Overview
The continuous development of commercial exchanges, mainly the liberalisation of shipping on the Danube as a result of finishing the hostilities from Yugoslavia has led to a sudden change of transportation on waterways. Consequently, more and more ship-owners think how to make transportation efficient also aiming to accomplish the European norms regarding the conditions on board of ships, as well as foul emission (noise).
The economical premises for developing transportation on inland waterways refer to the increase of speed and transport capacity at the same time with the decrease of the expenses related to it. Nowadays, a much greater importance is given to the development of transportation on waterways which should assure the shipment of goods in bulk or in containers, having the role of intensifying the economical collaboration between the countries within the Economical Council constituted at European level. By macro-economic policies, recovery of naval transport is aimed at both by financing the research themes and by implementing the research results to the economic agents.
For this aim, through the National Research & Development and Innovation Plan, it is intended to promote new technologies which should lead to the profitability of shipment and the improvement of life conditions on board ships, taking into account the European norms in this field. With the collaboration of RMNAV S.A. Braila, the projects results have been applied, tested in the towing tank and in full size in view of validating the theoretical data of a pusher of 2 x 420 HP.
This presumed the beginning of a complex theoretical and experimental approach in the Hydrodynamic Research Laboratories and well-balanced for performing a new propelling system, taking in account all the implied factors referring to the increase of: efficiency, installed power and speed especially in running conditions in shallow water which also implies the compliance with the European norms regarding the comfort on board of ships.
During the methodological development stage of the project, the theoretical methods necessary to the propellers design based on the vortex theory were analysed and then a specialised software package was implemented, comprising a RANSE code for studying the flow in the ship aft, generating codes of networks as well as an optimising programme of propeller based on the utilisation of the vortex network method.
The project aim is to achieve a more performing propelling system for technical ships in view of increasing the ship speed and the transport capacity. The project objectives aim to achieve the following aspects:
- increase of power-speed performances in running conditions;
- improvement of optimum conditions regarding the accommodation on board of ships and the observance of the requirements regarding the environment protection (the increase of noise level emitted);
- viability;
- reduction of fuel oil consumption.
The project aims to perform a new theoretical and experimental methodology for increasing the characteristics of the technical ships propelling system by using improved methods for digital and experimental investigation in hydrodynamic calculation. The plan for performing the project comprises:
- the profound research study of the vortex network method;
- the realisation of programmes package intended to serve the study of the flow in the aft part of ships and in the propeller disk area;
- the propelling system designing and optimising;
- the validation of theoretical data by experimental tests both in the towing tank and in the cavitation tunnel;
- the execution of the propelling system on ship;
- experimental tests on board before and after implementing the new propelling system.