derivatives. The
expressions for hydrodynamic derivatives,
expressed in terms of Fourier coefficients
are detailed in Appendix B. The computed
time histories for sway force and yaw
moment are numerically integrated over
the full cycle to evaluate the Fourier
coefficients
and
subsequently
the
hydrodynamic derivatives. These values
are non-dimensionalised using factor
-0.4
-0.6
170
Sway Force, Y [N]
Angular Displacement
Yaw moment, N
[N-m]
0.6
0.3
70
-30
-1.0
4.0
-130
9.0Deep Water 14.0

h/T = 2.25Time(s)
h/T = 1.5
h/T = 1.35
h/T = 1.2
Sway Displacement
-230
300
Yaw moment, N
[N-m]
200
100
0
-1.0
-100
-200
-300
4.0
9.0Deep Water 14.0

h/T = 2.25Time(s)
1
Ls 2U s 2
2
h/T = 1.5
h/T = 1.35
h/T = 1.2
Sway Displacement
for force and
1
Ls 3U s 2
2
for moment,
respectively.
288
Table 5. Hydrodynamic derivatives in surge equation obtained from dynamic test

Hyd.
derv
Deep water
Nondiml.
factor
Type
X u
0.5Ls
X vv
0.5Ls
X rr
0.5Ls
Present study (CFD) shallow water
Son and
Nomoto
[12]
Present
study
h/T=2.25
h/T=1.5
h/T=1.35
h /T=1.2
uncoupled
0.00024
0.00022
0.00029
0.00061
0.00128
0.0129
coupled
0.00386
0.004
0.0078
0.0127
0.0109
0.0164
coupled
0.0002
0.00012
0.00029
0.00115
0.00152
0.00544
Table 6. Hydrodynamic derivatives in sway equation obtained from dynamic test

Deep water
Hyd.
derv.
Non-diml.
factor
Type
Yv
0.5Ls
Yv
Son
&Nomoto
[12]
Present
study
h/T=2.25
h/T=1.5
h/T=1.35
h /T=1.2
uncoupled
0.00705
0.00685
0.0076
0.008049
0.01007
0.01402
0.5Ls U s
,,
0.0116
0.0114
0.0144
0.0254
0.0342
0.0493
Yvvv
0.5Ls / U s
,,
0.109
0.081
0.197
0.5
0.325
0.417
Yr
0.5Ls
coupled
0.00035
0.0004
0.00046
0.00476
0.0058
0.0101
Yr
0.5Ls U s
0.00242
0.00183
0.0026
0.0059
0.0076
0.00922
Yrrr
0.5Ls / U s
0.00177
0.00186
0.00247
0.00658
0.042
0.052
Table 7. Hydrodynamic derivatives in yaw equation obtained from dynamic test

Deep water
Hyd.
derv.
Non-diml.
factor
Type
N v
0.5Ls
coupled
0.00035
0.0005
N v
0.5Ls U s
,,
0.00385
0.00398 0.00394
0.0059
0.00712 0.00918
N vvv
0.5Ls / U s
3
,,
0.001492
0.00126
0.0158
0.0131
N r
0.5Ls
uncoupled 0.00042
0.00051 0.00047
0.00129
0.00088 0.00206
N r
0.5Ls U s
,,
0.00222
0.0024
0.00359
0.0059
0.0073
0.0077
N rrr
0.5LS / U s
,,
0.00229
0.0029
0.00467
0.0102
0.0169
0.0208
Son
Present
&Nomoto
study
[12]
h/T=2.25
h/T=1.5
h/T=1.35 h /T=1.2
0.000495 0.000394 0.00059 0.00148
0.0033
0.0287
289
The trend of forces and moments in

shallow and very shallow water regions
seems to be correct when verified using
ITTC Recommended Procedures (2002),
where the PMM results have been reported
for the case of a DDG51 frigate model for
a similar body kinematics. In general,
shallow water substantially influences the
flow kinematics and body forces on the
hull which thereby experiences higher
forces. Fourier series representation of
these forces, derivation of Fourier
coefficients and subsequent estimation of
the
hydrodynamic
derivatives
are
performed as explained in the previous
paragraph. The major coupled and
uncoupled hydrodynamic derivatives in
deep, shallow and up to very shallow water
depth, obtained through the present study
are listed in Tables 5 to 7.
and yaw moment as output. Each of these

oscillatory forces and moments are
expressed as a Fourier series and
substituted into the equations of motion to
yield a Fourier series representation of
surge force X, sway force Y and yaw
moment N. Comparing like terms yields
the most simplified expressions for linear
and non-linear hydrodynamic derivatives
in terms of Fourier coefficients. The
derivatives are evaluated both in deep
water and shallow water region. All the
major hydrodynamic coefficients are
determined with precision except for the
non-linear ones which showed deviations
from the experimental results. This may be
due to high amount of scatter in the force
and moment data related to higher order
harmonics. Forces and moment data also
show the effect of depth-to-draft ratio on
the ship behaviour. The sway velocity
dependent derivatives are found to be
predicted fairly well using dynamic
manoeuvre simulations when compared
with the experimental results for deep
water. RANSE based CFD method has
reached a level where it gives a qualitative
prediction of manoeuvring forces and
moments with adequate accuracy overall.
However, the application of threedimensional CFD methods in ship
manoeuvring is still predominantly a
matter of research.
Comparisons are available only for deep

water case, where the experimentally
obtained values of the hydrodynamic
derivatives, Son & Nomoto (1981), are
compared against the present study results
using CFD. These values match fairly
well. The values of hydrodynamic
derivatives for shallow to very shallow
water depths obtained using the present
CFD method (Tables 5, 6 and 7) reflect the
effect of reduced under-keel clearance on
the hydrodynamic behaviour of the ship.
The forces and moments (Figs. 4 and 5)
indicate the strong influence of water
depth on them. When the ship enters from
deep to shallow waters such as harbors,
inland waterways and coastal areas, the
increase in hydrodynamic forces and
moments has considerable effect on the
ship manoeuvrability.
6. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The author would like to acknowledge
Prof. P. Krishnankutty for his unparalled
knowledge, undamped support and
constant encouragement in accomplishing
this work. The author would like to place
on record utmost regards and sincere
thanks to family and friends for their
unconditional support and invaluable
suggestions.
5. CONCLUSION
Dynamic PMM manoeuvres are simulated
in pure sway and pure yaw modes by
imposing prescribed body motions on the
hull using user-defined field functions
within the solver. The solver gives the
time history of the surge force, sway force
7
290
7. REFERENCES
1. Bogdanov, P., P. Vassilev, M.
Lefterova, and E. Milanov (1987)
Esso-Osaka tanker manoeuvrability
investigations in deep and shallow
water using PMM. International Ship
Building Progress, 34(390), 30-39.
2. Carrica P M, Stern F (2008) DES
simulation of KVLCC1 in turn and
zigzag maneuvers with moving
propeller and rudder. In: Proceedings
of SIMMAN 2008 workshop on
verification and validation of ship
manoeuvring simulation methods,
Lyngby, Denmark.
3. Crane, C.L., H. Eda, and A.
Landsburg (1989) Controllability.
Principles of Naval Architecture, III,
200-258.
4. Cura-Hochbaum, A. (2006) Prediction
of hydrodynamic coefficients for a
passenger ship model. International
Conference
in
Marine
Hydrodynamics,
NSTL,
Visakhapatnam, January 5-7, 933-942.
5. Gornicz T. and Kulczyk J. (2010)
Application of CFD methods for the
assessment of ship manoeuvrability in
shallow water. International Journal
on Marine Navigation and Safety of
Sea Transportation, 6(1), 57-62.
6. ITTC Recommended Procedures and
Guidelines (2011) Guideline on Use
of RANS Tools for Manoeuvring
Prediction, Proceedings of 26th ITTC
7. Kijima, K., N. Yasuaki, T. Yasuharu,
and M. Masaka (1990) Prediction
method of ship manoeuvrability in
deep and shallow waters. Proceedings
of Marsim and ICSM, Tokyo, Japan
8. Nonaka, K., H. Miyazaki, T. Nimura,
M. Ueno, T. Hino, and Y. Kodama
(2000) Calculation of hydrodynamic
forces acting on a ship in manoeuvring
motion. Proceedings of MARSIM
2000, International Conference on
Marine
Simulation
and
Ship
9.
10.
11.
12.
Manoeuvring, Orlando, Florida, USA,

307-317.
Sakamoto, N., F. Stern and P. F.
Carrica (2012) URANS simulations of
static and dynamic manoeuvring for
surface combatant: part I. Verification
and validation for forces, moment and
hydrodynamic derivatives. Journal of
Marine Science and Technology.
Simonsen, C.D. and F. Stern (2008)
RANS simulation of the flow around
the KCS container ship in pure yaw.
In: Proceedings of SIMMAN 2008
workshop
on
verification
and
validation of ship manoeuvring
simulation
methods,
Lyngby,
Denmark.
Sheeja J, (2010), Numerical estimation
of hydrodynamic derivatives in
surface ship manoeuvring, PhD
Thesis,
Department
of
Ocean
Engineering, IIT Madras, Chennai,
India.
Son, K. H. and K. Nomoto (1981) On
the coupled motion of steering and
rolling of a high speed container ship.
Journal of the Society of Naval
Architects of Japan, 150, 232-244.
Ankush Kulshrestha holds the degree of M.S.
in Ocean Engineering from Indian Institute of
Technology Madras.
Prof. P. Krishnankutty holds the position of
Professor in the Department of Ocean
Engineering, IIT Madras. He has a doctorate
degree in Ocean Engineering from IIT Madras.
He has a rich experience of 31 years in
teaching related to Naval Architecture and
Ocean Engineering. His major fields of
interest are ship hydrodynamics and ship
motions, passenger comfort, numerical wavewash, ocean wave-structure interaction.
291

Editors: P. Krishnankutty,
V. Anantha Subramanian
S. K. Bhattacharyya
R.
Sharma,
International
Conference oand
n Computational

MARHY 2014
Analysis and Design of Geotube Saline Embankment

S. Sherlin Prem Nishold, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, India.
R. Sundaravadivelu, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, India.
Nilanjan Saha, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, India.
ABSTRACT
The northern part of Orissa coast (20o32.5N 86o47.5E) is protected by saline embankment to prevent
inundation of storm surge. At certain location, due to advancement of shoreline and poor soil condition the saline
embankment was built with clay soil, which collapses due to poor permeability and bearing capacity. Two layers
of Geotextile filter filled with about 450mm sand on the land side and 750mm sand on the sea side placed on the
1:60 bed slopes which ensures good drainage and increases bearing capacity. Geotube core filled with sand
protected by Gabion box filled with stone is designed as a saline embankment. The stability of the Geotube
embankment due to High Water Level (HWL) plus storm surge on the seaside and Ground water level on the
land side is analyzed using PLAXIS. The base width of 23m is found necessary for 9.55m height of
embankment. The integration of Geotube embankment with the existing retarded embankment is also
studied. The scour depth and toe mound design for the breaking wave height condition also presented.
NOMENCLATURE
HWL - High water level
DWL -Design water level
MSL - Mean sea level
1. INTRODUCTION
The coast near the Pentha village is subjected to
severe erosion for the past 25 years. The saline
embankment to protect the village is eroded and a
retarded embankment is constructed. The retarded
embankment is likely to erode if not protected. The
topographical map prepared by the Survey of India in
the year 1975 shows that the coastline was more than
500 m away from the Rajnagar-Gopalpur old saline
embankment. The intensity of erosion has been
increased and so vulnerable that within 5 years
duration more than 500m stretch of land is
submerged under the sea due to coastal breaching and
erosion. In order to protect the coastal tract from
vulnerable erosion, it is proposed to construct a geotube embankment for 675 m length at the erosion
front. Since the old Rajnagar-Gopalpur Saline
embankment is severely damaged by high-tides and
wave action it was decided to construct a geotube
saline embankment made up of sand filled geotextile
tube as core and flexible poly propylene rope gabion
box filled with quarry stones as armor units.
1.1 SOIL CHARACTERISTICS
Soil in this region is mainly composed of fine
sand and silt with pods and pockets of black colour
clay. The moist soil has a considerable amount of
plasticity. This is semi-impermeable in nature and it
is capable of inducing high hydrostatic pressure in the
pore fluids and impounding of groundwater. Various
soil samples are collected and analysis of these soil
samples reveal that the clay proportions in the soil
content is about 29% and silt particles more than

(60%). Even though the silt is very fine, the particle
fractions were very fine particles of quartz ranging
0.001 to 0.0006, which is almost equal to size clay
particles. The clay fraction contains high moistures
indicating that it belongs to a montmorillonite group
of clay derived from the weathering of basaltic rocks
or it might be derived from the basaltic provenance.
The soil has a high plasticity index. Based on the
XRD results the clay mineral is composed of
montmorillonite type of clay indicating its
provenance from Deccan Trap Basalt derived from
the western part of the catchment area, which is
capable of absorbing large amounts of water due to
the structural, absorption and capillary effects. The
moisture content decreases from 5 to 10% for normal
standard compaction and for modified compaction
the soil moisture content decrease from 35% to 40%.
Figure 1: Location of site

1.2 TOPOGRAPHY

292

MARHY 2014
The region is connected with Hexa Rivers
the coast. The major reason for erosion of Pentha
Brahmani, Baitarani, Chinchiri, Pathsala, Maipura,
which lies between two rivers is due to the circulation
Kharasrota, Barunei and Dhamara. The coastal tract
of currents in between two river clusters which
with those rivers is interconnected with fault
discharges water into sea.
lineament. The general topography is irregular with
The tidal range pertain to Pentha varies with high
many drain cuts, rivers, lakes, ponds, swamps,
tide of +3.6 m above (MSL) and -0.5 m below (MSL)
estuaries and lagoons. However its slope gradient is
as low tide. The bathymetry is parallel to the shore
1:1000 due to the presence of 30 m elevation in the
line and the beach slope is gentle which results in
western sides at about 30 km distance from the
formation of regular waves at equal intervals, since
coastlines. Even though the beach profile is filled
the slope is gentle the wave breaks in the long shore
with dunes and berm of low altitude which is less
bar and due to higher wave celerity it plunges over
than 2 m above MSL, the over-spilling of seawaters
foreshore up to berm. This results in movement of
during the high tide period fills low lying beach and
sediments from the onshore and transported back to
coastal tracts with water forming lagoons and
fore shore during back wash and long shore transport
swamps.
(littoral drift). The site is continuously affected by
cyclones and storm surge, associated with a low
pressure weather system. The storm surge causes the
water to pile up higher than the ordinary sea level and
tends to increase the wave height which is the
predominant reason for erosion of beach berms and
sand dunes. Since storm surge waves are of high
intensity and breaks after the long shore bar, the
gradient transport rate in the direction of the net
transport is increased.
Figure 2: Topography location of site

1.3 HYDROLOGY
Water table is very shallow within a depth of
1 to 2 m below the ground surface. During monsoon
period, in most of the paddy fields water is stored for
more than 10 cm height. Due to the presence of
shallow water table and fine grained nature of the
soil, seepage and capillary rise will be more. This
exerts a huge hydrostatic pressure over the
impervious sub-surface soil column. Since the soil is
composed with significant quantity of clay fractions
and major portions of fine silt particle, it acts as an
impervious layer for the flow of water. The
hydrostatic pore-pressure in the soil column increases
towards the coastal tract. Since the region is highly
enriched in ground water potential, sub-surface
seepage of groundwater in the seabed is evident by
the presence of sub-surface caves along the coastlines
and submarine canyons in the near shore regions in
the sea.
1.4 CAUSES FOR EROSION
The high water level is about 3.6m above
MSL, thereby huge quantities of tidal waters enter
into the rivers for more than 20 km distance from
their mouths, since the gradient between the tidal
entrance and upland river mouth is very gentle near
2.
REQUIREMENT
OF
GEOTUBE
ENBANKMENT
It was confirmed from the soil investigation
that there will be a possibility for development of
pore water pressure and differential settlement. For
an ordinary gravity structure low bearing capacity,
and there are possibilities for failure due to
differential settlement. Geo-textile tube was made of
woven geotextile sheets which are flexible and
perforated which allows water to exit and
development of pore water pressure will be avoided.
The strength of the sheet entraps the solid particles
inside the container. Even though there may be a
differential settlement, the geo-tube will adjust with
soil bed profile because of the flexibility and porous
nature.
2.1. GEOTEXTILE TUBE
Geotextile tubes are made of synthetic fibers
which are sustainable, and permeable textile fibers
that can contain, filter, and reinforce soil. The
integrity of the geotextile structure depends on the
type of infill material and type geo-synthetics used.
The permeability of the soil fill and geotextile has a
significant influence on the tube structure and the
apparent opening size (AOS) and the rate at which
filter cakes form are the few factors that will
influence the water outflow. In consequence, the
strength of the soil infill in geotextile tubes with high
water content will not be sufficient to support tube
stacking (Koerner and Koerner 2006). There are
various studies on geotextile tubes in the literature.

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MARHY 2014
Liu and Silvester (1977) formulated early theoretical
Because of the advancement of shore line the
solutions for determining the shape of a tube filled
proposed embankment base width was reduced from
with water. Leshchinsky et al. (1996) developed a
30m to 24m and integrated with the existing retarded
computer program for calculating the geometry and
embankment as shown in (Fig. 3).
stresses on the encapsulating geotextile of the tubes
2.3 FACTORS INFLUENCING STABILITY OF
based on design parameters such as pumping
GEOTUBE
pressure, allowable circumferential tensile force, and
There are two major reasons for failure of
unit weight of the fill material and tube height.
geotextile
tube
structure.
Hydrodynamic
Numerous studies on the stability of stacked
characteristics such as inertia and drag are the wave
geotextile tubes under wave actions can be found in
induced lateral force which has to be counter
the works of van Steeg et al. (2011), das Neves et al.
balanced as horizontal and vertical loads by the
(2011), Bezuijen and Pilarczyk (2012), and Kriel
geotechnical characteristics of soil bed profile. The
(2012). However, there are only a few studies on the
factors influencing stability of geotube are as follows.
stability of stacked geotextile tubes subjected to
scouring. Kim et al. (2013) recently performed finite(i) Hydrodynamic Failure mechanism
element analyses (FEAs) on ground modification
(ii) Geotechnical failure mechanism
techniques for improved stability of geotextile tube
reinforced reclamation embankments subjected to
2.3.1 Hydrodynamic Failure mechanism
scouring. Significant scouring commonly takes place
The various failures were reported by P. Van
at the sides of the geotextile tubes facing the shore.
Steeg and M.Klevin Breteler (2008) state that sand
This is caused by wave breaking, undertow-driven
loss and sand migration due to aggressive waves and
currents and wave overtopping mass flux-driven
currents through the geotextile pores are major cause
currents (Weerakoon et al. 2003). By considering the
for the failure of geotube containment system. The
previous literatures we had concluded two major
loss of fineness reported in the literatures was from
factors which affect the geotechnical stability of the
8% to 27%. In order to prevent the sand loss particle
structure such as scouring and formation of filter
size of gradation should be higher than the geotextile
cake. This paper presents the stability of geotube
aperture size, smaller grain size sand particles will be
embankment with infill material as coarse river sand
the reason for sand loss and another reason is due to
which will allow free drainage and to prevent the
the damage of geotextile such as vandalism, bursting,
scouring action a scour apron was designed for a
puncturing and etc., The different types of
depth of -3m to protect stacked geotube based on
hydrodynamic failure mechanism of geotube due to
Hudson's formula. Flexible tar coated poly propylene
sand loss are as follows.
gabion in the form of gabion box were encapsulated
over the stacked geotube. These gabions will
2.3.1.1 Flapping of geotextile tube
dissipate the wave energy because of the porous
Flapping is not only applicable to sand loss
nature and protect embankment from scour.
and sand mitigation but also by other means such as
sand transport inside the geotextile due to lose filling
2.2 ALIGNMENT OF GEO-TUBE
and lateral expansion of geotextile. Flapping of
EMBANKMENT
geotextile tube is activated by external forces such as
Initially the alignment of geotube
breaking waves and currents which generates
embankment and was 5m away from the retarded
turbulence inside the geotube. The intensity of the
bund, but due to movement of shore line towards the
flapping of geotube not only on its shape but also
retarded bund, the alignment was made parallel to
depends on the degree of filling and elongation of
existing retarded bund.
geotextile. Flapping can be reduced by having strong
and tight filling with strongly curved shape of the
geotextile (elliptic shape). Since elliptic shape have
the
pressure
distribution
throughout
the
circumference.
Figure 3: Cross sectional view of 10 Geotube

arrangements

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MARHY 2014
and run-down and with dominant drag force towards
the sea side, these periodic event of deformation will
reshape the geotube and which leads to sliding
towards the seaside due to the unbalanced overburden
and lateral force exerted by the aggressive waves and
currents.
Figure 4: Mechanism of Flapping

2.3.1.2 Caterpillar Effect
Caterpillar effect of the geotube is caused by
two means such as surface erosion and sliding
surface. The caterpillar effect because of surface
erosion is due to external force such as waves and
currents. The redistribution of sand particles inside
the geotube due to external forces is eventually
leading the caterpillar effect. This effect will cause
sliding surface, redistribution of particles and reshape
of geotube under the loss of infill material. It can be
minimized by choosing a proper gradation of infill
material and adopting fill ratio based on the
elongation
of
geotextile.
Figure 7: Mechanism of Sliding and Reshaping

2.2.1.5 Group Failure
If several stacked geotube of different layers
lose sand due to washing out of sand or migration of
sand from each geotube will reshape and deformation
of geotube will be more on the sea side due to set up
from M.S.L The reshaping of each geotube of
different layers results in creation of a slip circle or a
slope stability issue which might lead to group
sliding.
Figure 5: Mechanism of Caterpillar Effect

2.2.1.3 Sand bye pass
Sand bye pass will be lead to deformation of
geotube. It is nothing but loss of fine particles
through the geotextile due to the turbulence made by
waves under poor filing. In order to mitigate sand bye
passing infill material should be selected as in which
particle size greater than the geotextile opening size
which helps in good drainage and soil retention.
Figure 6: Mechanism of Sand bye pass

2.2.1.4 Sliding and Reshaping
Sand loss movement under aggressive
waves and wave induced currents action will cause
deformation the geotube, maximum deformation will
be on the shore side due to continuous wave run-up
Figure 8: Mechanism of Group Failure

2.3.2 Geotechnical failure mechanism
Engineering and physical behavior of soil
will vary with respect to location, environment and
with the influence of load acting up on it. The
behavior and physical change of soil will vary with
the degree of interaction with the structure. Usually
the properties that are modified during soil
deformation are shear strength, stiffness, and
permeability. Coastal structures are exposed to wind,
waves and currents at different environment such as
cyclone and storm surge, in which these
characteristics will have a major influence on change
in soil properties and the stability of structures. The
characteristics and physical change in the property of

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MARHY 2014
soil, due to the external force induced by wave inertia
settlement based on the drag force produced by the
and drag along with tidal fluctuation under various
waves.
environment, in which the soil deforms where as the
structure will respond to a failure mode, due to the
change in soil property, are the major reasons
involved in geotechnical failure mechanism.
2.3.2.1 Sliding stability
Sliding phenomenon of geotextile tube is
due to the force exerted by the aggressive waves and
wave induced currents which will trend to slide on
alternative sides based on the inertia force and drag
force. Sliding motion of individual geotextile tube
will depend on the force generated by the waves,
such as sliding towards seaside which is due to drag
force and sliding towards leeside which is due to
inertia force exerted by the waves and lateral
surcharge.
Figure 11: Mechanism of bearing stability

2.3.2.4 Global stability
The ability of the applied surcharge, due to
the self weight as well by the external load which
generated by the waves and currents at the extreme
condition during cyclone, storm surge and its
structural imbalance that could decrease the structural
strength of stacked geotextile tube or in terms of
deformation of individual or group which results in
failure of the whole stacked geotube, due to initial
and final settlement of the sub soil, is termed as
global stability.
Figure 9: Mechanism of sliding stability

2.3.2.2 Stability against overturning
It is defined as the ratio between the sum of
resisting moments and the sum of overturning
moments excreted by the waves and other factors
which influence by the tides and the force generated
by the waves. Resistance to overturning is directly
proportional to the weight of the geotube and the
width of the base.
Figure 10: Mechanism of Stability against

Overturning
2.3.2.3 Bearing stability
Bearing stability is the capacity of the sub
soil to support the sand filled geotextile tube
surcharge applied to the ground. The bearing capacity
of soil is the maximum average contact pressure
between the foundation and the soil surface which
should not produce shear failure in the soil. Bearing
capacity failure will result in uniform or differential
Figure 12: Mechanism of Global stability

2.3.2.5 Scour of Foundation
Scour on geotube is the phenomenon of
removal of foundation soil beneath the geotube. The
process of under toeing the foundation soil below the
geotube, due to flow diversion on the flow path near
the structure and toe due to non breaking waves are
the major reason for scour. Movement of sediments
will be dependent on the particle size and initiation of
sediment by the water particle velocity and drag
excreted during back wash. Scouring will cause
deformation and settlement of sand filled geotextile
tube and further geotube will be subjected to drag and
lateral deformation towards seaside which leads to
failure of geotube structure.

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Since geotube are thick flexible sheets which can be
used to arrive any successive height based on the
percentage of filling. The major reasons for failure of
geotube are due poor construction, improper
alignment and due to false stacking, and further those
results in tearing, bursting, punching, slope
instability, excessive settlement due to heap of
geotube under wave attack and scouring. For a better
understanding and good design the following factors
has to be taken into consideration.
Figure 13: Mechanism of Scour of Foundation
2.3.2.6 Foundation Settlement
Settlement is the distortion of foundation
soil due to soil volumetric change in terms of swellshrink behavior. Settlement of subsoil will be based
on soil type, properties and due to stress
concentration. Soft soil is simply not capable of
supporting the weight of geotube or bearing pressure
exerted by a geotextile tube in the minimum width.
The geotube press or sink into the soft soils which
cause foundation settlement. Foundation settlement
can be minimized by adopting proper using ground
modification techniques and ground improvement
method.
Figure 14: Mechanism of Foundation Settlement

2.4 ADVANTAGES OF GEOTUBE WITH
GABION PROTECTION
The geo-tube embankment was designed for a
length of 675 meters with a base width of 30m for a
design water depth of 5m. The geo-tube embankment
is designed with a scour apron for depth of -3m
below MSL and a toe mound of +3m above MSL.
The toe mound and scour apron will act as a
protection barriers to the structure from scouring
action of waves. Four layers of sand filled geo-tubes
are aligned parallel to the shore and gabions boxes
are stacked over it. The sand filled geo-tubes will act
as core layer against tidal waves and stacked gabion
boxes will absorb the wave energy.
3. DESIGN OF GEOTUBE EMBANKMENT
Geotube are large container bags which is
made up of woven and non-woven geotextile fabrics,
those can be filled with large amount of granular
materials which are partially permeable. A successive
utility has been reported by Heerten et al (2002).
3.1 DESIGN WATER LEVEL AND WAVE

HEIGHT
The water level is subject to seasonal
variation and yearly fluctuation. Generally, water
levels are higher in the monsoon and lower in the
non-monsoon. As the embankment is located in
between two clusters region there is a possibility of
sudden rise of water table due to the seasonal
variation and flood level. So in order to incorporate
flood level and tides, past 50 years flood data is
collected so as to arrive an significant water level and
tidal variations which are combined considered as
design water level, since Design water level (DWL)
is the maximum possible water level that incorporates
the risk to the structure over a period of time and at
which structure is designed to withstand the
combined forces.
The structural requirement for the stability
of a structure is directly related to the DWH and the
forces exerted by the design wave. The higher the
wave the larger the forces, based on 100 year wave
data a significant wave height arrived and considered
as design wave height (DWH). For simple design
conditions, the following formula will provide a
reasonable and conservative design wave height, H b
for the breaking wave.
H b = 0.78*ds
Where
ds - Depth of water at the structure toe under the
D.W.L condition.
3.2 DESIGN OF GEOTEXTILE TUBE
Estimation of sand filled geotextile tube
dimension, shape can be calculated using the
Timoshenko method. The dimensions (and thus the
resultant shape) of a geotextile tube for filling levels
between 60% and 100% as a function of the radius
(R) of the circular diameter of a 100% filled
geotextile tube.
Filled height (h) > (1-1-f)*D
Filled width (b) < h+0.5**(D-h)
Where
h -Filled height of the geotextile tube in m.

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MARHY 2014
f -Degree of filling with respect to the cross-sectional
at uniform filling ratio has to be maintained to have a
area
uniform height and width, which helps in mobilizing
D -Diameter of the geotextile tube at 100% filling in
uniform level of crest which relays in proper
m
alignment and assurance for stability. In order to
b -Filled width of the geotextile tube in m.
withstand the catastrophic event such as cyclone,
storm surge, earthquake high wind and wave action,
Tensile strength of geotextile tube can be calculated
the core is made more rigid. Geotube are stacked in
by the analytical method
the manner of interlaying with each other. Stacking
of geotube in the order of four layers each composed
T= P*r
of four, three two and one geotube to attain the
Where
required level. Core layer acts as protective layer and
T-Tensile load in the geotextile (KN/m)
prevents passing of sediments and even though core
P-Pressure in the fill material (KN/m)
is wetted full due to wave action are due other
r- Radius of curvature of the geotextile (m)
flooding parameters, the water in the core can be
easily drained, since geotube core will act as a perfect
Dimension and shape can be calculated by the
porous media.
analytical method
3.6 DESIGN OF GABION LAYER
The geotube core is overlaid with gabion
R=S/2
boxes, these boxes are made of flexible polymer rope
Where
of 16mm in diameter, these are nets used to form
R- Maximum theoretical radius of geotube (m).
cages of desired sizes and are filled with boulders.
S- Circumference of geotube (m).
They are ideally suited as armor layer in resisting all
3.3 DESIGN OF FILTER AND SCOUR APRON
erodible effects of waves. Boulder fill can be done inSince the soil surface consist of deep caves
situ or gabion boxes are pre filled and installed in
and is exposed to high seepage and pore fluid
place with help of crane, adjacent gabions are tied
characteristics, it is necessary to protect the
together to form a continuous monolithic structure
embankment base from scouring under toeing and
and polymer is inert to corrosive coastal environment.
development of pore pressure. As a preventive
The major advantages with gabion boxes are
measure a thick geotextile sheet of 230 GSM is laid
it allows immediate dissipation of hydrostatic
over compacted ground to avoid scouring, seepage
pressure; it absorbs impact of dynamic wave forces.
and development of pore pressure. Two layers of
Gabion boxes are highly flexible, durable and
Geotextile filter filled with about 450mm sand on the
resistant to marine environment. Gabion box weight
land side and 750mm sand on the sea side placed on
was assumed based on Hudson's formula and
the 1:60 bed slopes which ensures good drainage and
corresponding gabion dimension where selected.
increases bearing capacity. Further it acts as a
protective layer to the geotube by giving resistance
Volume of gabion box = 2m*1m*1m
against bursting, tearing and punching. A scour apron
Density of armor units = 2.65T/m3
was designed with Hudson's assumption for a depth
Mass of gabion box = 2.65*2=5.3T
of -3m to mitigate the scour action against higher
Percentage of voids= 40%
wave celerity which plunges over toe of the geotube
Weight after porosity reduction = (2-0.4)*2.65
embankment.
Net Weight of gabion =4.24 T
3.4 DESIGN OF TOE MOUND
Toe mound will act as an protection to the
structure from scouring action of waves, normally
scouring action will tends to remove sub soil below
the structure this indent to instable the stability of the
structure, further results in excessive settlement due
to heap of geotube. The design criteria assumed for
the toe protection was Hudson's formula, In which
Width should be maximum of twice the significant
wave height are else 0.4 times design water depth,
height of the mound should be 50% of the width.
3.7 DESIGN OF INFILL MATERIAL AND

GEOTEXTILE
The formula used for defining the geotextile
pore size and particle size of the infill material for the
free drainage, and to prevent formation of filter cake
for dynamic wave load can be attained by the below
relation
O90 < 1.5*D10*C U 1/2
Where
O90 - Pore size of the geotextile tube.
D10 - Diameter corresponding to 10% finer.
C U - Coefficient of uniformity.
3.5 DESIGN OF CORE

Geotube filled with granular coarse material

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MARHY 2014
Influence of local scour is calculated based on the
4
NUMERICAL
ANALYSIS
GEOTUBE
wave characteristics and flow diversion parameters.
EMBANKMENT USING PLAXIS 2D
Local scour depth of 0.75m was modeled along high
water level and analyzed for the strength reduction
The model of integrated geo-tube
factor. The numerical results are 1.351 factor of
embankment is drafted in Plaxis 2D a software which
safety with an maximum structural deformation of
is used for soil structure interaction analysis.
0.1394m and shear contours are slightly towards
Appropriate field geometry and material properties
seaside due to influence of local scour.
have to be used based on the complex stress strain
characteristics of the selected material and field data.
Generated model is analyzed for differential water
level for various the units of length, force and time
are used as m, kN and day. In boundary conditions,
standard fixities were employed in the bottom and
rollers were employed in the sides of the model
generated. For every stage construction the structure
Figure16: Numerical analysis for high water level
was analyzed for limit equilibrium method and for
with local scour
global factor of safety the structure was analyzed by
both F.EM and L.E.M method in terms of c-phi
4.1.2 Analysis for Design water level-General scour
reduction to attain factor of safety. The obtained
General scour is also modeled for a calculated
factors of safety are tabulated below in terms of High
general scour depth of 1m based on the monsoon and
water level and design water level and Global factor
non monsoon season along with shoreline variation
of safety for each case of the integrated geo-tube
(erosion) and results were obtained with a factor of
embankment for the influence of local and general
safety of 1.348 and a maximum displacement was
scouring effect had analyzed.
predicted as 0.1411m.
4.1 ANALYSIS FOR HIGH WATER LEVEL
Numerical analysis was carried out using
PLAXIS 2D for maximum higher water level on
considering the maximum water fluctuation due to
tides and storm surge. Since the site is continuously
affected by storms and cyclone, Analysis is carried
out for a maximum water depth of +6m on seaside
and +1m on leeside. The results obtained shows a
Figure 17: Numerical analysis for high water level
factor of safety of 1.353 for an maximum total
with general scour
displacement of the structure of 0.1459m and the
stress contours are slightly near to crest of the
4.2 Analysis for Design water level
embankment on seaside slope which resembles the
Design water level of +5m was calculated based on
slope was more stable due to the embedment of -3m
the 100 year retention period and obtained results are
scour apron and toe protection. The slope on leeside
not having any drastic change. Even though the stress
is having more stress concentration with variation in
contours are shifted towards seaside there is no
stress contours, varying from the crest to leeside will
reduction in strength and structural deformations are
have a possibility of deep seated failure. Since the old
less. The factor of safety is 1.355 and the maximum
retarded embankment was build of soft clay, which
displacement is 0.1539, the reason for the variation in
will lose its shear strength when it is exposed to wet
displacement is due phreatic line and loss of pore
weather.
pressure above the seepage surface.
Figure 15: Numerical analysis for high water level
Figure 18: Numerical analysis for design water level
4.1.1 Analysis for high water level-Local scour

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5. CONCLUSIONS
The present numerical study, patterning to
geotextile tube embankment, reveals good
geotechnical stability for high water and design water
level. The local and general scour analysis shows that
insignificant amount of variation in stress contours,
due to the embedment of scour apron and toe mound.
It is found that various failure mechanisms can be
mitigated by choosing proper fill ratio of infill
material. In order to comprehend the stability of
geotube saline embankment, several design
guidelines were concluded based on conceptual
analysis
by
considering
geotechnical
and
Hydrodynamic factors.
6. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors are pleased to acknowledge the Indian
Institute of Technology, Madras, for supporting their
innovative and valuable research.
7. REFERENCES
[1]
BEZUIJEN A, ADEL H.D, GROOT M.B, and
PILARCZYK K.W, Research on geocontainers and its
application in practice, Proceedings of the. 27th Conference of
Coastal Engineering (Sydney, Australia, ASCE), pp. 2331-2341,
2000.
[2] KOERNER, R.M., Designing with Geosynthetics, 4th Ed.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc. 761p, 1998.
[3]
BEZUIJEN. A, OUNG. O.KLEIN BRETELER. M.

BERENDSEN. E, and PILARCZYK K.W., Model tests on
geocontainers placing accuracy and geotechnical aspects,
Proceedings of 7th International Conference on Geosynthetics,
Nice, France, (2002a)
[4] PILARCZYK, K.W., Geosynthetics and Geosystems in

Hydraulics and Coastal Engineering, Rotterdam, A.A. Balkema
Publications, 913pp, ISBN 90-5809-302-6.S., 2000.
[5] CUOMO, L.FRIGO, V.DE CHIARA, Numerical Modelling
of a Coastal Embankment Reinforced with Geosyntethics,
Proc GeoAfrica Conference, Accra, Ghana, 2013.
[6] HYEONG-JOO KIM, MYOUNG-SOO,WON,
JAY C.
JAMIN, Finite-Element Analysis on the Stability of Geotextile,
TubeReinforced Embankments under Scouring, International
Journal of Geomechanics, 2014. 10.1061/(ASCE)GM.19435622.0000420. In print.

300
Advances in Computational and Experimental Marine

Hydrodynamics
(ACEMH on
2014)
International
Conference
Computational and Experimental Marine Hydrodynamics
MARHY2014
NUMERICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL DETERMINATION OF VELOCITY DEPENDANT

HYDRODYNAMIC DERIVATIVES OF AN UNDERWATER TOWED BODY
Roni Francis, Naval Physical and Oceanographic Laboratory, Kochi, India
K Sudarsan, Naval Physical and Oceanographic Laboratory, Kochi, India
P Krishnankutty, Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, India
V Ananthasubramanian, Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, India
ABSTRACT
Underwater towed bodies are widely used for both civilian and military applications. Hydrodynamic stability is an
essential requirement for the towed body in order to provide a stable platform for the payloads housed within them.
Estimation of hydrodynamic derivatives of the towed body is an important pre-requisite for evaluation of
hydrodynamic stability. Numerical and experimental evaluation of velocity dependant hydrodynamic derivatives is
presented in this paper. Drift angle tests and rotating arm tests are numerically simulated for evaluation of the
hydrodynamic derivatives. The numerical analysis results were experimentally validated through model experiments
using Vertical Planar Motion Mechanism in a towing tank using a full scaled model of the towed body. Comparison
between the numerical and experimental results is presented.
NOMENCLATURE
Lm
Length of model in m
V
Speed of towing carriage in m/s
Density of tank water in kg/m3
m
m
Non dimensional model mass
x
Half strut spacing in m
Distance of model CG to PMM centre in m
xG
non dimensional model moment of inertia about z
I z
axis
N
Model hydrostatic moment
X
Surge force in N
Y
Sway force in N
N
Yaw moment in N
requirement for the towed body in order to ensure a stable

platform for the acoustic sensors housed inside. Hence
analysis of hydrodynamic stability is an inevitable stage in
the development of the towed system. Many parameters
have been identified which influence the stability of a
towed system. These include shape of towed body,
geometry of stabiliser fins, location of tow point and
length of towing cable. Length of cable is often a few
hundreds of meters long. Hence experimental evaluation of
hydrodynamic stability of the full scale towed system is
often not possible and numerical methods are considered
the best alternative supported by limited experiments such
as captive Planar Motion Mechanism tests.
1.0
INTRODUCTION
Underwater towed bodies find applications in a wide
variety of fields such as oceanography, seabed mapping,
ocean environment investigation, geophysics, military and
survey of underwater installations. The towed system
generally consists of a hydrodynamically shaped towed
body towed behind a surface ship using an
electromechanical cable. The towed body houses the
payload such as sensors and acoustic projectors within it.
Mathematical model have been developed by abkowitz [1]

which describe the motions of the towed body in the three
dimensions. The velocity and acceleration dependant
hydrodynamic derivatives which appear in these models
are to be determined either experimentally or numerically
for carrying out stability analysis. Experimental methods
for the determination of these coefficients necessitates the
availability of elaborate test set ups such as towing tank,
planar motion mechanism or rotating arm facility in
addition to physical models of the towed body. Numerical
methods can effectively substitute experimental methods
especially during design stages when changes in the
configuration of the towed body are expected.
During its operation the towed body is subjected to many

disturbing forces and moments such as those arising from
ship motions, waves and underwater currents.
Hydrodynamic stability of the towed body is an essential

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This paper describes the numerical and experimental
determination of the velocity dependant hydrodynamic
derivatives of an underwater towed body. Drift angle tests
and rotating arm tests are numerically simulated for
estimation of the derivatives in the linear range. A series of
static and dynamic tests have been performed on a full
scale model of the towed body using Vertical Planar
Motion Mechanism in a towing tank. Comparison between
the numerical and experimental results is presented.
of hydrodynamic coefficients. The values obtained from

experiments is also given for comparison. Figures 6 and 7
respectively show the plot of sway velocity component (v)
and the corresponding sway force (Y) and yaw moment
(N) acting on the model.
Table 1: Evaluation of Yv from Drift Angle Test
Underwater towed systems are generally stable in the

vertical plane due to the presence of inherent restoring
forces and moments arising from the gravitational and
hydrostatic actions. Hence the relevant derivatives in the
horizontal plane alone are considered in the present scope.
2.0
CONFIGURATION OF THE TOWED BODY
Geometric configuration of the towed body under study
consists of a hemi-spherical nose, cylindrical mid-body
and a tail portion having a truncated conical form. There
are four identical fins, two in the vertical plane and two in
the horizontal plane, forming a cruciform configuration.
The configuration is shown in figure-1.
3.0 NUMERICAL EVALUATION
Numerical evaluation of velocity dependant coefficients
were carried through simulation of static drift angle tests
and rotating arm tests using the numerical analysis tool
Fluent v 6.2. Modelling and meshing was done using
Ansys 12 ICEM CFD software. Structured mesh was used
for meshing the domain with very fine grid spacing in the
boundary layer. The cylindrical outer side of the domain
was modelled as inlet boundary with appropriate velocity
components. K-epsilon turbulence model was used and the
pressure velocity coupling was carried out using the
SIMPLE scheme [2].
3.1
NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF DRIFT

ANGLE TESTS
Drift angle tests were numerically simulated for various
drift angles and for various forward speeds. From the
simulated drift angle tests, the sway velocity component
(v) and the corresponding sway force (Y) and yaw moment
(N) acting on the model are evaluated and plotted from
which the derivatives Yv and Nv are determined. Fig 2
shows the mesh around the towed body.
A cylindrical fluid domain was used with inlet boundary
located at one body length forward of the nose of the
towed body. The outlet boundary was located at five body
lengths downstream [3].
Figures 3,4 and 5 shows the velocity distribution around
the towed body at various angles of attack and at a forward
velocity of 3m/s. Table 1 and 2 show the force and
moment values obtained from the tests and the derivation
v
(m/s)
Angle of
attack
(b)(deg)
v=V sin(b)
Y (N)
(Num)
Y (N)
(Expt)
3
3
3
3
3
-5
-3
0
3
5
-0.261
-0.157
0.000
0.157
0.261
149.9
92.4
0
-95.8
-153.5
162.4
98.1
0
-96.8
-160.5
Yv
Yv'
-585.5
-0.1042
-618.6
-0.1101
Table 2: Evaluation of Nv from Drift Angle Test
v (m/s)
Angle of
attack
(b)(deg)
v=V sin(b)
N (Nm)
(Num)
N (Nm)
(Expt)
3
3
3
3
3
-5
-3
0
3
5
-0.2613
-0.1569
0.0000
0.1569
0.2613
-45.8
-31.8
0
31.2
45.1
-46.7
-30.4
0
30.9
45.9
Nv
Nv'
181.2
0.0167
182.0
0.0167
3.2
NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF ROTATING

ARM TESTS
Rotating arm tests are used to measure the rotary
derivatives of the model, by imposing an angular velocity
on the model by attaching it to the end of a rotating arm.
The centre line of the model is aligned perpendicular to the
arm so that the origin of the model coincides with the
centreline of the arm. The model describes a circle with
constant radius with its centreline always tangential to the
circular path. This results in pure yawing motion of the
model.
Yaw motion of the model is numerically simulated at radii
of 9.5m, 12.0m and 18m. In order to obtain pure yaw
motion, a radially varying velocity profile is simulated at
the inlet as shown in fig 8 and 9. The sway force (Y) and
yaw moment (N) are determined from the tests and are
plotted as a function of the yaw angular velocity (r) to
obtain the derivatives Yr and Nr. Figures 10,11 and 12
show the converged velocity profile around the towed
body in the three different radii domains.
Table 3 and 4 show the force and moment values obtained
from the tests and the derivation of hydrodynamic

302
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o Computationnal and Experiimental Marinee Hydrodynam
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MARHY20014
3-4 December
D
20144, Chennai, Inddia
coefficients Yrand Nr. Fig
gures 13 and 14 respectiveely
show the plot of yaw velo
ocity component (r) and thhe
Y) and yaw mooment (N) actinng
corresponding sway force (Y
on the model.
T
dynamom
metry consistedd of a 4
these two struts. The
compoonent balance to measure thhe forces and moments
acting on the modell. The model was fully floooded with
t
The model
m
was balllasted to
water during the tests.
establiish the conditioon of neutral buuoyancy and leevel trim
E
of Yr from Rotatinng Arm Test
Table 3: Evaluation
In order to obtain deeply submergged condition, the struts

p
so as
were loowered into waater to the deeppest practical point
to elim
minate the wavve effects. Withh the present set
s up, the
depth of immersion was about 1..8m which is about 5.1
t model diam
meter.
times the
Table 4: Evaluation
E
of Nr from Rotatinng Arm Test
4.2
DATA ACQUISITION SYSTEM
S
The accquisition and post processinng of the modeel test data
were done
d
onboard thhe towing carriage by a ruggedized PC
Pentiuum IV based 166 Channel data acquisition syystem built
with A/D
A card and LabVIEW
L
6.1vv. The carriagee speed is
measured accuratelyy by a wheel with
w an opticaal encoder
p
per metter and displaayed on a
deliverring 10,000 pulses
digital counter.
ESTIMATIO
ON OF HYDRO
ODYNAMIC
COEFFICIEN
NTS
b
were
The hyydrodynamic coefficients off the towed body
evaluaated from the results
r
of the static
s
and dynaamic tests.
The foorce and moment data acquiired during thee tests are
non-diimensionalisedd as given below
w [6]
{X',Y'} = {X,Y}/(mLm2V2)
{N'}
= {N}/(mLm3V2)
Supersscript ' is used to
t denote non-dimensional vaalues.
4. 3
4.0
MODE
EL EXPERIM
MENTS IN TO
OWING TANK
K
A full scale model
m
of the to
owed body waas fabricated annd
t
tested
for deterrmination of hydrodynamic coefficients.
c
Thhe
m
model
tests were
w
carried ou
ut at the Highh Speed Towinng
Tank available at Naval Science andd Technologiccal
laboratory, Viisakhapatnam, India. The tessts were carrieed
out using thhe Vertical Planar Motioon Mechanissm
(VPMM). Forces and momeents acting on the towed boddy
w
were
measured during th
he tests for estimation of
h
hydrodynamic
coefficients. The results from
f
this moddel
t
tests
are used for
f validation of
o the CFD resuults.
During the tessts the model was fitted witth four identiccal
D
fins. Details off the fins are ass given below.
Meann span
260.2 mm
Root chord
153.2 mm
Tip chhord
mm
80.8
Taperr ratio
0.45
Sweeepback angle
deg
0
Fig 15 shows the model atttached to the towing carriagge
F
t
through
the VP
PMM system while
w
undergoing tests.
4
4.1
VERT
TICAL PLAN
NAR MOTION
N MECHANISM
M
(VPM
MM)
The model tessts were carrieed by mountinng the model on
o
t VPMM syystem [4,5]. Th
the
he VPMM sysstem consists of
t
two
struts arraanged in tandem
m and each atttached throughh a
gimbal and gaauge assembly
y. The model is supported by
b
D
ANGLE
E TESTS
4.4 DRIFT
Drift angle
a
test is a static
s
test. Duriing this test thee model is
not given any lineaar or angular velocity otherr than the
forwarrd motion of thhe towing carriiage. This test is done to
measure transverse force
f
(Y) actinng on the moddel of the
t
at a
towed body at variouus drift angless while being towed
constant forward velocity. The yaw moment (N) was
t moment off the transversee force (Y)
estimaated by taking the
about the centre of gravity
g
of the model. Drift angle
a
tests
c
at foorward velocityy of 3 m/s andd at angles
were conducted
of attaack 0, 3 and 5 deg. The nonn dimensional force and
momennt data obtaineed from the tests are plotted against
a
the
correspponding drift angles.
a
Approppriate curves arre fitted to
obtain the relevant hydrodynamicc coefficients. Tables 1
m the drift anglee tests and
and 2 show the data obtained from
the exttraction of the hydrodynamicc derivatives.
T
4.5 PURE SWAY TESTS
s
test is carried
c
out to measure the transverse
t
Pure sway
force (Y)
( acting on the
t model of thhe towed bodyy model at
differeent sway acceelerations. Thee model is toowed at a
constant forward sppeed by the toowing carriage. During
pure sway
s
test, botth the forwardd and aft struuts of the
VPMM
M oscillate inn phase. the frequencies of sway
oscillaation was varied from 0.21Hzz to 0.555 Hz. Pure
P
sway
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303

MARHY2014
tests were carried out at a forward velocity of 3 m/s at
different sway accelerations varying from 0.04 m/s2 to 0.3
m/s2. The non dimensional in-phase force data measured
by the forward and aft struts are plotted against the
corresponding non dimensional accelerations to obtain the
coefficients, Y1in and Y2in. The hydrodynamic
coefficients are obtained as below.
Yv ' = Y1in + Y2in + m

N v ' = (Y1in Y2in)(x/Lm) + (xG/Lm)m
4.6 PURE YAW TESTS
Pure yaw test is carried out to measure the transverse force
(Y) acting on the model of the towed body model at
different sway accelerations. The yaw moment (N) acting
on the model is estimated by taking moment of the
transverse force (Y) about the centre of gravity of the
model. During pure yaw tests, the oscillation of forward
and aft struts is kept at a constant phase difference. The
value of constant phase difference is estimated based on
towing speed, spacing between forward and aft struts,
amplitude of oscillation and frequency of oscillation, in
order to generate pure angular motion.
Pure yaw tests were carried out at a forward velocity of 3
m/s at different yaw accelerations varying from 1.1 to 16.6
deg/s2 and yaw velocities varying from 0.8 to 4.7 deg/s.
The non dimensional force data which is in-phase with the
displacement of the struts are plotted against the
corresponding non dimensional accelerations to obtain the
coefficients, Y1in and Y2in. Similarly non dimensional
out-of-phase force data measured by the forward and aft
struts are plotted against the corresponding non
dimensional velocities to obtain the coefficients, Y1out
and Y2out. The hydrodynamic coefficients are then
obtained as shown below.
Y r ' = Y1in + Y2in (xG/Lm)m

N r ' = (Y1in Y2in)(x/Lm) + Iz + N/2
Yr = Y1out + Y2out + m
Nr = (Y1in Y2in)(x/Lm) + (xG/Lm)m
A plot of quadrature component of yaw force vs yaw
velocity r obtained from VPMM tests is shown in fig 16.
The hydrodynamic coefficients estimated from the
numerical simulation as well as experiments are tabulated
in table 5.
Table 5 : Compilation of hydrodynamic coefficients
5.0 CONCLUSION
Evaluation of velocity dependant hydrodynamic
derivatives of an underwater towed body has been carried
out experimentally as well as through numerical analysis.
Experiments were carried out using a Vertical Planar
Motion Mechanism in towing tank. A combination of
static and dynamic tests were carried out for extraction of
the hydrodynamic coefficients Yv, Yr, Nvand Nr.
In order to estimate the velocity dependant hydrodynamic
derivatives through CFD, the drift angle tests and rotating
arm tests were simulated in the numerical environment.
Drift angle tests were carried out at various angles of
attack and the rotating arm tests were simulated at various
radii. Comparison between the velocity dependant
hydrodynamic derivatives derived from experimental as
well as CFD methods is found to be reasonably good. It
may be concluded from these studies that CFD methods
can effectively substitute costly and time consuming
experimental methods for determination of hydrodynamic
coefficients, especially during the design stage when
configuration changes in hull form are expected.
6.0 REFERENCE
1. Abkowitz M.A., Stability and Control of Ocean
Vehicles, MIT publication (more info)
2. Klaus A. Hoffman, Steve T. Chiang, Computational
Fluid Dynamics, Vol. 1
3. Recommended
procedures
and
guidelines,
International Towing Tank Conference, 2011
4. Alex Goodman,
Description and Operation of
Sub
Planar
Motion
Mechanism
Tracor
Hydronautics, Technical Manual 84070-1
5. Morton Gertler, The DTMB Planar Motion
Mechanism System NSRDC report 2528
6. SNAME, Nomenclature for Treating the Motion of a
Submerged Body through a Fluid SNAME
Technical and Research Bulletin No 1-5
7. Alexander Phillips, Maaten Furlong and Stephen R
Turnock, The use of computational fluid dynamics
to determine the dynamic stability of an autonomous
underwater vehicle 10th Numerical Towing tank
Symposium (NuTTS07), Hamburg, Germany,
September 2007
7.0
AUTHORS BIOGRAPHY
Roni Francis graduated in Naval Architecture from Cochin
University, India in the year 2000. He pursued research on
hydrodynamics of ships and submarines during his stint at
Naval
Science
and
Technological
Laboratory,
Visakhpatnam, India. Presently he is working on
hydrodynamics of towed systems at Naval Physical and
Oceanographic Laboratory, Kochi, India.
K. Sudarsan graduated in aeronautical engineering from
Madras Institute of Technology (MIT), Madras in 1979.

304
International Conference on
o Computationnal and Experiimental Marinee Hydrodynam
mics
MARHY20014
3-4 December
D
20144, Chennai, Inddia
H earned his MS and PhD degrees in occean engineerinng
He
M
in 19
982 and 19997 respectivelly.
from IIT, Madras
Subsequently he
h joined navaal Physical andd Oceanographhic
L
Laboratory
(N
NPOL) wheree he is engaaged in desiggn,
development, testing and commissioning
c
g of underwatter
hed 20 paperrs in nationaal,
systems. He has publish
j
and conferences. Presently he is
international journals
A
Associate
Direector (Engineerring) at NPOL..
F 3 Velocity distribution
Fig
d
at 3m/s, 0 deg drrift angle
P.Krishnankuttty is a professo
P
or in the Depaartment of Oceaan
E
Engineering,
I
Indian
Institutee of Technology Madras wiith
m
more
than thirtty years of teacching and research experiencce.
H areas of research interrest are ship hydrodynamiccs,
His
m
marine
vehicle guidance and control, wave-structuure
w
wash and passenger com
mfort.
interactions, wave
V. Anantha Suubramanian is a professor annd currently thhe
V
H
Head
in the Department
D
off Ocean Engiineering, Indiaan
Institute of Technology
y Madras. His researcch
e
areas include experimental
ship hydroddynamics, shhip
surface develoopment, ship resistance & propulsion annd
ship motion staabilization
URES
FIGU
F 4 Velocity distribution
Fig
d
at 3m/s, 3 deg drrift angle
260.2
80.8
153.2
35
50
200
F 5 Velocityy distribution at
Fig
a 3m/s, 5 deg drift
d angle
175
1000
760
0
F 1 Geomettric configuratiion of the towed body

Fig
F 2 Mesh aro
Fig
ound the towedd body
Fig 6 Plot of Y vs v (drift angle test)

t
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Fig 11 Velocity profile in the 12m radius domain
Fig 7 Plot of N vs v (drift angle test)
m/s
.17
v=5
m/s
.83
v=2
Fig 12 Velocity profile in the 18m radius domain
0
50
R9
7000
Fig 8 Velocity profile at the inlet boundary
Fig 13 Plot of Y vs r (pure yaw test)
Fig 9 Velocity profile at the inlet boundary
Fig 10 Velocity profile in the 9.5m radius domain
Fig 14 Plot of N vs r (pure yaw test)

306

MARHY2014
Fig 15 Model of towed body attached to VPMM
Fig 16 Plot of quadrature component of yaw force

coefficient vs r obtained from VPMM tests

307
WITH BEST COMPLIMENTS

FROM
NAVAL RESEARCH BOARD
DEFENCE R&D ORGANISATION
MINISTRY OF DEFENCE
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
Naval Research Board
Indian Institute of Technology Madras is one among the foremost institutes of national
importance in higher technological education, basic and applied research. In 1956, the
German Government offered technical assistance for establishing an institute of higher
education in engineering in India. The first Indo-German agreement in Bonn, West Germany
for the establishment of the Indian Institute of Technology at Madras was signed in 1959.
The Ministry of Education and Social Welfare, as per the decision of Council of Indian
Institute of Technology, established the Ocean Engineering Centre of IIT Madras in 1977.
The Department is to act as a Centre of Excellence for advancing the frontiers of science and
to provide Break-through Technology as well as to develop education and training programs
in the field of Ocean Engineering. The Department started functioning as an academic
department from 1982.
The Royal Institute of Naval Architects is an internationally renowned professional

institution, founded in 1860 in London, whose members are involved at all levels in the
design, construction, maintenance and operation of marine vessels and structures. Members
of RINA are widely Represented in industry, universities and colleges and maritime
organisations in over ninety countries.

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ADVANCES IN COMPUTATIONAL AND

EXPERIMENTAL MARINE HYDRODYNAMICS

International Conference On Computational and Experimental

Department of Ocean Engineering

The Royal Institution of Naval Architects

Prof. Bhaskar Ramamurthi, Director, IIT Madras

Prof. Manhar Dhanak, Florida Atlantic University, USA

About the Conference

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON COMPUTATIONAL AND EXPERIMENTAL

Numerical Investigation of Ship Airwake over Helodeck for Different Configurations of

Advances in Computational and Experimental Marine Hydrodynamics (ACEMH 2014)

EFFECT OF STRUCTURAL DEFORMATION ON PERFORMANCE OF DIFFERENT

Geometry of propeller is very crucial for its

Coefficient in k- turbulence model

propeller is carried out in similar way.

Computation of viscous flow through propeller was

All Dimensions are in SI Units

Copyright 2014 by IIT Madras, Chennai, India and the RINA, UK

2014: The Royal Institution of Naval Architects and IIT Madras

International Conference on Computational and Experimental Marine Hydrodynamics

GEOMETRY OF THE PROPELLER

3.1 METAL PROPELLER

4.1 GRID FOR FLUID STUDY

for flow solution. The sector of 72 was so chosen that

SETTINGS UP THE PROBLEM

5.1 FLOW SOLUTION

The continuum was chosen as fluid and the properties

2014: The Royal Institution of Naval Architects and IIT Madras

International Conference on Computational and Experimental Marine Hydrodynamics

5.2 DEFORMATION STUDY

Mesh and boundary condition for FE solver is shown

operational conditions in terms of propeller rpm and

6.1 METAL PROPELLER

According to the convention, thrust and torque are

2014: The Royal Institution of Naval Architects and IIT Madras

International Conference on Computational and Experimental Marine Hydrodynamics

The present study indicates that capability of

carried out to examine if this can be used for

2014: The Royal Institution of Naval Architects and IIT Madras

International Conference on Computational and Experimental Marine Hydrodynamics

Blade. Technical Report, David Taylor

Solid Model of Metal Propeller

Fig 2 Geometry & Solid Model of Composite Propeller

2014: The Royal Institution of Naval Architects and IIT Madras

International Conference on Computational and Experimental Marine Hydrodynamics

Fig 3. Extent of Domain and Boundary Conditions

Fig 4. Surface Grid over Metallic and

Fig 5. Grid, Boundary Conditions with Applied

Fig. 6 Mesh and Boundary Conditions with Loading for

2014: The Royal Institution of Naval Architects and IIT Madras

International Conference on Computational and Experimental Marine Hydrodynamics

Fig. 8 Von Mises Stress(N/m2) over

2014: The Royal Institution of Naval Architects and IIT Madras

International Conference on Computational and Experimental Marine Hydrodynamics

2014: The Royal Institution of Naval Architects and IIT Madras

International Conference on Computational and Experimental Marine Hydrodynamics

Co-efficient of Thrust , Torque and Efficiency

Fig. 12Open Water Charateristics : Before & After Deformation

2014: The Royal Institution of Naval Architects and IIT Madras

International Conference on Computational and Experimental Marine Hydrodynamics

2014: The Royal Institution of Naval Architects and IIT Madras

International Conference on Computational and Experimental Marine Hydrodynamics

2014: The Royal Institution of Naval Architects and IIT Madras

International Conference on Computational and Experimental Marine Hydrodynamics