Ship self-propulsion performance prediction by using OpenFOAM and different simplified propeller models

Classic hydrodynamics-related ship design problems can nowadays be approached by CFD viscous solvers. Ship self-propulsion performance prediction represents one of the most interesting problems in this framework. The capabilities of CFD codes to resolve accurately the separate problems (open water propeller performance and hull resistance) have been demonstrated over the last decades. The complexity of the combined problem (and, in turn, the required computational time) has restricted its solution to research applications still far from everyday industrial practice. Some approaches have been developed to reduce the computational burden, based e.g. on simple actuator-disk theory or, recently, on BEM/RANS coupled solvers. In this respect, different approaches exploiting the open-source solver OpenFOAM are presented, focusing on the main self-propulsion parameters. In addition, a new numerical strategy able to provide more information compared to classical simplified approaches, is herein presented and validated against experimental measurements on the well-known Kriso Container Ship (KCS) test case.