Investigation of the Impact of Surface Roughness, on a Ship’s Drag (Hull Resistance)

Abstract

Recently, there has been an increasing focus on maritime transport, as it offers many advantages in terms of storage and transport. As a result, shipping companies need to reduce the fuel consumption of their vessels. These companies have tried to define methods of operation and maintenance in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and also to reduce operating costs, thus increasing company profits. One important parameter that directly affects speed, power requirements, and fuel consumption is the hull resistance. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) can be used to calculate the resistance of a rough surface using special wall functions that take into account the effect of roughness on the boundary layer near the hull. These results can be compared with those of a smooth surface. In addition to the effect of surface roughness on hull resistance to pressure, this method also allows the combination of roughness and non-linear effects such as the spatial distribution of contaminants, the movement of the ship in waves, and the effect of thrust on hull resistance. Accordingly, the aim of this research is to determine the effect of surface roughness on the ship resistance for different values of roughness height, boundary layer, and values of velocity, pressure, and kinetic energy fields for the KVLCC2 model hull by CFD using the RANS equations and the k-ω SST model. A numerical study was performed to determine how surface roughness affects the velocity field and kinetic energy.