CFD Investigation on Hydrodynamic Resistance of a Novel Subsea Shuttle Tanker

Abstract

The Subsea Shuttle Tanker (SST) was proposed by Equinor as an alternative to subsea pipelines and surface tankers for the transportation of liquid carbon dioxide (CO2) from existing offshore/land facilities to marginal subsea fields. In contrast to highly weather-dependent surface tanker operations, the SST can operate in any condition underwater. Low resistance is paramount to achieving maximum range. In this paper, the resistance of the SST at an operating forward speed of 6 knots (3.09 m/s) and subject to an incoming current velocity of 1 m/s is computed using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). The Delayed Detached Eddy Simulation (DDES) method is used. This method combines features of Reynolds-Averaged Navier–Stokes Simulation (RANS) in the attached boundary layer parts at the near-wall regions, and Large Eddy Simulation (LES) at the unsteady, separated regions near to the propeller. The force required to overcome forward resistance is calculated to be 222 kN and agrees well with experimental measurements available in the open literature. The corresponding power consumption is calculated to be 927 kW, highlighting the high efficiency of the SST. The method presented in this paper is general and can be used for resistance optimization studies of any underwater vessel.