Best modeling practice for self-propulsion simulation of ship model in calm water

This paper presents the development of best Reynolds-Averaged Navier–Stokes modeling practices for simulations of propeller–hull interaction in calm water using Star-CCM+. Extensive convergence studies were carried out to examine effects of various propeller modeling methods and parameters, such as non-dimensional wall distance, grid resolution/distribution, and turbulence model. Bare-hull resistance and propeller open-water performance were first examined. For propeller–hull interaction, a simplified body-force method and a detailed propeller modeling method were applied to predict the wake fraction and propeller performance behind the hull. The difference in accuracy of the two methods was quantified, and the best modeling practices were recommended based on the convergence studies. Validation studies were carried out for the Korea Research Institute of Ships and Ocean Engineering Container Ship model. The pseudo-effective wake fraction determined from computational fluid dynamics simulations was introduced and compared with the experimental effective wake fraction.