Extending the benefit of CFD tools in ship design and performance prediction

The European 6th -framework project VIRTUE aims at advancing the use of CFD in ship design. The paper addresses a central subject in the workpackage on steady flow around the hull, ‘computational performance prediction’. The accuracy of resistance predictions from RANS solutions is reviewed, motivating the need for dedicated research on this topic. Ongoing research at MARIN on resistance predictions is discussed, with focus on the implementation of symmetry boundary conditions. The need for minute refinements and extreme care in carrying out the computation is demonstrated.