Prof. Göran Bark / Chalmers University of Technology, Göteborg, Sweden

Göran Liljeström / Bureau ODEN Icebreaker Design AB

Ice Model Testing of Propulsion Systems for a Coast Guard Patrol Vessel
The purpose of this project was to examine the ice performance of two different propulsion systems for a Coast Guard patrol vessel. The vessel is designed by the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration, FMV and referred to as the KBV 201. The ship is designed with conventional lines for high open water speed and good sea keeping performance and has a length of 46.2 m between perpendiculars and a beam of 8.10 m. The model tests were performed at the HSVA (The Hamburg Ship Model Basin) ice model basin. The following propulsion systems were tested and evaluated: conventional twin shaft arrangement and an azimuthing thruster system with propellers without nozzles. The basic operations requirement is the ability to perform in a level ice thickness of 0.30 m. The KBV 201 design will meet this requirement according to the results of the ice model tests. The general impression of the tests is also that the azimuthing thrusted arrangement shows lower total resistance and delivered power than the conventional propeller arrangement. The observations of propeller/ice interaction show that the conventional propulsion arrangement will perform in the required ice conditions. The azimuthing thruster arrangement is considered to have less ice interacting with the propellers than the conventional arrangement. The conclusion is that a slightly higher speed can be maintained through level ice with the thruster arrangement, without any significant increase of ice interaction.

Hellmann, J.-H., Liljeström, G.: Ice Model Testing of Propulsion Systems for a Coast Guard Patrol Vessel
Proceedings of the 15th Intern. Conference on Port and Ocean Engineering under Arctic Conditions (POAC) , Helsinki, August 23-27, 1999, Vol. 2, pp. 578-591

For more information, please contact:
Prof. Göran Bark (bark@na.chalmers.se)
Göran Liljeström (bureauoden@swipnet.se)
Jens-Holger Hellmann (hellmann@hsva.de)