Full-scale Simulation Research Articles

High-temperature heat transfer simulation and optimization of quartz fiber-aerogel composite multilayer 3D fabric

Quartz fabrics, which have excellent mechanical properties and high temperature resistance abilities, had been widely applicated in aerospace, military, and other thermal insulation fields. However, single-layer quartz fabric has poor thermal insulation performance, which is unfavorable to the high temperature application of this material. In order to improve the thermal insulation effect of quartz fiber fabric, silica aerogel materials with outstanding thermal insulation performance were introduced to the fabrication of quartz fabrics. Thermal insulation properties of quartz fiber and mechanical properties of silica aerogel were improved by a 3D braiding technique. Firstly, a 3D-fabric structure of quartz fiber-aerogel multilayer composite was designed. Silica aerogel and quartz yarn were woven into 3D composite fabric by textile technique. Through 3D braiding technique, silica aerogels were protected by quartz yarns while enhancing their mechanical properties. The thermal insulation performance and high temperature erosion resistance of the fiber-aerogel fabric are improved. Secondly, to explore the influence of the internal structure of the 3D fiber-aerogel composite fabric, a full-scale 3D simulation model for the heat transfer performance of fiber-aerogel multilayer composite was established. The thermal insulation performance of the composite fabric at 700 °C was predicted. Finally, the temperature of different positions inside the fabric in different environments (300 °C, 400 °C, 500 °C, 600 °C, 700 °C) was tested. It has been proved that introducing aerogel materials to the quartz fabric could reduce the surface temperature by about 60%.

Preliminary code development for single-phase liquid natural circulation flow simulation based on two-phase compressible model

It is of great significance to study the thermal-hydraulic characteristics of Lead-based Fast Reactor. In these years, the computational fluid dynamics method has become an attractive way in thermal-hydraulic and safety simulations of liquid metal cooled reactors. In order to investigate thermal-hydraulic characteristics of single-phase natural circulation flow in liquid metal cooled reactors, a self-developed CFD code was developed in this paper. The new code was proposed based on the two-phase compressible model, including liquid and vapor governing equations and a series of auxiliary models. The commercial CFD software ANSYS FLUENT was used to verify and validate the new code by comparing their simulation results under a typical heat driven cavity flow case. The comparison showed that the results simulated by the new code had good agreement with the ones calculated by ANSYS FLUENT. Furthermore, by coupling the above CFD model with the fuel pin heat transfer model, the application was conducted based on a full-scale reactor steady-state simulation of a natural circulation driven LBE-cooled fast reactor. From the results, it can be concluded that the new code can simulate and evaluate thermal-hydraulic behaviors of the LBE-cooled reactor well.

Low-resistance optimization and secondary flow analysis of elbows via a combination of orthogonal experiment design and simple comparison design

The resistance of local piping components in HVAC systems significantly contributes to building energy consumption. Therefore, this study proposes a method combining orthogonal experiment design (OED) and simple comparison design (SCD) to optimize the position and angle of the double guide vanes in the elbow, resulting in a low-resistance modified elbow with double guide vanes. The resistance performance and secondary flow intensity of the traditional and modified elbow with double guide vanes are analyzed by full-scale experiments and numerical simulations. The effectiveness of the modified elbow with double guide vanes in reducing resistance is verified for different inlet Reynolds numbers, nominal diameters, and curvature ratios. The results show that the modified elbow has a good resistance reduction effect, and the resistance reduction rate is 11.4%–29.4% when the Re number ranges from 0.1 × 105 to 8.0 × 105. Under different nominal diameters (DN25-DN200) and curvature ratios (0.8–2.0), the resistance reduction rate of the modified elbow was 0%–38.1%. For long elbows with a curvature ratio greater than 2.0, resistance reduction by inserting double guide vanes is not recommended. The insertion of double guide vanes can inhibit the development of secondary flow in the elbow, cutting the double-vortex core with high vortex intensity into a four-vortex core with low vortex intensity, thus decreasing the secondary flow intensity and mechanical energy consumption. This study provides new optimization methods and perspectives for the low-resistance and standardized design of piping components in HVAC systems.

Full-scale multiphase simulation of automobile PEM fuel cells with different flow field configurations

ABSTRACT In this study, a 3D + 1D (three-plus-one dimensional) multiphase PEM (proton exchange membrane) fuel cell model is developed, in which the detailed channel two-phase flow is also considered based on the two-phase Darcy’s law. Compared with conventional 3D fuel cell models, the 3D + 1D model improves calculation efficiency and stability. Utilizing this model, the simulation work is conducted on an automobile PEM fuel cell (309.12 cm2) with the full flow field morphology considered. Its accuracy is comprehensively validated at this scale against the experimentally measured polarization curves and HFR (high frequency resistance) under different anode and cathode stoichiometric ratios and pressures and operating temperatures, indicating the model reliability. Subsequently, we numerically investigate the influence of four flow field configurations on cell performance characteristics, including the wave-like, dotted, baffled, and straight flow fields. It is found that the dotted and baffled configuration effectively improved cell performance, but the wave-like flow field has little influence on cell performance compared with straight flow field. Moreover, it is found that decreasing the channel/rib width decreases the concentration loss, but it also increases the ionic ohmic loss, resulting in an optimal channel/rib width for cell performance improvement.

Smoke movement and control in longitudinal ventilated tunnel fires with cross-passages

This paper studies the characteristics of smoke movement and control in longitudinal ventilated tunnel fires with cross-passages through numerical modeling. Previous reports mainly focused on fires in single-hole tunnel, however, tunnels with cross-passages have been widely applied in real life, the cross-passages between main tunnels provide additional path for air and fire smoke, and significantly affect smoke temperature and back-layering length, which has not been studied in the past. Hence, full-scale simulations were conducted considering different heat release rates, fire locations, longitudinal ventilation velocities, and cross-passage intervals in this study. It shows that the smoke temperature distribution with or without cross-passages is almost the same under natural ventilation condition, while the temperature gradually increases with the decrease of interval of cross-passages under longitudinal ventilation condition. Due to the more air leakage, the smoke back-layering length increases with decreasing interval of cross-passage. The air leakage mass through the cross-passage was then characterized by the interval of cross-passages and fire location. Considering fire position and interval of cross-passages, the actual ventilation velocity is used to establish a new smoke back-layering length model. A basic understanding was provided by new findings in this study for smoke movement and control in tunnel fires with cross-passages.

Numerical simulation of the fluid flow and heat transfer of the supercritical water in the 64-element Canadian SCWR fuel bundle

ABSTRACT Canada has participated in the Generation IV nuclear energy systems focusing on the Supercritical Water-cooled Reactor (SCWR) system. The 64-element fuel rods channel is used in the Canadian SCWR. There are few publicly available experimental studies for the flow in the fuel channels with multiple fuel rods. To date, the CFD simulation reported in open literature for rod bundle flow in the 64-element SCWR is relatively scarce. The cladding surface temperature is of key importance in assessing the safety of the reactor. Since the inhomogeneities in the bundle cross-section can present complex flow phenomena, a CFD study can provide substantial insight into the flow physics. In this work, the full-scale CFD simulation of the supercritical water flow in the 64-element rod bundle was performed. The results suggest the possibility of the presence of gap vortices in the flow subchannels. Higher streamwise velocities and normal Reynolds stresses always exist at the center subchannel regions. The circumferential cladding surface temperature distribution is extremely non-uniform and there is a large difference between the maximum cladding surface temperatures for different fuel rods.

Impact of econometric modeling and perspectives of economic security of the cross-industry complex

The paper presents a forecast of the economic security of the inter-industry complex through the construction of a simulation model. The authors considered the possibility of using an econometric model in predicting the level of economic security of the inter-industry complex. The goal was to form a definition of the "inter-industry complex", as well as to study the issues of conceptual and fundamental methods of econometric modeling and forecasting the development of regional industry markets in dynamics. A range of issues related to the main components of economic security in the inter-industry complex has been allocated for scientific work in order to analyze the impact of the components of economic security on the integral indicator. The paper uses a methodology for predicting the structural and spatial-temporal dynamics of interbranch complexes, which includes new and refined methods of modeling and forecasting. As a result, the authors proposed the definition of "inter-industry complex", "economic security in the inter-industry complex", as well as the general provisions of the methodology for econometric modeling and forecasting the level of economic security of the inter-industry complex. The paper presents a full-scale simulation model that allows you to set, evaluate and make a decision using large nonlinear data. This kind of system contains dynamic and retarded data, which makes it possible to apply econometric modeling in automatic calculation.

Application of periodic boundaries in freight train aerodynamic performance simulations

The length of long marshalling freight train and the non-streamline shape of wagon lead to more difficulties in simulating the aerodynamic performances. To simplify the simulation process of long freight trains and conserve computational resources, periodic boundary conditions and the improved delayed detached eddy simulation based on the shear-stress transport k-ω turbulence model were employed in this study. To better analyze the aerodynamic coefficients of full-scale, nine-boxcar, and periodic-boundary simulations, the pressure and viscous drag were analyzed separately. Aerodynamic coefficients and surrounding flows of freight trains obtained from periodic-boundary, full-scale, and nine-boxcar simulation methods are compared in detail to investigate the feasibility of the periodic-boundary condition for numerical simulations of long freight trains. The dependence of the computational mesh was verified in the STAR-CCM + software. Simulation results show that the deviations of drag coefficient under the periodic-boundary and full-scale conditions is 7.6 %, and that of the nine-boxcar and full-scale conditions is 5.7 %. Based on the simulated flow fields, the variations of pressure and velocity fields around the test wagon are similar in these three simulations. Besides, the distribution of detached vortices around the test wagon are similar in simulations. Moreover, locomotive has no significant influence on aerodynamic performances of the fifth wagon in the simulation of one locomotive with nine boxcars. In this study, the computing time of full-scale condition is 58 hours, and that of periodic-boundary condition is one-tenth of full-scale condition. Consequently, it can be concluded that the periodic boundary is a potential choice in aerodynamic simulations of a long freight train, better balancing the simulation accuracy and efficiency.

Full-scale simulation and experimental verification of the phase-transition temperature of a VO2 nanofilm as smart window materials

Vanadium dioxide (VO2), a highly important thermotropic phase-transition material, undergoes a reversible metal-insulator transition near temperatures of 68 °C and has potential applications in the energy-efficient smart window field. Recently, it has been found that the phase-transition temperature of VO2 films with nanometer thickness approached the ideal of room temperature (30 °C); however, deciphering this nanoscale phase-transition mechanism is still difficult in experiments and computer simulations. Here, a full-scale computational model was carefully constructed using molecular dynamics and first principles based on the artificial neural net algorithm and fully validated via accurate atomic layer deposition experiments. Overall, the machine-learning training results indicated that experimental observations and numerical simulation were in good agreement, demonstrating the feasibility and accuracy of our full-scale nanothermodynamics model. The computational simulations showed that the surface 3-layer atomic occupancy of the VO2 nanomaterials was a critical regulator of the phase transition temperature, implying as an important strategy for phase transition behavior in large-scale VO2 nanofilms designed on first principles. Moreover, the precise atomic layer deposition results agree with the simulation calculations by 98%, revealing that the computational model effectively and accurately combines with the experiments, and thus can accurately regulate the phase transition temperature of the VO2 nanofilm. This work was of crucial importance for potential applications of VO2 film in smart windows.

Effect of plastic anisotropy on notch deformation behavior of 7075 high-strength aluminum alloy sheet subjected to axial tension

The notch is an inevitable geometric characteristic in thin-walled structural components. However, the anisotropy in the notch deformation behavior of metal sheets has not been thoroughly investigated. To address this gap, we explored the effect of plastic anisotropy on the notch deformation behavior of the AA7075-T6 sheet subjected to axial tension at room temperature and quasi-static conditions. For this purpose, four types of notched tensile specimens are designed and tested along the rolling, diagonal, and transverse directions. The plastic anisotropy is examined by the dog-bone sample every 15° from the rolling to transverse directions. Full-scale numerical simulations for each notch tensile test were performed in ABAQUS/Standard based on the elastic–plastic constitutive framework with yielding depicted by the Yld2004-18p criterion. The results show that the established numerical models high fidelity reproduced the experimental measurements. It is found that the plastic anisotropy strongly affects the notch deformation of the sheet specimen subjected to axial tension, including strain concentration, plastic localization, stress state, and fracture initiation. Besides, the critical location of cracking in the material depends on the notch geometry parameter w/ρ, viz., the ratio of the half distance between roots of two notch (w) to the radius of the depth notch root (ρ). Another crucial contribution is to provide ideas for a researcher to control or design the path of strain localization by producing metals with specific textures to promote or delay fracture initiation. Accordingly, through the investigation of this work, we provide an essential reference for further engineering applications of high-strength aluminum alloy sheet products with notches.

Model reduction for constrained mechanical systems via spectral submanifolds

Dynamical systems are often subject to algebraic constraints in conjunction with their governing ordinary differential equations. In particular, multibody systems are commonly subject to configuration constraints that define kinematic compatibility between the motion of different bodies. A full-scale numerical simulation of such constrained problems is challenging, making reduced-order models (ROMs) of paramount importance. In this work, we show how to use spectral submanifolds (SSMs) to construct rigorous ROMs for mechanical systems with configuration constraints. These SSM-based ROMs enable the direct extraction of backbone curves and forced response curves and facilitate efficient bifurcation analysis. We demonstrate the effectiveness of this SSM-based reduction procedure on several examples of varying complexity, including nonlinear finite-element models of multibody systems. We also provide an open-source implementation of the proposed method that also contains all details of our numerical examples.

Effect of oblique bolt arrangement on flexural behavior of segmental joint for shield tunnel

As the width of segments increases, segmental joints containing three oblique bolts are increasingly used while their flexural behavior is still not clear. Therefore, this paper presents a comprehensive investigation on the flexural behavior of such joints; and the effects of bolt arrangement are also highlighted. A series of full-scale experiments and numerical simulations are first performed to reveal the typical flexural behavior and failure characteristics of the joint with one single oblique bolt. Then, the verified numerical model is extended to investigate the influence of different oblique bolt arrangements (i.e. number and direction) on the joint flexural behavior under different axial forces. Five bearing stages can be identified during the whole loading process of joints, and they are separated by the bolts tension, concrete severe damage, contact of the segment top, and joint failure. Under small axial force, the joint failure under the positive moment is dominated by the tensile damage of concrete around bolt holes; while the compressive damage of concrete at the same position controls the joint failure under the negative moment. The concrete damage area changes to the compression zone as the axial force increases. The oblique bolt arrangement has little effect on the identification of five-stage bearing process of such segmental joints, but increasing the number of bolts can improve the flexural stiffness and ultimate bearing capacity of joints. Moreover, the joint containing three cross oblique bolts has a stronger flexural capacity than that containing three parallel bolts under small axial forces, which is because the change of the bolt direction avoids the connection of tensile damage zones around the bolt holes. However, these effects of bolt arrangement fade away as the axial force increases.

Introducing the "SIMline"-A Simulation Course in the Management of Severe Burns as a Tool in Undergraduate Medical Education.

Background: Management of burn injuries presents a complex and challenging situation for medical staff, especially for inexperienced young doctors. However, training on how to treat burn victims in the clinical setting is rarely taught in undergraduate medical classes. We have created the "SIMline", a simulation training program explicitly designed for coaching medical students in burn management. Methods: A total of 43 students participated in the "SIMline" course, which took place at the training facility at the Medical University of Graz, between 2018 and 2019. The course provided theoretical classes, practical exercises, and a full-scale care process simulation training. The learning progress of the students was monitored via a formative integrated test. Results: Students showed great progress throughout the course of the "SIMline" program, as their test scores improved by an average of 88%. The passing rate was 0% at the first exam (prior to course) as compared to 87% at the final exam, taken after the training. Conclusions: Comprehensive practical training programs in burn care are underrepresented in medical education. The "SIMline" course presents a novel and effective approach in training medical students in burn management. However, follow-up evaluation is necessary to confirm long-term educational benefits.

The impacts of reducing atmospheric and oceanic de-aliasing model error on temporal gravity field model determination

SUMMARYThe Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) and its successor GRACE Follow-On mission have been estimating temporal gravity field models for various geoscience applications since 2002. While the errors in atmospheric and oceanic de-aliasing (AOD) model are still the key limitation for GRACE-type missions especially taking advantages of improved laser ranging interferometer (LRI), this paper explores the realistic assumption of continuously reducing AOD model error in global scale and regional scale (e.g. ocean, Greenland, Qinghai-Tibet plateau and South America) in the anticipated future. For this, using a realistic orbit scenario and error assumptions both for instrument and background model errors, the 5-yr full-scale simulations are implemented in the context of 26 scenarios with different AOD model errors. Our overall simulation results demonstrate that: (1) when the AOD model errors are reduced in the global scale, the corresponding gain in temporal gravity field determination is significant, with the cumulative geoid height error decrease from 11.28 to 6.25 mm in spectral domain, as well as 26.3–65.2 per cent noise reduction in terms of mean RMS residuals over ocean in spatial domain. (2) When the AOD model errors are reduced in the regional scale, the improvements of temporal gravity field estimations are diverse in different simulation scenarios. The most notable noise reduction, with 22.9–43.9 per cent noise reduction in spatial domain, is observed when the AOD model error decreases in ocean. The limited noise reductions (0.1 per cent and 1.3 per cent respectively in spectral and spatial domain) are observed in the temporal gravity field estimations if the AOD model is refined in other typical regions such as the Qinghai-Tibet plateau, the Greenland and the South America. (3) However, when the satellites passing over the AOD model refined regions, the along-orbit range rate analysis indicates that, there are visible differences by about 50.0 nm s−1 in terms of range rate residuals as well as 11.0–48.5 nm s−1 in terms of the mean RMS of range rate residuals. These results reflect the benefits of reducing AOD model error in both global and regional scale for improving GRACE-type temporal gravity estimation, especially considering the development of LRI technology.

Numerical Evaluation of Thermal Performance of Two-Phased Closed Thermosyphon for Solar Applications

A heat pipe is an effective passive heat transfer device with a highly efficient heat transfer rate and thermal conductivity through evaporating and condensing a working fluid circulating in a vacuum-sealed container. For solar applications, heat pipes are usually used in evacuated tube collectors (ETCs). However, the use of heat pipes in solar photovoltaic/thermal (PVT) collector is limited. Generally, a heat pipe composes of three sections: the evaporator section, the condenser section, and the adiabatic section. A wickless heat pipe, also known as a closed thermosyphon or gravitationally assisted heat pipe, relies on gravity to return the working fluid to the evaporator. Various parameters could greatly influence the thermal performance of wickless heat pipes such as initial volume filling ratio (VFR), inclination angle, inner diameter of the heat pipes, ratio of evaporator/diameter and type of working fluid used. In this study, 2D transient computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations were performed using ANSYS Fluent to simulate the two-phase flow (water/steam) and to study the effect of different parameters on the heat transfer processes of a two-phase closed thermosyphon (TPCT) to increase its thermal performance. The 2D CFD simulations using multiphase volume of fluid (VOF) with two Eulerian phases could replicate the mass and heat transfer processes in comparison with published experimental data. A good agreement can be observed between the present CFD study with the published data in comparing the temperature profiles and thermal performance of the heat pipe. The numerical simulation of the evaporation and condensation process indicated that the thermal performance and characteristics of the TPCT are influenced by certain key parameters. In the future, full-scale 3D CFD simulations are planned to be performed to evaluate the thermal performance of heat pipes for solar photovoltaic/thermal (PVT) applications.

A Hybrid Five-Level Modular Multilevel Converter With High Efficiency and Small Energy Storage Requirements for HVDC Transmission

This article presents a hybrid five-level converter (H5LC) with cascaded full-bridge submodules (FBSMs) for high voltage direct current (HVdc) transmission. A five-level converter operates at a fundamental switching frequency to generate symmetric five-level square wave output voltages which are shaped into smooth sinusoidal voltages by the ac-side FBSMs. Using a proposed third-order harmonic voltage injection scheme, the FBSMs’ total blocking voltage is limited to one-eighth of the dc-side voltage, reducing the H5LC's losses, footprint, and capital costs. dc pole-to-pole fault blocking is enabled using a bypass branch consisting of bidirectional thyristor valves and fast mechanical switches to suppress the ac-side fault contribution within half a fundamental cycle. Full-scale HVdc simulation studies show the H5LC's ability to control real and reactive powers and additionally, its dc fault resilience. A lab-scale hardware implementation of an H5LC with 30 FBSMs is presented to verify its operating principle. In contrast to the half-bridge submodule based modular multilevel converter, the H5LC has improved efficiency, fewer semiconductor devices, and significantly reduced energy storage requirements.

Lean-Burn Combustor Simulator for an Engine-Component Test Facility: An Experimental and Computational Study

Abstract The computational and experimental assessment of a lean-burn low-NOx combustor simulator for an engine component test facility is presented. The Engine Component Aero-Thermal (ECAT) facility is a full-scale engine-parts facility, designed for the study of the aero-thermal performance of fully cooled high-pressure nozzle guide vanes (NGVs). The facility operates with non-dimensionally matched engine conditions in terms of Reynolds number, Mach number, and coolant-to-mainstream pressure ratio. The combustor simulator is designed to replicate lean-burn conditions of swirl and temperature distortion upstream of the nozzle guide vanes. The purpose is to allow the study of flow capacity, aerodynamic performance (with film cooling), and thermal performance (overall effectiveness) in the presence of engine-realistic inlet distortions. The ECAT combustor simulator design builds on the work of Hall and Povey, who developed a full-scale low-speed atmospheric-pressure combustor simulator for the preliminary design of similar simulators later implemented in the Oxford Turbine Research Facility and ECAT. This pilot facility produced non-dimensional lean-burn combustor-exit conditions closely matched to target profiles representative of modern aero engines. This design was modified and scaled for compatibility with the annulus-line and higher-pressure operating conditions of the ECAT facility. In the present study, detailed experimental measurements with multi-hole probes and thermocouples (pressure profile and temperature field) are presented and compared to results from Reynolds-Averaged Navier–Stokes Simulations. Additional simulations were performed to understand how the elevated back-pressure and vane potential field affect the non-dimensional profiles of pressure loss, residual swirl, and temperature at the combustor–turbine interface. This is perhaps the most comprehensive study to date of a combustor simulator in an engine-scale research facility, providing a unique insight into the known challenges of simulator design, scaling issues when moving from low to high Reynolds number, and limitations of computational fluid dynamics in this flow environment. The results, which will serve as boundary conditions to understand the impact of this flow on components in future studies in this facility, demonstrate the fidelity with which lean-burn target conditions can be replicated in a non-reacting environment.

Accounting for speckle-scale beam bending in classical ray tracing schemes for propagating realistic pulses in indirect drive ignition conditions

We propose a semi-analytical modeling of smoothed laser beam deviation induced by plasma flows. Based on a Gaussian description of speckles, the model includes spatial, temporal, and polarization smoothing techniques, through fits coming from hydrodynamic simulations with a paraxial description of electromagnetic waves. This beam bending model is then incorporated into a ray tracing algorithm and carefully validated. When applied as a post-process to the propagation of the inner cone in a full-scale simulation of a National Ignition Facility (NIF) experiment, the beam bending along the path of the laser affects the refraction conditions inside the hohlraum and the energy deposition, and could explain some anomalous refraction measurements, namely, the so-called glint observed in some NIF experiments.

CFD simulation of a full-scale three-dimensional flow and temperature distribution inside a reactor under ocean conditions

A series of three-dimensional full-scale fluid flow simulations are performed based on an integrated thermal marine reactor under ocean conditions. The aim is to understand the effects of ship motions including rolling, heaving, and inclination on flow field and thermal–hydraulic performance. Both forced circulation and natural circulation are taken into account since the abilities of coolant to maintain its original motion under ocean conditions are different. The temperature distribution, velocity field, and flow rate distribution of a static reactor are presented first for comparison. After additional forces or accelerations are introduced, the flow field in the marine reactors subjected to different types of ocean motions is explored. Results show that the rolling motion would have more significant impacts on marine reactors in natural circulation concerning temperature and SG (steam generator) flow rate. In natural circulation, the SG flow rate fluctuation can reach 35 kg/s when the rolling angle increases to 45°, compared to the maximum fluctuation of 8 kg/s under forced circulation. The rolling motion also greatly affects the flow field and flow rate distribution at the core inlet. Obvious vortex flows can be observed in the annulus both for forced circulation and natural circulation. The core channel with the minimum flow rate appears to be randomly located for the reactor subjected to rolling motion. For reactors in heaving motion, the fluid velocity changes periodically, and the flow rate in the SG and core regions increases significantly with the increase of the heaving period and acceleration. As for inclined reactors, the average velocity in the core becomes smaller while the temperature increases as the inclination angle of the reactor increases.

Towards a full-scale CFD guideline for simulating a ship advancing in open water

ABSTRACT Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations of a ship’s operations are generally conducted at model scale, but the reduced scale changes the fluid behaviour around the ship. Whilst ideally ship simulations should be run directly at full scale, a guide has not been published to advise on the suitable setups that can provide accurate results while minimizing the computational cost. To address this, the present work explores an optimal approach for full-scale ship simulations. Extensive sensitivity studies were conducted on relevant computational setups to investigate their influences on the prediction of ship resistance, ship-generated waves as well as the boundary-layer flow of the hull. A set of CFD setups for full-scale ship simulations in open water was recommended. It was demonstrated that the ideal Y+ and Courant numbers in full scale are evidently different from those given in current model-scale CFD guidelines, indicating the necessity to establish full-scale CFD guidelines separately.