Ways to Conserve Energy on Board - DNV

FutureShip has also begun offering an extended range of
engineering consultancy services, such as conceptual designs
for fuel-efficient, next-generation vessels. One example is a
9,000 TEU containership sized for the widened Panama Canal,
which required short ship lengths and a beamy design.
FutureShip’s work on this project included studies in<strong>to</strong> stability
as well as energy efficiency.
New Hull Shapes
The company also offers consultancy on issues that are primarily
relevant for passenger ships, such as noise, vibration
and the avoidance of motion sickness. Hull shape optimisation,
however, remains the area where FutureShip believes
it has truly s<strong>to</strong>len a march on yards as well as other class
societies.
”Many yards may claim <strong>to</strong> have optimised their initial
designs by changing various parameters such as the length
and profile of the bow, and testing the various results,” says
Hochkirch. “However, what we do is strive for the optimum
design right from the start.” To do this, FutureShip starts
from the essential principles of fluid dynamics, then applies
a systematic and rigorous approach <strong>to</strong> CFD testing.
”Optimised hull designs require in-depth consideration of
the ship’s operational profile,” he adds, ”especially its likely
range of speeds.” Many yards tailor hulls <strong>to</strong> the design speed
fully laden as specified in the shipbuilding contract, rather
than the speeds the vessel is likely <strong>to</strong> actually employ, especially
in these days of slow steaming.
“By being very specific about speeds, owners can realise
the greatest saving,” Hochkirch explains. “We can
CFD.
Computational
fluid dynamics
is a field of
fluid mechanics
that uses
numerical
methods and
algorithms <strong>to</strong>
analyse and
solve problems
involving fluid
flows.
DESIGN. FutureShip
specialises in hull shape optimisation.
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