Feature 4 | CFD & HYDRODYNAMICS Putting the theory to the test


Computational fluid dynamics has been the buzz word for recent new ship designs with development in this area for optimisation. However, as designs still need to be model tested, research bodies are also raising the bar through the development of better facilities


T


o keep up with the demands of designing environmentally f riendly ships, research


institutions have been making investments into their facilities to expand upon their testing capabilities; whether this has been through the improvement of actual test tank facilities or the development of the technology that these institutions employ to carry out the studies, such as MARIN’s latest fast Bull computer cluster. The University of Southampton is


building a new towing tank at the newly opened Southampton Boldrewood Campus, which the University shares with Lloyd’s Register’s Global Technology Centre. Te Wolfson Unit says that the aim is to provide a world class facility supporting research, teaching and commercial clients, not just for conventional ship model testing but across the aerospace, energy, and transportation sectors. Te new tank measures 138m long, 6m


wide and 3.5m deep with a high speed carriage and capability of producing a full range of unidirectional seastate simulations. Barry Deakin, Wolfson Unit highlights


that this is a landmark event, not just for the University but for the whole of the UK and its maritime industries. “In recent years we’ve become accustomed to closure of many of the UK’s major testing facilities, with the sad loss of world class towing tanks in Teddington, Feltham, St Albans, Gosport and Cowes,” he adds. Te table shows what little remains of


our once extensive range of test tanks around the UK, and where the new tank fills a significant gap in the size range. Until now, the most recent construction of a large towing tank was the No.3 tank at Cowes, 200m long and with a speed of 14m/s, built for testing hovercraſt in 1969. Tat tank was closed in 2008 and its loss has been a serious blow for the industry. As an educational resource, the Wolfson Unit is also expected to provide an essential


The Naval Architect January 2015


The building prior to fitting external cladding


Test tanks in the UK


experimental component of the University’s MEng Ship Science undergraduate and MSc Maritime Engineering Sciences postgraduate teaching programmes, which encompass naval architecture, yacht and small craſt, offshore engineering and marine engineering. It will also facilitate, and increase the range of, experimental projects that may be undertaken by individuals and groups as part of their studies. “Te carriage has been designed with


teaching needs fully in mind and will be used in conjunction with a bespoke teaching space in the same building such that groups of 20 students can carry out laboratory work and fully experience all aspects of the experimental study of hydrodynamics. Such experiential learning is considered a vital part of the education process and provides an essential grounding to learning of theory and the application of computational design tools,” says Deakin. To widen its application, full use will be made of the latest wireless technology with live


streamed video and data feeds which will allow experiments to be followed live anywhere in the world. The tank will be equipped to


complement the wide range of ship and offshore research underway within the Faculty of Engineering and the Environment.


It will provide the ability


to carry out detailed studies of non-linear phenomena necessary for understanding fluid - structure interaction, a current example of which is a study of the response of hydro-elastic models to rogue wave events. For more fundamental fluid dynamics


work the EPSRC National Wind Tunnel Facility grant has provided significant funding for bespoke carriage mountable Laser Doppler Anemometry and Particle Image Velocimetry systems. A large volume optical motion capture system for underwater and above water motions will allow interesting work in areas such as launch and recovery of marine vehicles, autonomous craſt design and


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