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CFD Study of Air and Water Flow on Hull Redesigns for the Cyclone Clipper Uber-Boat
Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD): 74%
Skills Devevloped: Computational Fluid Dynamics (ANSYS Fluent), Problem/Brief Identification, Result Validations, Presentation.
3rd Year Mechanical Engineering
2023
This project aims to improve the hydrodynamics of the current-most-common-Uberboat-model, to reduce the drag at its top speed (29 knots) and minimize fuel consumptions. Making Uberboats a more attractive mode of transport for citizens, while reducing the burden on London underground.
Five different hull designs were tested, including the original twin-hull, mono-hull, tri-hull, improved twin-hull, and improved tri-hull. The final design featured modified bow entries and an altered boat tail, leading to a drag reduction of up to 3.4%. This improvement allowed for a proportional speed increase while maintaining the Thames speed limit of 30 knots with the same power.
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BRIEF OVERVIEW
Objectives
- To Iiprove the top speed of the Cyclone Clipper (the most common Uber boat model) to provide an alternative transport mode to the tube for the working class travelling to Canary Wharf.
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To reduce drag to decrease energy consumption which provides a more attractive mode of transport due to a less harm to the environment.
- To reduce wetted area through redesign of the hull.
Simplifying the geometry on the original CAD Design of Uber Boat
Simulation Set-Ups
Original Uber Boat Design (Twin Hull)
Post-Processing: Theoretical Drag Force Induced by Air
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The drag force due to air (10.7 N) was very miniscule relative to that caused by the water (630.7 N).
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This is just 1.7% the drag caused by water.
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Going forward, drag due to air was ignored for all designs and the focus was just on drag on the hull with water due to viscosity and wave resistance.
Post-processing: Hydrodynamics of the Wetted Area
Redesigns of Hulls
Redesign 1 - Single Hull
Results:
The monohull design produced a drag force of 2205.6 N, requiring more energy than the original design to operate. As a result, it was not selected for further development.
Redesign 2 - Tri-Hull
Results:
This tri-hull design consists of a drag force of 1446.9 N. It is still much higher than the original design, making it slower and less efficient, despite its benefits of stability.
Redesign 3 - Improved Tri-Hull
Results:
This redesign improved from the previous design by reducing its drag by 16.9%.
Redesign 4 - Improved Twin-Hull
As the original twin-hull design demonstrated the lowest drag among the redesigns. I
redesigned the bow entries and boat’s tail in reference to the success of Redesign 3
Results:
These improvements reduced drag by up to 3.4%, allowing for a proportional speed increase while adhering to the Thames speed limit of 30 knots.
Summarized Drag Force and Wetted Area Comparisons for the Different Designs