Numerical investigation of submarine hydrodynamics and flow field in steady turn

Abstract

This paper presents numerical simulations of viscous flow past a submarine model in steady turn by solving the Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes Equations (RANSE) for incompressible, steady flows. The rotating coordinate system was adopted to deal with the rotation problem. The Coriolis force and centrifugal force due to the computation in a bodyfixed rotating frame of reference were treated explicitly and added to momentum equations as source terms. Furthermore, velocities of entrances were coded to give the correct magnitude and direction needed. Two turbulence closure models (TCMs), the RNG κ - e model with wall functions and curvature correction and the Shear Stress Transport (SST) κ - ω model without the use of wall functions, but with curvature correction and low-Re correction were introduced, respectively. Take DARPA SUBOFF model as the test case, a series of drift angle varying between 0° and 16° at a Reynolds number of 6.53×106 undergoing rotating arm test simulations were conducted. The computed forces and moment as a function of drift angle during the steady turn are mostly in close agreement with available experimental data. Though the difference between the pressure coefficients around the hull form was observed, they always show the same trend. It was demonstrated that using sufficiently fine grids and advanced turbulence models will lead to accurate prediction of the flow field as well as the forces and moments on the hull.