Numerical Research on the Influence of Interceptor Flaps on the Planing Hydrodynamic Performance

Abstract

The trim tab and interceptor have been utilized to optimize the running trim and motion control of planing boats at varying speeds in calm water. Increasing the height of the interceptor can create excessive drag and bow-down trim. The effectiveness of the interceptor can be increased by integrating it with a horizontal flap. This research focuses on the impact of the influence caused by interceptor flaps on the pressure distribution and fluid flows around the vessel. To simulate trim and sinkage measurement, the environment was modeled in the two-degree of freedom condition. Variation of integrated interceptor flaps has been analyzed with Finite Volume Method (FVM) based on RANS (Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes) equation using overset mesh. The turbulent K-ε and VOF (Volume of Fluid) models are used to model the water and air phases. The grid convergence study is performed to establish the parallel solver’s grid independence. To confirm the accuracy of the test in the bare hull condition, the numerical approach was tested experimentally. The result of drag, trim, and sinkage was calculated and it has been proved that the added flaps into interceptors are very useful in drag reduction and trim control. The percentage of interceptor height is directly proportional to the resulting lift force. Higher lift force can more effectively improve trim and reduce drag. Overall, this study shows an improvement in ship performance when using an interceptor and interceptor flap. One of the model configurations in the study has been shown to reduce drag by up to 33.3% at Froude number 1.45 when compared to ships without an interceptor.