Optimisation of a Ship Wind Assisted Propulsion System
This project investigates the optimisation of a ship wind-assisted propulsion system (SWAP), an actively controlled aerofoil mounted vertically on the deck of a ship in order to generate a forward propulsive force from the wind. The device functions in a similar manner to a sail on a yacht, whereby the aerodynamic forces generated by the sail reach an equilibrium with the hydrodynamic forces of the hull and a resulting forward velocity develops.
The current version of the proposed circulation control system employs blowing and suction from the leading-edge and trailing-edge of the aerofoil respectively, utilising the Coanda effect to energise the boundary layer, with the aim of generating high lift and low drag.
The intended system contains a multitude of parameters to be optimised with the use of high fidelity CFD data. Some examples of ARCHIE usage are:
Experimental validation will be provided by the University of Glasgow National Wind Tunnel Facility (NWTF).
For more information about the project contact Dr Marco Vezza (marco.vezza@strath.ac.uk), Senior Lecturer at James Watt School of Engineering at the University of Glasgow.
For a list of the research areas in which ARCHIE-WeSt users are active please click here.