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The 13th International Conference on Computer and IT Applications in the Maritime Industries (COMPIT) will be held from 12–14 May 2014 in Redworth. A preview by organizer Volker Bertram of DNV GL


First held in the year 2000, COMPIT has established itself as a key conference in information technology (IT) for the[ds_preview] maritime industries, bringing together software developers and users. Most participants come from industry, reflecting the practical relevance of the event.

Selected papers for the upcoming COMPIT are discussed below, illustrating general trends in IT for the maritime industries. The main trends, in short, are:

– Focus on energy system performance: There is a new kid on the block. Performance insight (a. k. a. energy flow) simulations make bottlenecks and inefficiencies in on-board energy systems transparent. After hull and propeller, the limelight is now also on the main energy converters and on-board consumers – both for design and ships in operation. Performance insight or energy system simulations enter COMPIT 2014 with a bang. One session is dedicated to applications in design and refit applications, two sessions to applications for ship operation.

– »Numerical towing tanks« become reality – or better »numerical sea trials«, as the applications consider the full-scale ship. Especially for propellers and propulsion improving devices (a. k. a. energy saving devices) CFD has become the tool of choice to improve or optimize performance.

– Unmanned ships are within reach: Robotics is developing rapidly. Swarm robots working cooperatively are one major trend in marine robotics. The success of the small robots has whetted the appetite for the holy grail of ship automation – the unmanned ship.

COMPIT covers three full days. Traditionally each day is dedicated to a major phase in the life-cycle of maritime structures:

– Day 1 – Ship design and associated issues such as computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and energy system simulations used in concept design.

– Day 2 – Ship product life-cycle management, issues of detailed design (including structural analyses), production and robotics.

– Day 3 – Ship operation, these days with a strong focus on performance insight / energy efficiency.

Arguably, Day 3 steals the show this year. There is a whole session on unmanned ships and two sessions on largely unknown techniques to investigate and improve on-board energy management.

IT in ship design: Energy efficiency dominates

Computer aided design (CAD) is old hat. So what’s new? Conceptual ship design involves various tasks, some of which are addressed in four dedicated sessions:

Hull shape design

There is still debate on the best approach to describe ship and propeller surfaces. While NURBS (non-uniform rational B-spline) have become the standard choice for most ship hull design software, there are better alternatives to describe arbitrary (hull) surfaces. However, these alternatives are not supported by standard import-export formats such as IGES. And what good is the best form if the designer cannot pass it on simulation tools and subsequent detail design tools?

Several papers focus this year on surface descriptions, in particular on the problem of generating high-quality surface models from poor-quality surface descriptions (e. g. laser scans). Marcus Bole (Aveva) presents an approach for »Regenerating Hull Design Definition from Poor Surface Definitions and other Geometric Representations«. His paper discusses the techniques to rapidly regenerate hull surface definitions e.g. from images, 2D plans or point clouds from laser scans. The traditional methods for hull form fairing require significant time and expertise. Perez et al. (Sener) present now »An Innovative Approach for Hull Surface Fairing«. Starting from a set of preliminary hull surfaces, created from scratch or transformed from existing CAD models, new features in Foran allow easier shape manipulation. This makes the hull fairing process more controlled with added downstream benefits in production. A common problem in refit projects is that the hull geometry is not available, at least not in a convenient, modern format.

CFD-based shape design

The process of shaping hull, propeller and appendages is increasingly driven by CFD, often coupled with formal optimization. The »numerical towing tank« becomes reality. More precisely, »numerical sea trials«, i.e. CFD simulations for the self-propelled ships at full scale, have reached industry maturity. Randle et al. (Ulstein and Numeca) present the latest state of the art applied to an offshore supply vessel in »Methodology for Quick and Accurate CFD Calculations of Self-Propelled Ships Using Sliding Grids and Dynamic RPM Control«. The shipyard compared not only speed-power results of the full-scale CFD calculations with sea trials, but also human effort, total cost, reliability and total time between order and results for classical model testing and the numerical towing tank. Phil Stopford (Ansys) describes in »Application of Numerical Analysis to Ship Design and other Marine Applications« the development and application of the Ansys numerical towing tank for ship design.

Despite the impressive progress in CFD applications, still many unsolved chal­lenges can be found. Bertram (DNV GL) and Couser (Bentley Systems) give an overview of »Computational Methods for Seakeeping and Added Resistance in Waves«. While heave and pitch motions are predicted well by virtually all approaches, motions in oblique waves and added resistance are much more difficult to predict. For short waves, almost all approaches fail to predict added resistance properly.

This has implications for several applications, such as weather routing (= route optimization with respect to fuel consumption including added resistance in waves) and performance insight software (see below for ship operations). There is a silver lining in very recent results which capture also very short waves through a combination of computing power and clever algorithms.

Layout and compartmentation

Ship designers are naval architects. As the name suggests, ship architecture is a main part of design and a key aspect for large and complex vessels, such as navy vessels and cruise ships. Here, one approach is to design the ship from inside out, working with space and connectivity requirements. Obviously, these have to be matched with outside shell requirements for hydrodynamics and producibility. For some ships, the task is so complex that it has been considered for a long time as beyond the capability of a computer. However, the last five years have seen a transition to a stage where the computer can at least be a valuable assistant in layout design.

Romanas Puisa (Brookes Bell) presents in »Practical Design Optimization: Optimum Internal Arrangement within a few Hours« a highly efficient approach to ship design customisation to given requirements and goals. The key feature of the approach is its ability to check thousands of design alternatives in less than two hours, while searching for an optimum design solution. Such high efficiency is achieved by efficient approximation of inherently time-consuming stability and other ship performance calculations. The paper also looks at how internal ship arrangement affects crew performance in a formalised way, which allows incorporation in design optimization.

Energy system simulation in design

Energy is best saved in design. We all know that. After hull and propeller, the limelight is now on machinery systems. Nagel (Flensburger Shipyard) employs this emerging technology for »A Holistic Approach for Energy Flow Simulations in Early Design«. The simulations serve to assess key performance indicators like net present value, cumulated energy demand, global warming potential, acidification potential, eutrophication potential and particulate matter. Expressing external costs of air emissions allows comparing new technical solutions with existing state-of-the-art technologies. Other papers in this session focus on quantifying the energy saving potential of sub-systems such as waste heat recovery or cooling water systems. A recurrent finding is that operational profiles must be considered to come to correct conclusions.

Product data models for Virtual Reality

CAD has progressed from mere electronic drawing to a central design platform. This has gone hand in hand with the trend of employing 3D models of ship hulls and machinery. Modern product data models (PDMs) combine geometric information with other product data (such as material, tolerances, suppliers etc.). PDMs are the backbone of many IT applications in our industry. They are used as a starting point for a multitude of detailed simulation options including virtual reality applications.

PDMs are generally compiled at shipyards, using in turn PDMs from suppliers. The IT model reflects here the physical assembly and coordination task of the shipyard. Operators could greatly benefit from access to PDMs, e. g. for life-cycle structural maintenance, refits and even training. The buzzword is PLM, product life-cycle management. At present, this is mainly just that, a buzzword. While PDMs are everybody’s darling, in practice information sharing between shipyards, suppliers, service providers and ship operators faces many challenges. These are recognised and at least partially addressed by the main suppliers in the market. But the process is tedious and involves not only technical, but also legal, commercial and psychological obstacles. We are still at the beginning of a development that may take decades for full acceptance and implementation in the maritime industry.

Two solution philosophies can be discerned from current market developments: single-vendor systems (including design, engineering, production and PDM) and multi-vendor solutions. Geert Tepper (Nupas-Cadmatic) argues in »Integrating CAD/CAM in a PDM/ERP Environment« for a multi-vendor solution as it allows shipyards to work with specialists in every field and provides them with the flexibility to select dedicated solutions that exactly fit their requirements. Barbarin and Masse (PTC) remind us of a basic, but often conveniently forgotten fact: »A ship is a system of systems«, hence requiring system engineering. With »System Engineering – How Does it Apply to Shipbuilding?« they present PTC’s IT solutions for product life-cycle management, drawing from experience in related engineering fields.

Virtual Reality (VR) has rather stealthily entered our industry, but enjoys growing attention. We see now a trend towards Augmented Reality (AR). Here, computers (e. g. tablets) overlay a live image with computer-generated information. For example, a building block may be shown with a part to be installed, illustrating how both fit together. The fitting of parts becomes then very intuitive, reducing assembly times and errors.

Various advanced shipbuilding nations are active in Augmented Reality applications for shipbuilding. From Germany, Halata et al. (TU Hamburg-Harburg) present in »Augmented Reality Supported Information Gathering in One-of-a-kind Production« an approach for assembly instructions in shipbuilding, where the focus lies in selectively blending in only the information needed in a given stage of assembly. Matsuo and Shiraishi (NMRI) give an »Introduction of AR Applications for Shop Floor in Shipbuilding« in Japan, namely to metal plate forming and pipe installation. Helle et al. (University of Turku) describe in »Benefits Achieved by Applying Augmented Reality Technology in Marine Industry« applications for Finnish shipyards.

Formal optimization has become state of the art for ship lines design and trim advisory systems. Now we see increased efforts also on structural optimization. The Friendship Framework is the predominant optimization software in the maritime industries, with an impressive portfolio of applications. Stefan Harries (Friendship Systems) et al. add now a »Structural Optimization for Containerships Coupling Friendship Framework and Poseidon«. The authors admit that for complex problems, human experts may still beat the computer. The approach was applied to two containerships and formal optimization compared to manual design by an experienced structural designer. The human expert found a better solution for the smaller ship (1,700TEU), the formal optimization a better solution for the larger ship (7,000TEU).

Two other papers cover advanced applications to structural optimization: Ma et al. (DRS Technologies) and Nick Danese (NDAR) with »Hull Girder Cross Section Structural Design Using Ultimate Limits States based Multi-Objective Optimization« as well as Devine and Collette (University of Michigan) with »Use of Network Metrics with the Bayesian Optimization Algorithm in Marine Structural Design«.

Maritime robots and unmanned ships

For many years, maritime robotics has been a bit of an unloved child at COMPIT, occupying an »obscure niche« as perceived by many with a classical CAD background. This has changed. The elements are coming together and robots play an important role in supporting varied tasks in life-cycle support of ships.

Don Darling of SeaRobotics presents »HullBug – Hull Grooming Crawler Robot with Fluorometric Fouling Recognition«. This contribution deserves special mention. Hull roughness management is one of the largest levers for fuel savings. Frequent grooming (= light cleaning of fouling films) is a widely recommended approach. Darling and Geoffrey Swain (Center For Corrosion And Biofouling Control, Florida) show here an interesting robotic solution. The robot uses four wheels and suction (via a mini-thruster) for attachment to the hull. Sensors provide obstacle avoidance, path planning and navigation capabilities. It employs a biofilm detector to spot the differences between clean and unclean surfaces, and then uses rotary brushes or water-jets to scrub the fouling film off. Ishii et al. (Kyushu Institute of Technology) present another »Design Concept for an Underwater Robot for Ship Hull Cleaning«. Field tests show that soft fouling is well removed, but hard fouling is difficult to remove. So this robot should be employed also for frequent grooming.

Bibuli et al. (CNR-ISSIA) present in »Cooperative Autonomous Robotic Towing System« a robotic system to support salvage operations. In emergency situations, a lifeline to establish initial connection between the tug and towed ship needs to be recovered, sometimes in close proximity to the ship in distress. Robotic technology can help here to avoid dangerous situations. In the presented system, a robotic buoy from the distressed ship manoeuvres always away from the ship. Then a robotic pick-up drone manoeuvres either autonomously or by remote control from the tug to the pick-up buoy. Prototype field tests of the approach will be presented at COMPIT.

The EU project MUNIN (Maritime Unmanned Navigation through Intelligence in Networks) aims even higher, namely at the holy grail of ship automation: the unmanned cargo ship. MUNIN shall demonstrate the feasibility of putting a handymax bulker under autonomous command. The project includes autonomous navigation, autonomous engine control, fallback shore-based remote control with the necessary communication links, small object detection, participation in search-and-rescue operations, and a consideration of the legal implications of autonomous shipping.

Four presentations treat different aspects of the envisioned unmanned bulker shipping: Thomas Porathe (Chalmers TU) gives an introduction to the project and focuses on »Remote Monitoring and Control of Unmanned Vessels«. Hans-Christoph Burmeister et al. (TU Hamburg-Harburg) look at »Safe and Efficient Autonomous Navigation with regards to Weather«, focusing on the navigational side. Harald Rødseth and Brage Mo (Marintek) present »Maintenance Management for Unmanned Shipping«. With the crew being removed, there is nobody to carry out hull and machinery management. In the past, this issue has been a killer criterion for unmanned ship operation. However, progress in coatings and particularly the prospect of LNG as fuel allow much longer periods between maintenance activities. Ørnulf Rødseth and Åsmund Tjora (Marintek) look at »A System Architecture for an Unmanned Ship«, bringing the elements together.

Further, Giampiero Soncini (SpecTec) looks at our industry’s (alleged) reluctance to embrace modern information technology with a refreshing tongue-in-cheek approach: »Homo Informaticus versus Homo Maritimus: Can they Coexist?« His paper examines the behaviour of »homo negativus«, a particular subspecies of the »homo maritimus«. This species is easily identified by its frequent calls »it will never work« and »it has never been done that way«. Soncini speculates on whether »homo maritimus« may crossbreed with »homo informaticus« to become the dominant species on our work oceans.

Performance insight software – the rising superstar

Performance insight software or energy flow simulation – never heard of it? You are not alone. Largely unnoticed, this technology has spread like wild fire over the last few years. R&D groups in many countries have started to develop similar work, largely unaware of each other. A beloved child has many names, and so we find »dynamic simulation of machinery operation«, »ship energy modelling«, »energy system modelling« or »energy process modelling«.

The technology is so young in our industry that a common terminology has yet to evolve. But the approach is here to stay and ship operators should take no­tice. In essence, the simulation model considers energy converters (= main engine and gen­erator sets) and energy consumers (propeller, pumps, heat exchangers, ventilators, cargo handling gear etc.) in a graphical network. Ambient conditions and operational profile are input dynamically (i. e. changing over time) and the simulation reveals energy flows and utilization

rates (with bottlenecks and idle overcapacity). As such, not Nobel Prize winning stuff, but a major leap forward compared to simple Excel sheets for energy balances. Once the model is set up, the simulations are so fast that they can be used in real time.

Key players present various approaches which all evolve the theme of performance insight, employing similar fundamental techniques, but differing in scope, details, and presented application cases. Kaklis et al. (DNV GL) present »A Novel Framework for Dynamic Modelling of Integrated Machinery Systems«. The main characteristics and benefits of the framework are illustrated via a set of studies on the optimal design and operation of waste heat recovery and hybrid-electric propulsion systems.

Hans van Vugt (TNO) and Leo de Vries (Wärtsilä) show in »GES Ship Energy Design & Service Simulations Combined with Real-Time Propulsion Performance Management Approach« an application to a ferry. They illustrate that changes in conditions and operating points enable exposure of component characteristics that normally remain hidden within the overall system. Risto-Juhani Kariranta (Force Technology) presents a software tool for »Integrating Performance Monitoring and other On-board Software«. The tool provides advice for trim, voyage planning, hull cleaning intervals and engine tuning. The performance model used in the application can be utilised without any initial performance model or with full set of data including model tests, CFD simulations and sea trial data.

Ship operation topics on the rise

The applications are coming together. IT worlds between ship design and ship operation are connecting. More and more simulation techniques are used for design and for operation, both for strategic planning and for daily operation. This trend is also reflected in the composition of the participants, who come from various backgrounds and industry segments. The increased participation from ship operators is particularly gratifying. Life-cycle management for ships? We are getting there – at COMPIT.