Press release: Naval Hydrodynamics Symposium

Background

The very first Naval Hydrodynamics Symposium was held in 1956 and it honored CAPT Harold E. Saunders, United States Navy, for his work in constructing the David Taylor Model Basin and the high standards he set for research in naval hydrodynamics.

Harold E. Saunders
In 1908, at the age of seventeen, Harold E. Saunders entered the US Naval Academy. He achieved the highest scholastic record since 1885 and received awards for proficiency in seamanship, international law, and ordnance. By the time he retired in 1949, he had served aboard ship, in Naval Shipyards, and in ship design posts at the Bureau of Construction and Repair. The Taylor Model Basin was designed by Captain Saunders and he also supervised construction of the basin at the Naval Postgraduate School, Annapolis. When it was finished, he served there as a Technical Director and Director until 1947. After that, he became Special Assistant to the Chief of the Bureau of Ships. He remained with the bureau until his death in November 1961.
Hydrodynamics in Ship Design By Capt(USN) Saunders

Topics discussed

Nonlinear Wave-Induced Motions and Loads
This topic has to do with a ship’s seakeeping performance and it is directly related to safe ship operation in ocean waves. It involves a study of the impact forces acting on a ship due to ocean waves and how the ship responds to such nonlinear forces.

Extreme waves
How high is the highest wave and when and why does it occurs? What physics drives extreme waves? Fixed and floating marine structure are designed for a 20-30 years life time assuming there is no risk for extreme waves. When considering the occurrence of extreme waves do marine structures need to be redesigned?

Manoeuvring and Control
Manoeuvring and control has to do with a ship’s ability to keep or change its course during a controlled operation. The manoeuvrability of ships must meet certain criteria in order for it to operate safety. There are also international standards that regulate shipping, which are set by the International Maritime Organization (IMO). IMO is the United Nations’ specialized agency with responsibility for the safety and security of shipping and the prevention of marine pollution by ships.

Confined Water Hydrodynamics
This topic studies the hydrodynamic forces and interactions when ships are manoeuvred in shallow or restricted waters. This is the case for waterways with dense shipping traffic, where meeting and overtaking manoeuvres are unavoidable and where moored ships are affected by passing ships, for example. It is important for ship operators to have an awareness of these risks so that they make correct manoeuvring decisions and are able to avoid accidental collisions under such circumstances.

Rudder, Propeller and Hull Interaction
Traditionally, performance of the rudder, propeller and hull are dealt with separately and how they interact with each other is either ignored or only dealt with empirically. Rudder-propeller-hull interaction, however, investigates interaction between the hull and propeller, as well as interaction between the hull, propeller and rudder. The aim is to consider such interaction when designing these components in order to achieve better propulsion performance.

Propulsion Hydrodynamics
This topic covers all aspects of the design and hydrodynamic performance of propellers aimed at achieving higher propulsive efficiency and better performance with regard to fuel-saving, cavitation, noise and vibration.

Cavitation and Bubbly Flows
Cavitation occurs when a liquid is subjected to rapid changes of pressure causing the formation of cavities in the lower pressure regions of the liquid. It is also important to understand the flow phenomena (bubbly flows) of air bubbles that travel through the hull or propeller (e.g. awareness and prevention of propeller ventilation). Knowledge in this area is necessary in order to enhance propeller performance and obtain better control of cavitation development, thereby minimizing its negative effects (i.e. noise, vibration and erosion).

Near-Field and Far-Field Ship Wave and Wake Hydrodynamics
This topic deals with ship-generated wave systems and the wave resistance of a ship, as well as the propagation of such waves to far field. When there is low wave resistance, higher fuel savings are possible and there is less environmental impact to coastal areas.

Viscous Ship Hydrodynamics
This is a study of the influence and role of the viscosity effect in water. Frictional resistance is a consequence of viscosity in water, as are scale effects. Knowledge of viscous hydrodynamics can help ensure optimal hull design with reduced or minimized frictional resistance and energy savings.

Innovations in Drag Reduction
This is about the development of innovative methods to reduce the resistance of a ship.

Undersea Vehicle Hydrodynamics
This covers hydrodynamic research of underwater vehicles, such as submarines and unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs).

Fluid-Structure Interaction
FSI is the study of how a moveable or deformable structure interacts with an internal or surrounding fluid flow (i.e. the hydrodynamic load).

Fundamentals of Fluid Dynamics in the Naval Context
This covers research in hydrodynamics related to naval vessels.

Hydrodynamic Optimization in Ship Design
This topic is about the optimization of ship resistance, propulsion or manoeuvrability when designing the hull of a ship.

Hydrodynamics of Fast or Unconventional Ships
This covers research on the hydrodynamic performance of high-speed ships (e.g. yachts) or unconventional ships (e.g. offshore drill ships with a moon pool).
 
Read more at the conference website.

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