Objectives  This paper aims to analyze the influence of polar low temperature environment and ballast water capacity on the dynamic change process of the temperature field in polar ship's ballast tank.

  Methods  The volume of fluid (VOF) model was used to simulate the two phases of gas and liquid, and the standard k-ε turbulence model was used to simulate the fluid movement. The numerical analysis model of heat transfer in the ballast tank of polar ships was established to analyze the dynamic change process of the temperature field of the ballast tank at low temperature, and reveal the influence mechanism of multiple ambient temperatures and multiple loading heights on the temperature field of the ballast tank.

  Results  With the continuous occurrence of heat transfer, the temperature in the area above the waterline of the side ballast tank decreases rapidly, and the cooling area extends laterally to the cabin and downward along the bulkhead respectively. When there is more ballast water, the temperature field in the cabin is relatively stable due to the large heat capacity of water, but the air heat capacity is low and the temperature field changes greatly, which is prone to cyclones and further affects the temperature field distribution in the calculation domain. Under the condition of the same ballast water capacity, the lower the external ambient temperature, the greater the difference between internal and external temperatures, the more intense the heat exchange, and the faster the temperature of the ballast tank changes.

  Conclusions  The VOF two-phase flow model and the standard k-ε turbulence model can better reveal the temporal and spatial evolution characteristics of the temperature field in the ballast tank in polar low temperature environment, and analyze the influence of internal and external thermal boundary conditions on the change of the temperature field in the ballast tank, which can provide necessary technical reference for the cold/freeze protection of polar ships' ballast tanks.