Determination of Maneuvering Force Coefficients for a Destroyer Model with OpenFOAM

Abstract

_ Ship maneuvering performance can be predicted using various methods, including physical model tests, rapid simulations using coefficient-based forces, and high-fidelity computational fluid dynamics. This article considers the application of computational fluid dynamics for the prediction of hull force coefficients to be used as inputs to rapid maneuvering simulations. The open-source software OpenFOAM was used to simulate forces on the destroyer model DTMB 5415 for steady drift, oscillatory pure sway motion, and oscillatory yaw motion. Recommendations are provided regarding best practices in a number of areas, including domain size, mesh refinement, time step size, and turbulent modeling. Predicted forces for steady drift angles up to 12 degrees are typically within 10%of experimental values. For oscillatory sway and yaw motions, predicted forces are typically within 25%of experimental values. Keywords maneuvering; OpenFOAM; best modeling practices