Navy engineers needed software to simulate water flow on proposed concept designs for the high-speed sealift (HSSL) ship.
They found a solution with Fluent Inc., of Lebanon, N.H. Under a $155,000 grant from the Office of Naval Research (ONR), Fluent will be one of three groups to provide tools for computational hydrodynamics design and analysis. At the conclusion of the first six months, one group from Phase l will be selected to participate in Phase II, which will be the actual development and validation phase of the project.
The primary goal of this project is to develop a vessel that can transport soldiers’ and Marines’ material at high speeds across transoceanic distances, allow quick transfer of large loads between ships at sea, and autonomously off-load in austere ports or on exposed beaches. Such vessels require advanced hull designs, high-power, fuel-efficient machinery, and advanced structural designs using lightweight and high-strength materials.
Fluent provides computational fluid-dynamics (CFD) software, used for simulation, visualization, and analysis of fluid flow, heat and mass transfer, and chemical reactions. Using Fluent’s software, engineers build virtual prototypes and simulate the performance of proposed and existing designs.
“New advanced hull forms require new computational tools. This project will bring together the experience of ship designers and the expertise of fluid mechanicians resulting in a physics-based hydrodynamic analysis and design. Given these new capabilities, we expect significant improvements in vessel performance and capabilities,” says Armin Troesch, chair of the Department of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering at the University of Michigan, a Fluent partner.
For more information, see www.fluent.com.
