Objectives The aft hull lines of self-propelled cutter suction dredgers (CSD) with a positioning-type bow typically adopt either a twin deadwood or twin skeg, as different stern designs exhibit distinct flow field characteristics. For these two stern lines, including the bare hull and the duct-equipped case, a comparative analysis of the stern flow field and an evaluation of propeller excitation characteristics were conducted.
Methods By means of CFD method, numerical validation was performed on the KVLCC2 standard model. Based on this, the two stern line designs were compared, focusing on their stern flow field properties, wake field uniformity, and the impact on propeller-induced vibrations.
Results The results indicate that, at the design speed, the twin deadwood plan is judged to be better than the twin skeg in terms of wake field uniformity, the twin deadwood plan gives better wake field uniformity than the twin skeg, and its propeller excitation characteristics are 46.0% better than the latter. Additionally, the duct integration improved propeller excitation characteristics by about 9.0% compared with bare hull.
Conclusions These findings provide valuable insights for hull line design and propeller vibration assessment and optimization of similar vessels.
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