Study Of the Effect of Air Lubrication on The Energy Efficiency of The JBC Bulk Carrier Ship with Propeller

Abstract

This study investigates the effect of air lubrication on the energy efficiency of the JBC bulk carrier. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) was employed for this purpose, utilizing the Unsteady Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (URANS) equations and the k-ω SST turbulence model available in Ansys to solve the governing Navier-Stokes equations for complex flows. The influence of the side skeg geometry on the continuity of the air layer beneath the flat bottom section was examined. It was found that increasing the height of the forward skegs yields satisfactory results in preventing air leakage from the air-lubricated area. Furthermore, a method was proposed to vent air before it reaches the propeller. The use of V-shaped skegs, which force a 45-degree redirection of the airflow and subsequently release it sideways, proved to be an effective solution. Ultimately, the application of air lubrication improved the ship’s energy efficiency by 16.97% while maintaining the same power delivered to the propeller. This significantly reduces fuel consumption and, consequently, associated air pollution