Optimized design of an autonomous underwater vehicle, for exploration in the Caribbean Sea

Abstract

Abstract The needing to explore the depths of the sea is currently increasing. However, human exploration can be compromised due to dangers that divers face at great depths. The Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) has allowed underwater research to make a great stride and avoid human accidents. In such situation, designing an optimized AUV's hull is essential. To maximize periods of operation, AUV's hull must be outfitted to withstand harsh environmental conditions and minimize hydrodynamic drag. In this paper, a variant of torpedo body is proposed, with four Degrees Of Freedom (DoF) and capable of exploring the Caribbean Sea at great depths. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis and empirical methods are used to investigate the hydrodynamic resistance of the designed hull and estimate the drag, employing an optimization process and proving the effectiveness of the optimization algorithm with the profile efficiency analysis. The results demonstrate that CFD optimization methods have an influence on drag estimation. Furthermore, this paper shows that main factors impact the AUV design are the pressure on its body and the hydrodynamic drag. With results obtained based on CFD and empirical estimations, it was possible to achieve optimal parameters concerning the protection of internal hardware, the buoyancy of the vehicle and minimum drag to reach optimal energy consumption. Finally, the variation made to the typical torpedo body does not increase the drag of the vehicle.