Abstract

Economic pressures and regulatory requirements have brought about a great interest in improving ship propulsion efficiency. This can be exercised by installing Energy Saving Devices (ESD) such as Propeller Boss Cap Fins (PBCF). This paper demonstrates an approach for optimising PBCF by using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis. The conducted Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) CFD open water model tests were validated by comparison with experimental data until the simulation was deemed satisfactory within the capabilities and limitations of the model. A design and optimisation procedure was defined to analyse the impact of ESDs on propeller efficiency and then used to evaluate the influence of alternative geometric parameters and locations of the PBCF on the hub. This analysis was done at full scale using high fidelity CFD-based RANS methods. Outcomes of the study include a design and optimisation process that can be used for the analysis of other ESDs on the market. The influences of various PBCF geometry were examined with optimal solutions presented for the analysis case. Results indicated a net energy efficiency improvement of 1.3% contributing to a substantial minimisation of cost and energy consumption. A reduction in the hub vortex was also clearly identified and presented.

Highlights

  • The first international ship energy efficiency regulations entered into force in 2013 with a phased implementation plan [1]

  • Several studies [5,6,7,8] suggest that the installation of an Energy Saving Devices (ESD) on a ship can result in a significant improvement in energy efficiency

  • This paper has demonstrated the benefits of the developed automated optimisation technique which is able to deliver the best designs and maximise results from a system in an easy, quick and effective manner

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Summary

Introduction

The first international ship energy efficiency regulations entered into force in 2013 with a phased implementation plan [1] This has brought about the need for improving energy efficiency for environmental benefits that will help reduce operational costs during difficult maritime economic cycles [2]. Whilst the ambition to increase energy efficiency is shared with shipping companies seeking to reduce fuel costs and operational expenses, one of several barriers [4] towards adopting and implementing different Energy Saving Devices (ESDs) is the lack of known reliable performance and low confidence about their reliability. Propeller designs are generally compared by analysing their thrust (T) and torque (Q) in an open water environment These parameters are subsequently non-dimensionalised; as one can readily see from (1)–(4), the so-called thrust (KT) and torque (KQ) coefficients can be used to evaluate the propulsion efficiency (␩0), T KT = n2D4 (1) Q

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