Engineering consultancy Houlder reports that it has developed a new tool for analysing ship performance and potential efficiency options, including evaluation of the impact of energy saving technologies.
The Houlder Optimisation & Modelling Environment (HOME) utilises digital twin technology to create virtual vessels that can be used to analyse tweaks to the operations of existing ships, to design brand new vessels, or to outline ways to save fuel and cut associated greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, on specific voyages or across all operations.
Shipowners can analyse the emissions performance of efficiency technologies for their specific vessel and its own operating profile, taking route, cargo, design and other parameters into account.
“This isn’t just about looking at how ships do what they do; it’s about making them do it better,” said Jonathan Strachan, CTO of Houlder.
“Depending on what a client needs, HOME can dial the detail up or down. For those at the drawing-board stage, basic-fidelity simulations offer a quick peek at what’s possible.”
“For more in-depth analysis, like weighing up different modifications or getting into the nitty-gritty of business planning, mid-fidelity and high-fidelity simulations provide richer, more detailed insights through Houlder’s computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and hydrodynamics capabilities and expertise.”
When real-world data from ships is available, it can be fed into the software to make modelling more accurate. The system can also calculate carbon intensity indicator (CII) and energy efficiency existing ship index (EEXI) ratings, or recreate hull forms from 2D drawings, removing the need for 3D scanning.
