Drag Force Evaluation of a Remotely Operated Vehicle
José Bismark de Medeiros1; Lucas Aninger de Barros Rocha1; Luiz Mariano Pereira1
1 Universidade Federal do Vale do São Francisco
doi:10.20906/CPS/COB-2015-2646
Resumo
In Brazil, operations such as maintenance and deepwater exploration have been growing for years. However, much of the equipment for these procedures is still mostly foreign. For the development of national technologies in submerged vehicles, a lot needs to be done, especially in the analysis of drag forces caused by ocean currents, one of the most important variables in the design of this type of machinery. Therefore, this work aims to determine the drag force on submerged Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), in order to assist the proper sizing and insurance propulsion systems required for its operation. At this sense, various computer simulations were performed using ANSYS software for determining the drag coefficient of the ROV. Several geometries were studied to obtain results which it easily possible compared with results available in the literature for basic geometries, as well as the purpose of determining the reliability of more complex further analysis. Finally, the geometry simulation of a three-dimensional commercial vehicle was modeled using SolidWorks software. The option to analyze an actual vehicle was considered with goal to obtain qualitative informations of the drag coefficient. The manufacturer and a company operating this kind of vehicle in Brazil have shown interest in conducting experimental tests to compare with those obtained computationally. This work presents results for drag coefficient obtained to the operating velocity range of the ROV provided by a manufacturer.
Palavras-chave: CFD; ROV; Fluid Mechanics; Computational Simulation