Identification of bilge vortices within CFD simulations

Pemberton, R.J., Turnock, S.R. and Rogers, E. (2003) Identification of bilge vortices within CFD simulations. Transactions of The Royal Institution of Naval Architects Part A: International Journal of Maritime Engineering, 145 (A1), 57-66.

Abstract

Whether at an angle of drift or travelling straight ahead a ship with highly curved bilges will have a vortex system that starts at the bow and flows along the length of the hull. This vortex system has been shown to be a component of the resistance of ships. It is also an important feature to be modelled when assessing the course stability of a ship. Experimental fluid mechanics and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) have helped engineers greatly in solving problems associated with vortices and in understanding the flow physics occurring within vortical flows. One of the features of both modern experimental and computational simulations is the ability to produce large amounts of data, which require analysis. An automated system for the identification of vortices within such data is beneficial and this paper will review various techniques of vortex identification. Due to the particular flow conditions around bilge vortices, many vortex identification techniques fail to locate them. Results are presented for a novel method of vortex identification, which can be seen to closely locate the centre of bilge vortices, calculated around a Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) using a commercial flow solver (CFX 4.3).

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Contributors

Author: S.R. Turnock

Author: E. Rogers

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