The use of computational fluid dynamics to assess the hull resistance of concept autonomous underwater vehicles

Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUV’s) provide an important tool for collecting detailed scientific information from the oceans depths. The hull resistance of an AUV is an important factor in determining the powering requirements and range of the vehicle. This paper discusses the use of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) to determine the hull resistance of three existing AUV’s, of differing shape and size. The predictions are compared with available experimental data and good agreement found. This work has demonstrated that with use of suitable shape parameterisation it is possible to carry out concept design evaluation using a RANS flow solver.