Performance assessment

Effective Test & Evaluation (T&E) requires agility and speed of response and is critical for ensuring modern, high performing and complex vessel designs are operationally effective, efficient and safe.

QinetiQ operates some of the most extensive hydrodynamic facilities anywhere in the world - including one of the world's largest ocean basins – and our customers include governments, maritime regulatory bodies, shipping operators, designers and constructors.

Wealth of experience

Our team of research specialists have a wealth of experience in model experimentation, Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) analysis and the development and exploitation of empirical and semi-empirical methods.

This extensive knowledge helps to ensure a thorough understanding of all the relevant performance factors to deliver a viable, safe and cost effective design outcome for defence and commercial maritime customers.

QinetiQ has been the contracted partner for ship and submarine performance research, testing and evaluation for the UK Royal Navy for over 25 years. We now provide these services to support the programmes of other clients around the world.

We’re also using our expertise to advise clients in the renewable energy market to help predict the performance of marine vessels, tidal turbines and wave energy devices.

Our methodology

We combine advanced physical model experiments with the additional benefits of a virtual towing tank by capitalising on modern CFD and high performance computing.

Such experiments can include resistance and propulsion, sea-keeping, manoeuvring, stability and acoustic assessments of ships and submarines. These provide information about the resistance of the ship hullform at a range of speeds and power requirements, as well as an understanding of the nominal wake of the ship.

The increased level of hydrodynamic understanding from a combination of physical and virtual experiments delivers more rapid and accurate evaluation and even greater technical collaboration between partners than ever before.

This enables our international naval and commercial clients to design and operate their vessels safely and efficiently while also ensuring compliance with all requirements and regulations.

Benefits of QinetiQ’s physical & virtual performance assessment

Accuracy:
Using our dedicated large computing cluster to simulate fluid flows around ship hullforms, submarines and offshore structures in full scale, produces accurate results quickly and efficiently.

Confidence:
Simulations are conducted in tandem with our physical model testing, full-scale trials data and expert knowledge to ensure the required validation and verification is in place to give confidence in our results.

Reliable:
The International Maritime Organisation allows CFD analysis to be submitted as evidence for modifications - such as the addition of a bulbous bow or energy efficiency device - to a baseline class of vessel that has already been model tested. As a result, reliable results can be provided quickly.

State-of-the-art facilities:
Alongside our propeller design and analysis capability, we use our ship tank and cavitation tunnel to provide accurate assessment of propeller designs and the way they interact with the proposed vessel hullform.