Energy-Efficient Operations in the Arctic Environment of Advanced Naval Vessels
Abstract
The ever-changing climate has led to a rapid increase in maritime activity in the Arctic region. Commercial ships are using the northern route for transit, fossil fuel resources are being actively pursued by different nations, and the tourism industry seeks to allow passengers to explore this part of the planet via ship. The military has navigated the Arctic for decades with the sub-surface fleet, but the changing climate, increase in human activity, and role of autonomy all present new opportunities and challenges for the surface navy and unmanned ships to operate in the Arctic.The Arctic is characterized by extreme weather with freezing temperatures, ice, snow, wind and waves. The region is geographically remote and isolated. Up to now military operations are well established for undersea and air assets, but there is very little experience in at-sea operations in the Arctic region. Current US Navy vessels are not ice-strengthened and are not available for use in the marginal ice zone. Many open questions exist as to the influence of iceon the motions, loads, and fuel requirements to operate naval vessels in the Arctic.Current engineering practice for ships in the Arctic is based upon decades of research for icebreaking and commercial ship operation. Much of this research and knowledge is directly transferrable to naval operations with several fundamental limitations. Commercial ships have the freedom to be restricted to very low speed which is a critical strategical limitation for a military vessel. Also, their structural design is guided by classification societies using rules that are specific to commercial and ice-breaking hull forms, which are fundamentally different from naval hull forms.It is proposed to conduct a fundamental research study to characterize the power and energy demands on naval platforms that operate in the Arctic region. The specific problem of interest is to predict the added resistance of a high-speed vessel as it travels in waves near level ice and through fields of broken ice. There is strong interaction between the wave system generated by themotion of high-speed vessel, the ambient waves, and the flexure and diffraction of the waves due to the ice. The fundamental study of this problem will allow for the identification of critical speeds such that a high-speed craft can be used to break ice, how fuelconsumption can be optimized, and how vessel traffic can be detected and monitored.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Aug 05, 2021
- Source ID
- N000142112623
Entities
People
- Kevin J. Maki
Organizations
- Board of Regents of the University of Michigan
- Office of Naval Research
- United States Navy