Initial Concept Design for a Self-Icebreaking Container Vessel in Ice-Covered Water Region

In this paper, six various types of Self-Icebreaking Container Vessels were designed by CSSRC (China Ship Scientific Research Center) during the initial design stage. This kind of Self-Icebreaking Container Vessels can take on some characteristics of DAV. It can navigate in ice-covered water region with forward icebreaking stern, and also navigate in ice-free water region with conventional bow shape. In the initial design stage, firstly, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) method was utilized to optimize hull form. The Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equation has been utilized as optimization method together with the application of Reynolds stress turbulence model and the multi-block structured grid. After completing optimization, In accordance with CFD calculation results, selecting the optimal the Self-Icebreaking Container Vessel line based on suitable open water resistance compared to the Original Ship, then, Discrete Element Model (DEM) method was utilized to calculate force of level ice. Objective of this stage mainly observes influencing factors of ice force for the optimal Self-Icebreaking Container Vessel with different thickness of level ice and different ship speed. The computational result indicates that CFD-based method of the optimal Self-Icebreaking Container Vessel can fulfill requirement in open water. At the same time, DEM method also can obtain the corresponding influencing factors of ice force in ice-covered water region.