White paper: The virtual route to solve a real problem

For the longest time, the marine industry has faced challenges with tests and simulations that haven’t quite captured the whole gamut of real time conditions at the sea. But stricter rules to save the marine environment, among other external factors, have propelled global leaders like Wärtsilä to steer towards smarter solutions that marry modern tech with years of experience. Virtual Towing Tank is the alternate solution that gives better and faster understanding of the occurring phenomenon than model scale testing that leads to quicker turnaround times on propeller designs and more. So could this be the future? What are its challenges and can they be overcome to reap the benefits? Here are the answers. 

Contents

1. Introduction
2. The three-tiered challenge pyramid
3. Advantage of a Virtual Towing Tank
4. Rightful investment
5. Handling scale effects
6. Understanding is the key to improvement
7. Controlling cavitation
8. From simulations to real operations
9. Next-gen automation

Written by

Norbert Bulten

Product Performance Manager, Wärtsilä Marine Power