Identification of particular hydrodynamic parameters for a modular type 4 DOF underwater vehicle by means of CFD method
ISSN: 0143-991X
Article publication date: 5 January 2022
Issue publication date: 6 June 2023
Abstract
Purpose
The development of robust control algorithms for the position, velocity and trajectory control of unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) depends on the accuracy of their mathematical models. Accuracy of the model is determined by precise estimation of the UUV hydrodynamic parameters. The purpose of this study is to determine the hydrodynamic forces and moments acting on an underwater vehicle with complex body geometry and moving at low speeds and to achieve the accurate coefficients associated with them.
Design/methodology/approach
A three-dimensional (3D) computer-aided design (CAD) model of UUV is designed with one-to-one dimensions. 3D fluid flow simulations are conducted using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software programme in the solution of Navier Stokes equations for laminar and turbulent flow analysis. The coefficients depending on the hydrodynamic forces and moments are determined by the external flow analysis using the CFD programme. The Flow Simulation k-ε turbulence model is used for the transition from laminar flow to turbulent flow. Hydrodynamic properties such as lift and drag coefficients and roll and yaw moment coefficients are calculated. The parameters are compared with the coefficient values found by experimental methods.
Findings
Although the modular type UUV has a complex body geometry, the comparative results of the experiments and simulations confirm that the defined model parameters are accurate and close to the actual experimental values. In the proposed k-ε method, the percentage error in the estimation of drag and lifting coefficients is decreased to 4.2% and 8.39%, respectively.
Practical implications
The model coefficients determined in this study can be used in high-level control simulations which leads to the development of robust real-time controllers for complex-shaped modular UUVs.
Originality/value
The Lucky Fin UUV with 4 degrees of freedom is a specific design and its CAD model is first extracted. Verification of simulation results by experiments is generally less referenced in studies. However, it provides more precise parameter identification of the model. Proposed study offers a simple and low-cost experimental measurement method for verification of the hydrodynamic parameters. The extracted model and coefficients are worthwhile references for the analysis of modular type UUVs.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank Mechanical Engineer Hüseyin TÜREDİ for his valuable contributions.
Funding: This work was supported by the Kocaeli University Scientific Research Projects Coordination Unit (BAP) (grant number 2019-488].
Citation
Yilmaz, S. and Altıokka Yılmaz, G. (2023), "Identification of particular hydrodynamic parameters for a modular type 4 DOF underwater vehicle by means of CFD method", Industrial Robot, Vol. 50 No. 4, pp. 609-622. https://doi.org/10.1108/IR-09-2021-0206
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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