Efficient hull forms What can be gained?

Uwe Hollenbach, Jrgen Friesch

HSVA Hamburgische Schiffbau-Versuchsanstalt GmbH, Hamburg/Germany
1 Introduction
Under the pressure of rising fuel oil costs the interest in measures reducing energy consumption on board ships is
rapidly increasing Ship o!ners and operators are loo"ing for measures to reduce fuel oil consumption o#er the
!hole life time of a ship At HSVA a long e$perience is a#ailable !ith #arious measures impro#ing the
propulsi#e efficiency In this article different measures !hich can be ta"en are described and possible
impro#ements in the fuel oil consumption are discussed
% &ptimal 'ain (imensions
)he most effecti#e measure to minimise the #essels resistance is to choose suitable main dimensions in the first
place, after !hich the optimisation of the form should be considered &ften !e ha#e to deal !ith designs !hich
either ha#e a too high bloc" coefficient or a too short length for the selected target speed *urthermore the design
is influenced by measures for ma$imising the cargo carrying capacity or reducing the #essels length +oth
measures can reduce the fabrication costs of a #essel, but may cost additional propulsion po!er !hich the o!ner
or the operator has to pay for day by day, year by year, o#er the !hole lifetime of the #essel
)!o different strategies can be obser#ed for the optimisation process today &n the one hand most of the
shipyards follo! the strategy of increasing the bloc" coefficient !ithout increasing the resistance &n the other
hand ship o!ners and a fe! shipyards in#estigate in #ariants !ith lo!er bloc" coefficient and therefore lo!er
resistance, especially for #essels in a sea!ay Ha#ing in mind the actual fuel prices !hich ha#e almost tripled
during the last years, this strategy may be more successful to co#er future demands
)he follo!ing comparison may illustrate, in !hich !ay the choice of the main dimensions influence the po!er
demand of a ne! building pro,ect-
)he .roduct )an"er on the photo to the left !ith main dimensions 1/01 m $ 123 m $ 45 m re6uires an engine
output of /,777 "8 to achie#e a ser#ice speed of 150 "nots 9at sea state 5, !ind +eaufort 0:
A design !ith the same cargo carrying capacity, but !ith limited length 9eg due to o!ner restrictions ; or to cut
the ne! building price:, main dimensions 1140 m $ %10 m $ 40 m, re6uires an engine output of /,107 "8 for
the same ser#ice speed )his is an increase of %0<
)o optimise a #essels main dimensions all parties in#ol#ed ha#e to ,oin forces in an #ery early stage of the
design 8hile the ship o!ner contributes the e$pected costs and income 9charter rate: and the financing concept,
the shipyard contributes the fabrication costs of different #ariations in main dimensions, and the model basin, in
cooperation !ith suppliers of propeller and rudder, contributes the po!er demand for actual loading conditions
and e$pected en#ironmental conditions 8ith these information not only the ne! building costs, but as !ell the
cumulated cash flo! and the cumulated profit for different #ariants can be estimated and the #ariant !hich offers
the ma$imum benefit for the ship o!ner can be chosen
)he =>uic" ?hec"@ of main dimensions based on HSVAAs database supports this optimisation step, gi#ing an
indication !hether a certain pro,ect is !ithin typical limits, or if main dimensions are outside of the typical range
and that some e$tra effort might be necessary for optimisation of the design )his =>uic" ?hec"@ includes ad#ise
regarding a ma$imum economical speed for the customers #essel !hich should not be e$ceeded in ser#ice in
order to a#oid an e$cessi#e fuel consumption )his !ill help designers at shipyards and in design offices as !ell
as decision ma"ers at shipping companies !hen selecting main dimensions in an early stage of pro,ect
de#elopment
/ &ptimised Hull *orm
)he hull form design and the e$perience of the lines designer influence the 6uality of the hydrodynamic
performance of a ne! building )o achie#e an optimised hull form design still the e$perience of the designer is
of utmost importance *urthermore it is of ad#antage for the ship o!ner, if the lines designer has shipyard
e$perience and can include multiple re6uirements from the general design into the ne! hull form to be
de#eloped
?*( methods are !idely used optimising the hull form +ut at the end of the optimisation chain model tests are
re6uired to #alidate the predicted impro#ements, to a#oid mista"es, to recognise errors and to #alidate ne! ideas
(uring this optimisation process the customers should use the #ast e$perience a#ailable at the model basins
&ptimisation of a #essels hull form may ha#e different goals 8hile the shipyard aims to ha#e best performance
on design draught and at design speed in calm !ater conditions 9the contract condition:, it !ill be much more
ad#antageous for the ship o!ner to ha#e a superior performance for actual loading conditions 9eg a draught
range: at a certain speed range and for real en#ironmental conditions 9eg sea state 5, !ind +eaufort 0: )his
may result in a slightly less performance on design draught and at design speed, but !ill pay off in real ser#ice
conditions
(uring the design phase se#eral measures can be ta"en impro#ing a hull form design to reduce fuel oil
consumption .rere6uisite for this is, that the general arrangement has enough =potential@ included ; for e$ample
that the engine room and the cargo area can be ad,usted according to re6uirements from the hydrodynamic
design A sophisticated hull form design !ith soft for!ard and aft shoulders only can be achie#ed, !hen there
are no restricti#e hard points 9eg from main engine, gear bo$ or the cargo hold: or too se#ere re6uirements
regarding bloc" coefficient and/or longitudinal centre of gra#ity An optimal hull design can only be achie#ed,
!hen the general design follo!s the hydrodynamic design, and not the other !ay round
)oo strict re6uirements from the general arrangement may cost up to 17-10< in fuel oil consumption, depending
on the ship type and ship speedB
Table 1 'a$imum possible impro#ements by medications of the hull form
!ossible
"ain
#odel Tests
re$uired?
Fore %od& Hull Form
Small modifications at the bulbous bo! % < Ces
Small modifications in the bilge area and at the for!ard shoulder % < Ces
*orm #ariations using automatic optimisation strategies 9possible gains
depend on the height of the !a#e ma"ing resistance: %-0 < Ces
#id 'hi( Hull Form
Variation of the mid ship section coefficient 1 < Ces
)ft %od& Hull Form
Small modifications in the bilge area and the !aterline angles % < Ces
Small modification in the area of the propeller boss 1 < Ces
Small modifications in the area of the stern bulb 1 < Ces
)ransom elongations ; !ithout and !ith trim !edge %-5 < Ces
*ote+ !ossible gains are not full& cumulati,e-
If the pro,ected #essel does not achie#e the target speed or a further optimisation of the #essel is !anted the first
step should be a comparison of the #essels performance !ith the characteristics of comparable ships pre#iously
in#estigated at the model basin )he e$perienced engineers and e$perts for hydrodynamics !ill in#estigate the
potential for impro#ement and possible measures to impro#e the #essel In cases the hull lines are already !ell
optimised, only small gains can be e$pected by reshaping the hull +ut small gains here and there may sum up to
significant impro#ements )his re6uires time, endurance, e$perience and last but not least a budget allo!ing the
thorough optimisation and e$tensi#e model testing
If the main dimensions and the propeller diameter are already fi$ed and the hull form is almost of good 6uality,
in most cases the potentials for impro#ement of the shipAs resistance remain 9see )able 1:
5 &ptimising the Hull Surface
Dately ne! anti-fouling paints based on silicone ha#e been de#eloped )hese special paintings offer a #ery lo!
a#erage hull roughness 9AEH: do!n to about 30 microns As a standard #alue model basins consider an AEH of
107 microns +ut also #essels deli#ered !ith sub-optimal surface finish 9AEH-#alues e$ceeding %77 microns:
ha#e been reported
As an e$ample the influence of the hull roughness on the po!er consumption and the achie#able speed for a
5%77 )FU container #essel has been predicted )he difference bet!een an e$cellent, smooth hull surface 930
microns: and a poor hull surface 9%77 microns: e6uals to nearly 3< in total resistance or 7/ "nots in speed In
conse6uence e#ery ship o!ner is !ell ad#ised to maintain a hull as clean and smooth as possible Spending more
money for a clean and #ery smooth hull surface and propeller is a good in#estment
0 +est 8a"e *ield
F$pecting rising fuel oil costs it is the aim of all shipyards, to design #essels !ith the lo!est po!er demand
possible for the contract conditions )o achie#e this, the designer has to find the best compromise bet!een
propeller efficiency and pressure pulses to suit ship o!ners needs &n one hand the larger propeller diameter
leads to higher propeller efficiency, on the other hand the larger propeller diameter may cause a slight decrease
in hull efficiency and most probably !ill cause higher pressure pulses due to reduced propeller tip clearance
HSVA in#estigated a large number of #essels !hich ha#e been in#estigated in resistance and propulsion tests in
the large to!ing tan" and in ca#itation tests for pressure pulse measurements in HCGA) *rom these test results
empirical formulas ha#e been deri#ed to assess hull efficiency and pressure pulses for such #ariations
*or a 5%77 )FU container #essel the follo!ing #ariations in propeller diameter ha#e been assessed )he original
propeller diameter is 110 m 8hen increasing the propeller diameter in t!o steps up to 47 m and 4% m thus
reducing the propeller tip clearance from %30 m do!n to %57 m and %%7 m one can e$pect the follo!ing gains
in speed at constant propulsion po!er and an increase in pressure pulses as presented in )able %
Table . .redicted pressure fluctuation for a ?V 5%77
/! 0H
1
123 04
.
123 5' 16ts3 7( 16!a3
110 m 1720 7322 %501 0%
477 m 1727 7171 %531 03
4%7 m 1741 711/ %53/ 02
*e! shipyards spend time and money to impro#e the 6uality of the !a"e field by further modifications to the aft
body of the #essel It is sometimes o#erseen that a !a"e field of good 6uality helps to reduce the pressure pulses
of the propeller and minimises the danger of propeller induced #ibrations in the structure
)o ,udge the 6uality of the !a"e field a special =a$ial !a"e 6uality factor@ 9A8>*: has been defined, ta"ing
into account the non-uniformity of the a$ial inflo! to the propeller )he a#erage A8>* for container #essels in
the 5%77 )FU class siHe is about 717, !ith a range bet!een about 730 and 715 Higher #alues are more
fa#orable
1
I
H
J hull efficiency
%
I
7
J propeller open !ater efficiency
)he e$pected influence of the 6uality of the !a"e field on the pressure pulses for our e$ample 5%77 )FU
container #essel is presented in )able / In this e$ample a !a"e field of superior 6uality reduces the pressure
pulses by about 75 ".a compared !ith an a#erage 6uality !a"e field A !a"e field of poor 6uality !ill increase
the pressure pulses by about 73 ".a
Table 8 Influence of a$ial 6uality !a"e factor on e$pected pressure pulses
/! )W9F 123
7(
16!a3
110 m 730 04
110 m 717 0%
110 m 715 54
3 .ropeller ; Eudder Interaction
+y optimising arrangement and shape of the rudder and the propeller further sa#ings are possible-
Table : 'a$imum possible impro#ements by optimising the arrangement of propeller and rudder
!ossible
"ain
#odel Tests
re$uired?
)rrangement of ;udder and !ro(eller
Increasing the propeller efficiency 9!ill in most cases increase ris" of
ca#itation as !ell: / < .roposed
&ptimum longitudinal position of rudder and propeller in aft ship % < Ces
High lift profile 9eg HSVA '. 1/: to reduce the rudder area 1 < .roposed
*ote+ !ossible gains are not full& cumulati,e-
Table < 'a$imum possible gains by measures increasing propulsi#e efficiency
!ossible
"ain
#odel Tests
re$uired?
;educing 'e(arations, = >m(ro,ing the 9ualit& of the Wa6e Field
Grothues !a"e e6ualising spoiler
/ < Ces
Schnee"luth !a"e e6ualising duct
5 < Ces
Sumitomo integrated Dammeren duct 9SID(:
3 < Ces
;eco,ering ;otational ?osses
)!ist ruder !ithout rudder bulb 9+'S / HSVA:
% < Ces
Single pre s!irl fin 9.eters / 'e!is:
/ < Ces
.re s!irl fin systems 9(S'F, Gorea:
5 < Ces
Eudder thrust fins 9HHI, Gorea:
5 < Ces
;educing Hub 5orte@ ?osses
(i#ergent propeller boss cap
% < Ces
Euder !ith rudder bulb
% < Ces
.ropeller boss cap fins 9.+?*:
/ <
.roposed
;educing ;otational and Hub 5orte@ ?osses
)!ist ruder !ith rudder bulb 9+'S / HSVA:
5 < Ces
High Ffficiency Eudders 98KrtsilK, Eolls Eoyce:
3 < Ces
*ote+ !ossible gains are not full& cumulati,e-
+y application of propulsion impro#ing de#ices the additional gains are possible 9see table 0: )hese de#ices
ha#e different !or"ing principles )he first reduce flo! separations and impro#e the inflo! to the propeller )he
second reco#er energy contained in the rotation of the propeller slip stream )he third reduce the losses in the
propeller hob #orte$ by reducing or eliminating it completely
1 &ptimisation for Ser#ice ?onditions
)oday #essels are often optimised for the contract condition 9usually design draft: in calm !ater only *rom the
operators point of #ie! it can be much more ad#antageous to optimiHe the #essels hull form for the actual
en#ironmental conditions and the indi#idual operating profile e$pected for their ne! buildings Some designers
consider the sea!orthiness as an important design constraint, thus designing fine !aterline entrance angles, fore
ship sections !ith moderate bo! flare, not too e$treme bulbous bo!s and moderate transom stern designs &ther
designers, optimiHing their #essels for calm !ater condition only and neglecting the importance of
sea!orthiness, introduce more bo! flare, pronounced bulbous bo!s and !ide, flat transom stern designs
Usually both, shipyards and ship o!ners do not care about !ind resistance of their #essels )he effect of !ind
according to contract conditions on the trial prediction is #ery small Usually a !ind force according to +eaufort
7 or +eaufort % is ta"en into account for the trial prediction Under these conditions the !ind resistance
contributes only !ith a fe! percent to the po!er demand )he situation changes completely, !hen it comes to
ser#ice predictions
In side !ind conditions !ind forces and moments acting on the #essel cause a drift angle and it is necessary to
lay the rudder to "eep the course )he drifting #essel and the laid rudder as !ell cause an additional resistance in
ser#ice conditions
)he effect of the roll motion on a #essels po!er demand is almost un"no!n Leither roll motions are predicted
for most #essels as a standard, nor are self propulsion tests in combination !ith roll e$citation tests performed in
a systematic manner
At HSVA for one container #essel pro,ect self propulsion tests in combination !ith roll e$citation tests ha#e
been performed *urthermore sea-"eeping calculations ha#e been performed to predict the significant roll angles
e$pected for the different sea states and angles of encounter )he test results indicate that roll motions contribute
significantly to the po!er demand of a #essel, depending on the mean roll amplitudes and the ship speed
As an e$ample, for a 5%77 )FU ?ontainer Vessel the additional po!er demand due to sea!ay, due to !ind, due
to drift arising from side !ind and due to roll motions has been estimated for different angles of encounter and
for #arious sea states / !ind conditions )he results are sho!n in )able 3
Table A )otal additional po!er demand in ser#ice conditions for a 5%77 )FU ?V
Wind
force
4
1deg3
:<
1deg3
B4
1deg3
18<
1deg3
1C4
1deg3
+ft % M1< M%< M%< M7< -1<
+ft 5 M3< M2< M11< M17< M17<
+ft 3 M%/< M/7< M//< M%0< M%/<
+ft 4 M31< M15< M01< M/4< M/%<
Assuming a probability distribution of 0< for 8ind +eaufort % and less, 07< of 8ind +eaufort 5, 57< of 8ind
+eaufort 3 and 0< for 8ind +eaufort 4 and abo#e, the a#erage additional po!er demand for a 5%77 )FU
container #essel is about %1<
Since nobody performs optimisation of #essels ta"ing into account real en#ironmental conditions up to no!, one
can assume that larger reductions in the additional po!er demand should be possible
An ad#anced hull design may reduce the additional po!er demand in a sea!ay by up to 17< An optimised
container sto!age may already reduce the additional po!er demand due to !ind by up to %7<N an ad#anced
aerodynamic design should cut the additional po!er demand due to !ind e#en to the half
)he effect of drifting and rolling on the po!er demand needs further in#estigations +ut it can be assumed that
this as !ell can be reduced to a certain amount 8hen the additional resistance in ser#ice conditions can be
reduced by 17< to %7<, this impro#es the o#erall performance in case of the 5%77 )FU ?ontainer Vessel by /<
to 0< conse6uently
)he hull form, and especially the design of the bulbous bo! and the transom stern, usually is optimised for the
design draft on le#el trim ?onsidering actual loading conditions most probably !ill result in different hull form
designs compared to those !e ha#e today )he hull form must not only be optimiHed for the design draft, but for
a much !ider range of drafts )o co#er 27< of a typical operational profile of ?ontainer Vessels, the draught
range for the optimisation should co#er the inter#al bet!een 40< and 110< of the design draught
In case of the e$ample 5%77 )FU ?ontainer Vessel this means a draft range bet!een 2/0 m and 1%30 m
appro$imately )he same yields for the trim range In case 27< of the operating profile shall be co#ered, the
performance of this 5%77 )FU ?ontainer Vessel has to be optimised co#ering a trim range bet!een Hero trim
and 1/ m trim aft appro$imately
(esigning ne! hull forms for real en#ironmental conditions and actual loading conditions re6uires much more
input from the ship o!ners and operators of a ne! building pro,ect as in the past )hey ha#e to define
re6uirements to the designer, in !hich !ay they later on !ill operate their #essel
4 ?onclusions
)he most effecti#e measures to sa#e propulsion po!er can be ta"en in the definition phase and in the design
stage of a ne! building pro,ect-
; ?arefully select main dimensions, re6uired ser#ice speed and the propulsion de#ice (esign your ne!
building #essel as long and as slender as possible
; A#oid too strict hard point re6uirements in the engine room and the cargo hold )he general design has to
follo! the hydrodynamic design, and not the other !ay round
?ooperate !ith an independent model basin in the definition and design phase of a ne! building pro,ect
)he most effecti#e team consists of shipyard M ship o!ner M model basin
Det your #essels being optimised by the model basin of your choice
Lot only in the design phase, but as !ell during the !hole lifetime of a #essel se#eral measures can be ta"en to
sa#e fuel oil costs-
; 'aintain the hull surface and the propeller as smooth and clean as possible
; &perate your #essel in optimum trim conditions
&ptimise your routes and reduce the ser#ice speed as far as practicable
2 Ac"no!ledgements
)han"s from the authors go to all colleagues in HSVA, !ho contributed to this paper Fspecially !e than" 'r
*riedrich 'e!is and 'r Hilmar Glug for their contribution to energy sa#ing de#ices and anti-fouling paints
%ibliogra(h&
Se#eral HSVA model test reports on resistance, propulsion, !a"e field and ca#itation of merchant ship pro,ects
ha#e been e#aluated for this paper )hese reports are not mentioned here in detail
Hollenbach, UD Elug, HD #ewis, F 9%771:, =?ontainer Vessels ; .otentials for Impro#ements in
Hydrodynamic .erformance@, .roceedings .EA(S %771, Houston, USA, %771
Hollenbach, U 9%773:, =>uic" ?hec"=, HSVA Le!s8a#e %773/%N the ne!sletter from HSVA, a#ailable as
.(*-file from http-//!!!hs#ade
Johannsen, F 9%771:, =Le! High Eeynolds Lumber )est Stand re#eals .otential for Silicone ?oatings=,
HSVA Le!s8a#e %771/1N the ne!sletter from HSVA, a#ailable as .(*-file from http-//!!!hs#ade
Elug, HD #ewis, F 9%773:, ='inimising *uel ?onsumption@, Shipping 8orld O Shipbuilder, September %773,
p 5% ; 53, Dondon, %773
#ewis, FD Hollenbach, U 9%771:, =Hydrodynamische 'aPnahmen Hur Verringerung des Fnergie#erbrauches
im Schiffsbetrieb@, S)G Sprechtag am %% 'KrH %771 in Hamburg
#ewis, FD Hollenbach, U 9%773:, =Special 'easures for Impro#ing .ropulsi#e Ffficiency=, HSVA Le!s8a#e
%773/1N the ne!sletter from HSVA, a#ailable as .(*-file from http-//!!!hs#ade
#ewis, FD Elug, H 9%775:, =)he ?hallenge of Very Darge ?ontainer Ships - A Hydrodynamic Vie!@,
.roceedings .EA(S %775, DQbec"-)ra#emQnde, %775
;a&ner, ) 9%771:, =(eutliche Vorteile durch Sili"onbeschichtung@, Schiff O Hafen / Ranuar %771 / Lr 1,
Hamburg, %771
'trec6wall, H 9%770:, =)he ne! )!isted Eudder HSVA )870 aims at Impro#ing .ropulsion Ffficiency and
?a#itation .erformance=, HSVA Le!s8a#e %770/%N the ne!sletter from HSVA, a#ailable as .(*-file from
http-//!!!hs#ade
Jrgen Friesch, born in 1950, graduated as M.Sc. in Naval Architecture at the echnical !niversit" o# $anover, %er&an",
in 19'9. $e then (oined $S)A, the $a&burg Shi* Model +asin, ,here he ,or-ed in the *ro*eller and cavitation de*art&ent.
Main to*ics o# his ,or- ,ere the correlation o# &odel and #ull scale data relating to *ro*eller e.citation and erosion and the
develo*&ent o# cavitation te.t #acilities. A#ter being head o# the *ro*eller and cavitation de*art&ent #or 15 "ears he ,as
a**ointed as Managing /irector o# $S)A in 0001.
/r.2Ing. !,e $ollenbach, 3$S)A4, born in 1956, has got the #ollo,ing universit" degrees7 naval architect 319894 and
doctors degree 319964 #ro& the !niversit" o# $a&burg. $e has ,or-ed as naval architect in the *ro(ect de*art&ent at
di##erent shi*"ards, at a consultant co&*an" and as a researcher at %er&an classi#ication societ" %er&anischer 9lo"d.
+e#ore (oining $S)A he ,or-ed as head o# the *ro(ect de*art&ent at %er&an shi*"ard 9indenau %&b$. $e has e.*erience
in the design, shi* theor" and h"drod"na&ic related *roble&s o# tan-ers, gas carriers, cruise vessels and nav" shi*s. Since
beginning o# 0005 he is head o# the :esistance ; <ro*ulsion de*art&ent o# $S)A.