Numerical Simulation of Resistance and Flow Field for Submarines near Ice Surface

When a submarine operates in polar regions, the polar environment inevitably impacts its resistance and flow field characteristics, especially when the submarine navigates near the ice surface. This paper investigates the hydrodynamic characteristics of a submarine sailing near the free water surface and the ice surface using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) methods. In order to quantify the impact of ice on the resistance and flow field characteristics of the submarine, the resistance coefficients are calculated for both near ice surface and free surface. The resistance, velocity field, and pressure distribution around the submarine at different depths and speeds are analyzed. The results indicate that the total resistance of the submarine sailing near the ice surface is lower than the free water surface. When the submarine is sailing near the ice surface, its total resistance coefficient decreases with increased submergence depth at a constant Froude number. At a fixed depth, the resistance coefficient also decreases as the Froude number increases. Additionally, when the dimensionless depth relative to the maximum hull diameter (D) exceeds 3.5, it has little effect on the resistance coefficient.