Numerical Assessment of the Resistance of a Solar Catamaran in Shallow Water

Abstract

In this paper, a numerical assessment of the effect of shallow water on the total resistance of the solar catamaran SolarCat is carried out using computational fluid dynamics within the software package STAR–CCM+. The unsteady viscous fluid flow was modelled based on the Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) equations with the application of the k−ω SST (k−ω Shear Stress Transport) turbulence model. The RANS equations were discretized by the finite volume method, and the position of the free surface is determined by the volume of fluid method. In shallow water conditions, a mesh morphing algorithm is applied. Numerical simulations were carried out for the deep water and limited depths corresponding to h/T=7.6, h/T=4, and h/T=2 at two speeds. The verification study was carried out and the total numerical uncertainty was calculated for the total resistance and sinkage of the catamaran. A detailed analysis of the flow around the catamaran was carried out.