A numerical study on self-propulsion performance of the 66k DWT bulk carrier in low-speed calm water and regular wave conditions

This study evaluated the self-propulsion performance of the K-Supramax (66,000 DWT) bulk carrier in calm water and regular wave conditions at the design speed (14.5 knots) and 4.0 knots. Using the virtual disk method in Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis, the self-propulsion characteristics were validated based on KRISO's experimental data, and these characteristics were applied to analyze the self-propulsion performance under wave conditions. Major self-propulsion factors, such as the thrust deduction factor and effective wake fraction, were analyzed to examine the impact of wave conditions on propulsion efficiency. Additionally, the differences in the delivered power (DHP) estimated by the CFD simulation and the load variation method were analyzed according to wave conditions. This research identified the impact of added resistance due to waves on self-propulsion performance, demonstrating that the effect of added resistance was more significant at 4.0 knots than at 14.5 knots. This study provides fundamental data for analyzing self-propulsion performance under wave conditions and establishes an important foundation for future research on estimating the minimum propulsion power under both design and low-speed conditions.