A Reynolds-averaged Navier Stokes computational fluid dynamics (RANS-CFD) package will be one of the primary tools used during the development of a performance prediction program for wind-assisted commercial ships. This paper describes the simulation verification exercise, performed in support of the experimental validation presented in Part 1 of this two-part series describing the RANS-CFD method employed in this research. The predominance of large-scale separated flow structures in the wake of the sailing ship, an artefact of sideforce production necessary for sailing, points to a careful verification exercise and estimate for the numerical uncertainty to support the systematic investigation of wind-assisted ship hydromechanics and meshing guidelines within the available computer resources. Methods for CFD uncertainty quantification are defined and implemented for verification cases at leeway angles equal to 0^ᵒ, 6^ᵒ, and 9^ᵒ. Analysis for four sets of grids with different meshing strategies and for varying time steps results in a grid definition and time step for simulation validation. Numerical uncertainty as adopted in Part 1 for validation is defined. Finally, the meshing strategy for full-scale simulation is described, as used for the production runs of the Delft Wind Assist Series.

The Flettner rotor is attracting increasing attention as a viable technology for wind-assisted ship propulsion. Nonetheless, the influence of the Reynolds number on the aerodynamic performance of rotating cylinders is still unclear and under debate. The present study deals with a series of wind-tunnel experiments on a large-scale Flettner rotor in which the forces and pressures acting on the cylinder were measured for Reynolds numbers as large as Re=1.0⋅10 ⁶ . The rotating cylinder used in the experimental campaign had a diameter of 1.0 m and span of 3.73 m. The results indicate that the lift coefficient is only affected by the Reynolds number in the critical flow region and below velocity ratio k=2.5. Conversely, in the velocity ratio range 1<k≤2.5, the drag coefficient is markedly influenced by the Reynolds number over the entire range of flow conditions analyzed. The power coefficient scales with the cube of the tangential velocity and it appears to be insensitive to the Reynolds number or whether the cylinder is spun in an air stream or in still air.

A Reynolds-averaged Navier Stokes computational fluid dynamics (RANS-CFD) package will be one of the primary tools used during the development of a performance prediction program for wind-assisted commercial ships. This paper is Part 1 of a two-part series describing the RANS-CFD method adopted for this study. The modelling challenge presented by large separated flow structures in the wake of a sailing ship points to a conscientious validation study. A validation data set, consisting of hydrodynamic forces acting on the ships sailing with a leeway angle, was collected at the Delft University of Technology towing tank facility, for bare-hull and appended cases. Appended cases were designed to represent a broad range of appendage typologies: Rudder, Bilge-keels, Skeg, and Barkeel. A validation statement is made for simulations for the entire bare-hull series and for appended geometries, excepting the Bilge-keel case. The simulation method is described in Part 2, including the assessment of the numerical uncertainty.

Experiments on a large-scale Flettner rotor were carried out in the boundary-layer test section of Politecnico di Milano wind tunnel. The rotating cylinder used in the experimental campaign (referred to as Delft Rotor) had a diameter of 1.0 m and span of 3.73 m. The Delft Rotor was equipped with two purpose-built force balances and two different systems to measure the pressure on the rotor’s outer skin. The goal of the experiments was to study the influence of different Reynolds numbers on the aerodynamic forces generated by the spinning cylinder. The highest Reynolds number achieved during the experiments was.