Changes in the Hydrodynamic Characteristics of Ships During Port Maneuvers

Abstract

To reach a port, a ship must pass through a shallow water zone where seabed effects alter the hydrodynamics acting on the ship. This study examined the maneuvering characteristics of an autonomous surface ship at 3-DOF (Degree of freedom) motion in deep water and shallow water based on the in-port speed of 1.54 m/s. The CFD (Computational fluid dynamics) method was used as a specialized tool in naval hydrodynamics based on the RANS (Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stoke) solver for maneuvering prediction. A virtual captive model test in CFD with various constrained motions, such as static drift, circular motion, and combined circular motion with drift, was performed to determine the hydrodynamic forces and moments of the ship. In addition, a model test was performed in a square tank for a static drift test in deep water to verify the accuracy of the CFD method by comparing the hydrodynamic forces and moments. The results showed changes in hydrodynamic forces and moments in deep and shallow water, with the latter increasing dramatically in very shallow water. The velocity fields demonstrated an increasing change in velocity as water became shallower. The least-squares method was applied to obtain the hydrodynamic coefficients by distinguishing a linear and non-linear model of the hydrodynamic force models. The course stability, maneuverability, and collision avoidance ability were evaluated from the estimated hydrodynamic coefficients. The hydrodynamic characteristics showed that the course stability improved in extremely shallow water. The maneuverability was satisfied with IMO (2002) except for extremely shallow water, and collision avoidance ability was a good performance in deep and shallow water.