LEBANON, N.H., 15 Nov. 2005. Fluent Inc. today announces its part in a successful bid for a U.S. Naval grant to simulate high-speed sealift (HSSL) ships.
The Office of Naval Research (ONR) in the area of HSSL has awarded the grant to Fluent as a member of a skilled multi-disciplinary team, specifically working in the area of computational hydrodynamics design and analysis. The total ONR award amount is approximately $500,000, of which Fluent receives $155,000.
High-speed sealift ships require advanced hull designs, high-power, fuel-efficient machinery, and advanced structural designs using light-weight and high-strength materials to perform duties more effectively and efficiently. The primary goal of this project is to serve the interests of U.S. land forces -- Army and Marines -- in developing a vessel that can transport material at high speeds across trans-oceanic distances, allow quick transfer of large loads between ships at sea, enter austere ports, and autonomously off- load in such ports or on exposed beaches.
Fluent is partnering with professors from the University of Michigan and the University of New South Wales, a ship designer at John J. McMullen Associates, and a scientist at the Naval Surface Warfare Center - Carderock Division. This assembly represents one of three groups participating in Phase l of this project, which will consist of demonstrating the capabilities of the hydrodynamic computational tools that will be used in the context of analyzing the hydrodynamic performance of a proposed concept for a HSSL ship.
At the conclusion of the first six months, one of the three groups from Phase l will be selected to participate in Phase II, which will be the actual development and validation phase of the project.
"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.
The Office of Naval Research coordinates, executes, and promotes the science and technology programs of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps through schools, universities, government laboratories, and nonprofit and for-profit organizations. It provides technical advice to the Chief of Naval Operations and the Secretary of the Navy and works with industry to improve technology manufacturing processes.
Fluent is the world's largest provider of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software and consulting services. Fluent's software is used for simulation, visualization, and analysis of fluid flow, heat and mass transfer, and chemical reactions. It is a vital part of the computer-aided engineering (CAE) process for companies around the world and is deployed in nearly every manufacturing industry. Using Fluent's software, engineers build virtual prototypes and simulate the performance of proposed and existing designs, allowing them to improve design quality while reducing cost and speeding time to market.
Fluent's corporate headquarters are located in Lebanon, N.H., with offices in Belgium, England, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, China and Sweden. Its CFD software is also available around the world through joint ventures, partnerships, and distributors in Korea, Australia, Brazil, China, Taiwan, the Czech Republic, Middle East, and most European countries. For more information, see www.fluent.com.
