Investigation on aerodynamic performance of luxury cruise ship

Abstract

Due to the high superstructures and complex configurations of luxury cruise ships, the impacts of wind loads on the ships must be analyzed during design. In this study, the aerodynamic performance of a Vista-class cruise ship was investigated through wind tunnel measurements, empirical formulae and numerical calculations. Wind tunnel experiments were conducted in a simulated atmospheric boundary layer wind field, and the measured data exhibited reliable wind load characteristics of the cruise ship. Three empirical formulae were employed to estimate the wind loads on the cruise ship. The comparison between the estimated results and the experimental data indicated that the general characteristics of the wind loads on generic ship types summarized by empirical formulae were not consistent with those on the Vista-class cruise ship. Numerical simulations based on the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations were performed under the same conditions as those of the wind tunnel experiments. Mesh independence and Reynolds number independence analyses were carried out. The numerical results of the wind loads matched well with the experimental data. Valuable flow field details captured by the numerical calculations were also extracted to analyze the flow characteristics around the cruise ship. The results demonstrated that the Vista-class cruise ship is a typical blunt body. The wind loads on the cruise ship were sensitive to the Reynolds number. The reversed-flow zones around the ship were primarily distributed over the front/back sides of the ship, the top deck, and the ship's leeward side. These reversed-flow zones were mostly induced by the flow separation at the corners of the bow and aft decks and the sharp edges of the top deck. The analysis of the flow characteristics around the ship can provide guidance for future optimization of the aerodynamic performance of the Vista-class cruise ship.