ANSYS > Case Studies > Navatek Ltd. Enhances Marine Hydrodynamics with ANSYS CFX

Navatek Ltd. Enhances Marine Hydrodynamics with ANSYS CFX

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Technology Category
  • Analytics & Modeling - Digital Twin / Simulation
  • Sensors - Liquid Detection Sensors
Applicable Industries
  • Marine & Shipping
Applicable Functions
  • Product Research & Development
Use Cases
  • Digital Twin
  • Virtual Reality
About The Customer
Navatek Ltd., founded in 1979 and based in Honolulu, is a leader in the field of marine hydrodynamics. The company specializes in researching, developing, and deploying innovative, advanced ship hull designs and associated technologies for both military and commercial use. Navatek holds multiple U.S. patents relating to its underwater lifting body hull technology and is also known for its work in Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) hull optimization, drag reduction, and integrated propulsion systems. The company's technology prototypes have demonstrated benefits including better sea kindliness, increased range and payload, reduced power requirements, higher seaway speeds, and reduced wake wash.
The Challenge
Navatek Ltd., a leader in researching, developing, and deploying innovative, advanced ship hull designs and associated technologies, faced a significant challenge in their testing process. The traditional method of scale model testing was proving to be time-consuming, expensive, and unreliable due to scaling effects. The complexity of the physics involved in the processes, including transient, transitionally turbulent, multiphase flow with a free surface, added to the difficulty of obtaining reliable and accurate results. This situation necessitated a more efficient, reliable, and cost-effective solution for testing their ship hull designs.
The Solution
Navatek Ltd. turned to ANSYS CFX for a solution to their testing challenges. ANSYS CFX offers reliable multiphase flow models which allow for the prediction of free surface shape, forces, and effects due to cavitation. The simulation results obtained from ANSYS CFX have been validated against towing-tank experiments and have shown excellent agreement. Additionally, CFX-Mesh allows for highly-automated, rapid creation of high-quality meshes with an inflation layer that ensures excellent near-wall resolution. This solution not only improved the reliability and accuracy of their testing process but also allowed for the rapid completion of what-if scenarios, providing valuable insight into design variations such as appendage placement.
Operational Impact
  • The implementation of ANSYS CFX has brought about significant operational improvements for Navatek Ltd. The use of CFD simulation has reduced the need for expensive towing tank tests, allowing the company to investigate more design alternatives in a cost-effective manner. The ability to rapidly complete what-if scenarios has provided valuable insight into design variations such as appendage placement, leading to the creation of hulls that perform better in all key areas. Furthermore, the high-quality meshes created by CFX-Mesh have ensured excellent near-wall resolution, enhancing the accuracy and reliability of the testing process.
Quantitative Benefit
  • Reduced time and cost associated with scale model testing
  • Increased reliability and accuracy of testing results
  • Rapid completion of what-if scenarios for design variations

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