| Abstract |
The increase in the average temperature recorded in recent years in the Arctic regions is favoring the retreat of sea ice. This allows opening and maintaining the navigation routes that cross these areas for longer periods of time. The shipping companies are increasingly optimistic about the potential that these new routes have, given the time and energy savings compared to the more traditional ones. In fact, navigating the northern routes can reduce travel time / fuel consumption by 20-30%, as well as greenhouse gas emissions (some study cases estimates reductions above 50%).
It is evident that the potential growth of maritime traffic on the Arctic routes must be regulated by international agreements that guarantee the preservation of the delicate ecosystem of that region. In this sense, the response of the international community has been the adoption of the International Code for Ships Operating in Polar Waters (effective as of January 1, 2017). The measures of this code affect the design of new vessels that intend to operate in polar waters and include standards related to safety and prevention of pollution.
Large companies are already committed to the exploitation of the Northern Sea Route. In fact, in the year 2018, the ship Venta Maerks will become the first container vessel of large length that will operate this route. However, different studies indicate that the existing fleet of vessels suitable for navigation in Arctic areas is aged and insufficient. The future growth of maritime traffic on the Arctic routes will create a scenario of enormous opportunities for the European shipbuilding industry.
The potential development of the Arctic regions and the new needs and requirements of the polar class vessels evidence the need for new procedures to estimate the forces that ice exerts on icebreakers, polar ships and marine structures, and in general, the need for advanced computational tools capable of helping naval architects to design the new generation of vessels to operate in the Arctic.
This project aims to develop and experimentally validate an advanced simulation and analysis tool that allows the naval architect to provide a reliable and effective response to the design needs of future ice navigation vessels. Given the limitations that are identified in the methods currently available for the simulation of complex multiphase flows, this project proposes the theoretical and practical development of a new semi-Lagrangian model effective for the analysis of the problem of the flow of ice around the hull of a ship. This model will be based on the SL-PFEM platform developed by the CIMNE team in recent years.
The tool to be developed will allow predicting the added resistance on ice in different conditions, estimating the local and global loads on the hull due to the interaction with the ice, assess the risk of damage to the propulsion elements, and evaluate and optimize the hull of icebreakers and other polar ships, enabling a reduction in fuel consumption and the emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
The proposal is presented with an eminently practical approach, and therefore it is essential to validate the analysis method that will be developed with the results obtained in a experimental campaign that will be carried out in CEHINAV model basin. The project will conclude with the demonstration of the developed tool in the optimization of a ship's hull. |