Numerical Modelling of a Planing Craft with a V-Shaped Spray Interceptor Arrangement in Calm Water

Abstract

V-shaped spray interceptors are a novel concept of spray deflection on planing craft. Conventional spray rails are positioned longitudinally on the bottom of the hull and detach the spray from hull deflecting it towards the sides or slightly down and aftward. The V-shaped spray interceptors, on the other hand, are located in the spray area forward of the stagnation line such that they would deflect the oncoming spray down and aftward, thereby producing a reaction force that reduces the total resistance. An experimental study reported that the V-shaped spray interceptors to reduce the total resistance at low planing speed by up to 4%. This paper features a numerical comparison of two planing craft, one equipped with a conventional setup of longitudinal spray rails and the other with a V-shaped spray interceptor. Both configurations were simulated in calm water conditions and were free to pitch and heave in a speed range of Fr∇ = 1.776 to 3.108. The numerical model was analyzed for grid sensitivity and numerical results were compared with experimental results. The two concepts were compared in terms of total resistance, lift, running position and wetted surface area. Conventional spray rails were shown to account for up to 5.6% of total lift and up to 6.5% of total resistance. The V-shaped spray interceptor was shown to reduce the total resistance by up to 8%. Since the V-shaped spray interceptor was located in the spray area forward of the stagnation line, it deflected the oncoming spray thereby producing a horizontal reaction force (-1.5% of RTM) in the direction of the craft’s motion. The rest of differences in the total resistance of the hulls equipped with the conventional spray rails and the V-shaped spray rails was due to absence of the resistance of the absent spray rails.