Experimental and Numerical Study on the Seakeeping Performance of a Wind-Powered Generation Ship Considering Boom Configurations

Abstract

This study investigates the seakeeping performance of a wind power generation ship (WPG ship). This type of vessel uses rigid sails for propulsion and submerged turbines in the form of either two or four booms to generate energy. The research includes both tank tests and simulations using Ansys AQWA, validated with the new strip method (NSM). The vessel used in this study is the container ship KCS. Overall, the power generator increases the ship’s stability and reduces roll but has almost no impact on pitch. The findings show that the 4-boom configuration offers better stability and seakeeping than the 2-boom configuration. The ship’s speed has a significant impact on the ship’s RAO, especially roll and pitch, both for the bare hull and the hull with power generation equipment. When the ship’s speed increases slightly, the roll RAO tends to decrease, but as the speed becomes higher, the RAO tends to increase. Wind conditions notably increase the roll RAO peak, reducing stability, while pitch changes are minimal. The KCS model maintains operational capability in winds up to Beaufort scale 11.