Hull-propeller-rudder interactions: Time-accurate data of a scaled model ship in waves

Accurate prediction of ship powering performance is essential as it plays a pivotal role in achieving optimal ship design and maximising energy-saving potential. Typically, a combination of computational and experimental methods is employed. With great progress in the use of computational simulations, there is an equivalent need to acquire high-quality experimental measurements and insights gained from towing tank tests. This paper introduces a newly constructed, instrumented geosim of the benchmark KRISO Container Ship (KCS) hull form and details representative results from four distinct test campaigns that encompass both free-running and towed conditions. These tests were conducted in calm water, regular waves, and irregular waves, with evaluations at various drift angles to thoroughly assess the hull’s performance under different maritime conditions. The synchronised measurements of wave environment, model motions, forces and moments of the hull and its appendages, facilitate a time-accurate understanding of performance, rather than merely capturing average behaviour. This provides a deeper insight into the complex interactions between the hull, propeller, and rudder, and how that affects the power demand in real voyages. The collected data from experiments helps validate CFD codes and also observe real physics, which is impossible from any virtual test run with numerical simulations. • A free-running instrumented self-propelled ship model (KCS) is tested. • The model is capable of capturing synchronised time-accurate data when towed. • The data provides deeper insight into hull-propeller-rudder interaction in both calm water and waves. • The high-quality synchronised data is vital to CFD validation and verification. • Data is valuable in predicting the dynamic behaviour of a manoeuvring ship in waves.