Comparison between Model Test and Three CFD Studies for a Benchmark Container Ship

• Main Authors: Ana-Maria Chiroșcă, Liliana Rusu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-01-01
• Series: Journal of Marine Science and Engineering
• Subjects: CFD simulations; container ship; hydrodynamic resistance
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1312/9/1/62

An alternative to experiments is the use of numerical model tests, where the performances of ships can be evaluated entirely by computer simulations. In this paper, the free surface viscous flow around a bare hull model is simulated with three Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) software packages (FINE Marine, ANSYS CFD and SHIPFLOW) and compared to the results obtained during the experimental tests. The bare hull model studied is the Duisburg Test Case (DTC), developed at the Institute of Ship Technology, Ocean Engineering and Transport Systems (ISMT) for benchmarking and validation of the numerical methods. Hull geometry and model test results of resistance, conducted in the experimental facility at SVA Postdam, Nietzschmann, in 2010, are publicly available. A comparative analysis of the numerical approach and experimental results is performed, related to the numerical simulation of the free surface viscous flow around a typical container ship. Further, a comparative analysis between the results provided by NUMECA, ANSYS and SHIPFLOW is performed. Regarding the solution obtained, a satisfactory agreement between the towing test results and the computation results can be noticed. The minimum mean error was obtained through the SHIPFLOW case, 2.011%, which proved the best solution for the case studied.