HyDynPro is an Era-Net Martec project, with a consortium of members from Norway, Germany and Finland.

During the last two decades, azimuthing thrusters have become widely used for positioning and main propulsion of specialized vessels, especially for offshore applications. Such vessels tend to operate in extreme environments, including extreme waves and ice. The thrusters are then subject to large loads and extreme load variations. Previous research have investigated the hydrodynamic loads on the propellers of azimuthing thrusters in such extreme wave conditions. However, in order to know the loads in the drive train, for instance in the lower bevel gear of the thruster, the dynamic response of the drive train to these extreme load variations has to be taken into account.  In HyDynPro this is done by means of a Multi-Body Simulation Model.

Objectives

The main aim of the project is to find the real dimensioning loads on azimuthing thruster drive trains in extreme situations, including propeller-ice impacts, and including dynamic response effects.

Project specific objectives are to:

• Determine the importance of elastic response and hydroelastic effects on the dimensioning loads of azimuthing thrusters
• Determine the typical ice impact loads on the propellers of azimuthing thrusters, and the effect of the dynamic response of the thruster
• Determine the added mass of propellers
• Provide accurate hydrodynamic load models for dynamic structural response analysis
• Predict structural loads through dynamic structural analysis