Bow shape modification through multi-objective hydrodynamic optimization: Methodology comparison between CAD-based FreeForm Deformation and Mesh-based Radial Basis Function approach

Marine industrial engineering face crucial challenges because of environmental footprint of vehicles, global recession, construction, and operation cost. Meanwhile, Shape optimization is the key feature to improve ship efficiency and ascertain better design. Accordingly, the present paper proposes an automated optimization framework for ship hullform modification to reduce total resistance at two cruise and sprint speeds. The case study is a bow shape of a wave-piercing bow trimaran hull. To this end, a multi-objective hydrodynamic problem needs to be solved. A combined optimization strategy using CFD hullform optimization is presented using the software tools STAR-CCM+ and SHERPA algorithm as optimizer. Furthermore, a comparison is made between CAD-based and Mesh-based parametrization techniques. Comparison between geometry regeneration methods is performed to present a practical and efficient parametrization tool. Design variables are control points of FreeForm Deformation (FFD) for CAD-based method and Radial Basis Function (RBF) for Mesh-based method. The optimization results show a 4.77% and 2.47% reduction in the total resistance at cruise and sprint speed, respectively.

Outlier analysis of sloshing impact loads on liquid ship cargo

This paper introduces an outlier analysis which can improve the convergence of the statistical analysis results of sloshing model test data. The paper classify possible outliers in the sloshing model test into three categories and present a treatment method for each outlier. The developed outlier analysis is adapted to the model test results for the cargo of the liquefied-natural-gas (LNG) carrier in operation. The results of the present new method are compared with those of the conventional procedure, particularly focusing on long-term sloshing prediction. Through this study, the effectiveness of the present method is observed, and it is found that the present method provides is robust and reliable results in the application of experimental data for load prediction.

Study on the application of BP neural network optimized based on various optimization algorithms in storm surge prediction

Storm surge prediction is of great importance to disaster prevention and mitigation. In this study, four optimization algorithms including genetic algorithm (GA), particle swarm optimization (PSO), beetle antenna search (BAS), and beetle swarm optimization (BSO) are used to optimize the back propagation neural network (BPNN), and four optimized BPNNs for storm surge prediction are proposed and applied to Yulin station and Xiuying station at Hainan, China. The optimal model parameter combination is determined by trail-and-error method for the best prediction performance. Comparisons with the single BPNN indicate that storm surge can be efficiently predicted using the optimized BPNNs. BPNN optimized by BSO has the minimum prediction error, and BPNN optimized by BAS has the minimum time cost to reduce unit prediction error.

Prediction of drag and lift forces of a high-speed vessel at full scale by CFD-based GEOSIM method

In this study, it was aimed to obtain an accurate extrapolation method to compute lift and drag forces of high-speed vessels at full-scale by using CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) based GEOSIM (GEOmetrically SIMilar) method which is valid for both fully planing and semi-planing regimes. Athena R/V 5365 bare hull form with a skeg which is a semi-displacement type of high-speed vessel was selected with a model family for hydrodynamic analyses under captive and free to sinkage/trim conditions. Total drag and lift forces have been computed for a generated GEOSIM family of this form at three different model scales and full-scale for Fr = 0.8 by an unsteady RANS (Reynolds Averaged Navier–Stokes) solver. k–ε turbulence model was used to simulate the turbulent flow around the hulls, and both DFBI (Dynamic Fluid Body Interaction) and overset mesh technique were carried out to model the heave and pitch motions under free to sinkage/trim condition. The computational results of the model family were used to get “drag-lift ratio curve” for Athena hull at a fixed Fr number and so the corresponding results at full scale were predicted by extrapolating those of model scales in the form of a non-dimensional ratios of drag-lift forces. Then the extrapolated full-scale results calculated by modified GEOSIM method were compared with those of full-scale CFD and obtained by Froude extrapolation technique. The modified GEOSIM method has been found to be successful to compute the main forces (lift and drag) acting on high-speed vessels as a single coefficient at full scale. The method also works accurately both under fully and semi-planing conditions.

Numerical simulation of the mooring capacity comparison of the subsea suspended manifold with two mooring schemes

The next-generation underwater production system (NUPS) is based on the suspension cluster manifold (SCM) as a new conceptual scheme. SCM mooring stability is essential for establishing NUPS. Therefore, comparing the SCM mooring stability in different mooring systems is vital for evaluating system adaptability. This paper detailed two mooring schemes designed for the SCM, including the steel catenary riser (SCR) mooring system and the new steep wave (NSWR) mooring system. OrcaFlex software was used to establish the mooring system model, analyzing the static motion response of the SCM under the current and fluid density. Furthermore, the mooring system adaptability in the cluster wellhead layout was also evaluated and compared. The results showed that the maximum offset of the SCM with the SCR mooring system was within 2 m under the current, while the deflection of the SCM with the NSWR mooring system was within 1.5° in extreme fluid densities. Furthermore, the SCM with the SCR mooring system displayed superior station-keeping capability in the current, while the NSWR mooring system exhibited better stability when transporting extreme fluid densities and was more adaptable in cluster wellhead layouts.

Active axial vibration control of a shaft-bearing system excited by the dynamic thrust force

The axial vibration of a shaft-bearing system induced by the thrust excitation is usually composed of multiple tones. To suppress the axial vibration of the shaft-bearing system, two inertial electro-magnetic actuators are mounted symmetrically at the thrust bearing and work in parallel to exert control forces. The control signal is generated by an adaptive algorithm with subband filtering, which aims to attenuate over a broadband the vibration of the thrust bearing and its foundation induced by the dynamic thrust force. To reduce computational complexity, the recursive computation is partly realized with the auto-regressive moving average (ARMA) model. The proposed active control approach is evaluated numerically at first with the dynamic model of the shaft-bearing system and then verified with an experimental system. It is demonstrated by the numerical and experimental results that the active control approach is able to suppress the multi-tone vibration of the thrust bearing and the foundation. Moreover, in comparison to the single-band adaptive feedback algorithm, the adaptive algorithm with subband filtering is more effective when the disturbance contains multiple tones.

A novel hybrid energy management strategy of a diesel-electric hybrid ship based on dynamic programing and model predictive control

The energy-saving characteristics of diesel-electric series hybrid ships largely depend on their energy management strategy. In this paper, a strategy that combines dynamic programing and model predictive control (DP-MPC) is proposed to solve the energy management problems of diesel-electric hybrid ships. The DP-MPC strategy has considered some typical working conditions of a ship, and the corresponding influence of white noise disturbance on the control strategy was studied. The simulation results show that the DP-MPC strategy has an excellent anti-interference capability. The control performance of the DP-MPC strategy is then further analyzed and compared with the rule-based logic threshold control strategy. The simulation results show that the proposed DP-MPC strategy can save 2.5% of the fuel consumption and has a better anti-interference capability than the rule-based control strategy.

Seasonality of cruise ship activityin neighboring regions

The continuous growth of the cruise industry has brought with it a series of threats. Among them is the management of the seasonality of cruise activity in order to address its negative effects. This study examines the monthly cruise passenger movement distribution among a group of harbors located in the northeast sector of the Atlantic Ocean and the Baltic Sea with the aim of determining the existence of seasonality patterns in cruise traffic and their relationship between different regions. A database of cruise passenger movements during the period from 2007 to 2019 among 24 harbors forms the backbone of the empirical analysis. First, the seasonal variation index of each harbor was calculated to determine the seasonality pattern. Second, a cluster analysis was performed to classify harbors into clusters with analogous seasonality patterns. The results reveal that seasonality of cruise activity in a consolidated region is explained by own factors of the region, but also by an induced seasonality imported from neighboring cruise regions.

Assessing the investment environment in container terminals: A knowledge gap model

This paper aims to evaluate the investment environment in container terminals (CTs) in one seaport from the attitudes of both terminal operators (TOs) and port companies (PCs). Evaluation criteria (ECs) regarding the investment environment in CTs are first created based on the prior literature and the CTs’ operational characteristics. A knowledge gap model based on an improved fuzzy AHP approach is then developed to assess the perceived differences on the ECs between TOs and PCs, by which the PCs managers could formulate practical policies to improve their investment environment in CTs. As an empirical study, the Taiwan International Port Corporation (TIPC) and its terminal operators in Kaohsiung port are examined to verify the research model. Results indicate that ECs with higher knowledge gap for TIPC include: Intra-port coopetition, Number of shipping carriers, and Business tax. Based on the result, theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.

Comparative study of offshore spar-buoy oscillating water column dynamic models for captured power estimation

The prompt estimation of power and geometrical aspects enables faster and more accurate financial assessment of wave energy converters to be deployed. This may lead to better commercialisation of wave energy technologies, as they require location-based customisation, unlike the mature wind energy technologies with developed benchmark. The adopted approach provides simple and efficient modelling tool allowing the study of the system from different perspective. The aim of this study is to select the optimum dynamic model to predict the captured power of a spar-buoy Oscillating Water Column (OWC) wave energy converter. Four dynamic models were developed to predict the system dynamics and results were validated experimentally. In-depth investigations on the effect of the mass and damping ratios of the oscillating bodies on the accuracy of the adopted models were performed. Such investigations included the proposed one-way coupling model and three two-degree of freedom models and three reduced-scale models, in addition to analytical and numerical solutions. Pneumatic power was calculated for the reduced-scale model where orifices’ covers simulated the power take-off mechanism damping experimentally. Analysis and comparisons between the adopted models are finally provided.