New energy wave criterion (EWC) and possible areas of its application

Abstract

The article presents a new criterion, which is based on a comparison of the total wave energy and the kinetic energy of the vessel. The possibility of using this criterion for solving the tasks of assigning for a vessel the navigation area and restrictions on weather conditions is justified and confirmed by examples. High-speed vessels of a transitional mode are considered in more detail, taking into account the design accelerations that occur at high speeds. Several different versions of the Rules governing the navigation areas for small vessels currently exist. For example, various categories of vessels are proposed in Standards ISO, European Union Directives and the Rules of various classification societies. These regulatory documents contain names of navigation areas and various values of permissible wave height characterizing the category of the vessel. The need to compare the existing requirements of various Rules, as well as to propose a new way of calculating permissible wave heights, which will determine the effective operation of the vessel and solving the goals of fleet replenishment, are actual tasks. A way of defining the term “small ship” is proposed, since there is no unified approach in the Rules of classification societies and other regulatory documents. To perform experiments in towing tanks, in order to determine the behavior of the vessel on the waves, a new similarity criterion is needed. The application of the new criterion for high-speed vessels of the transitional mode is considered in this article, but it is possible to use this criterion for low-speed vessels.