The propulsion is the main power consumer in a conventional ship. It is feasible to make modifications in the hull in order to reduce the hull drag or improve the propeller performance.
Resistance
The wave-making resistance is the main component of the resistance of the ship in the high speed range. It is feasible to reduce the wave resistance acting on the fore bulb and the hull lines, looking for a suitable interference between different wave trains.
Streamlines
The study of streamlines can define a proper orientation of the hull appendages, being aligned with the water flow in the hull surface. It is possible to analyze the water flow surrounding a concrete appendage as they can be bilge keels, sonar dome, skeg, etc.
Improvement of the wake configuration
In order to improve the wake or velocity field in which the propeller works, a good circumferential uniformity is looked for in the stern area of the hull, improving the operation of the propeller, decreasing cavitation, noise and vibrations. When this study is made jointly with a wake-adapted propeller design, it improves the propulsive efficiency of the ship, due to the improvement of the rotating-relative efficiency and open water efficiency.
Seakeeping
Sometimes the analysis is interesting for seakeeping, studying the ship response in a certain sea state and speed. It is necessary to consider the characteristics of inertia of the real ship for the dynamic response analysis.
