Prediction of biological development effects on drag forces of ceramic hull coating using Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes-based solver.

Ships in service feature surfaces that exhibit biofouling, which alters the hydrodynamics of the vessels, thus affecting their normal displacement and significantly increasing their fuel consumption. The application of three types of ceramic coatings as ecological, effective and durable alternatives to commercial silicone-based marine coatings is investigated in this study. Three different ceramic glazes and two control commercial paints are analysed in an actual environment during 20 months of exposure to simulate the navigation conditions such that growth and roughness data can be obtained and then applied to computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software using an open-source Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes solver. The CFD results are validated under smooth hull conditions with a full-scale Kriso Container Ship (KCS) model and with different levels of hull roughness. The developed approach shows that the drag in hulls coated with conventional paint is 19% greater than that in hulls with ceramic coating.