A CFD Study of the Aerodynamics of a Ship’s Bulky Enclosed Mast

Mateer, R ORCID: 0000-0002-9026-6683, Scott, P, White, MD ORCID: 0000-0002-8611-9525 and Owen, I ORCID: 0000-0001-5642-736X (2017) A CFD Study of the Aerodynamics of a Ship’s Bulky Enclosed Mast. In: American Society of Naval Engineers Launch & Recovery Symposium, 2016-11-16 - 2016-11-17, Linthicum Heights, MD, USA.

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Abstract

Many modern warships have enclosed main masts that are bulky and very different to the lattice or pole masts of earlier ships. While the newer masts are carefully designed to reduce radar cross section, and provide a weather tight enclosure for sensors and systems, they also significantly affect the air flow over the ship. This paper reports some results from a CFD study of the air flow over a generic ship representative of a modern frigate with an enclosed mast. Specific attention has been paid to the unsteady velocities at locations around the mast where a ship’s anemometer might typically be placed. The flow is seen to be highly disturbed and both the wind strength and angle are significantly different to those of the free stream, hence making a true wind over deck measurement difficult. In the context of helicopter launch and recovery this makes it difficult to specify the helicopter’s operational limits which can restrict operational capability. The study has also quantified the temperature field due to the ship’s exhaust gas, and shows how vortex shedding from the mast mixes the exhaust gas with the airwake, so quenching the hot gases and reducing temperatures over the flight deck.

Item Type:	Conference or Workshop Item (Unspecified)
Uncontrolled Keywords:	ship, aerodynamics, mast, design, anemometer
Depositing User:	Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited:	03 Mar 2017 08:41
Last Modified:	19 Jan 2023 07:15
URI:	https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3006070