Assessment of the gate rudder system on the cavitation and underwater radiated noise characteristics of a containership

Predictions of model tests and numerical studies (Sasaki et al., 2016), both at model- and full-scale, as well as results of the recent sea trials, have demonstrated that the Gate Rudder System (GRS), a novel energy-saving device, increases propulsive efficiency and reduces fuel consumption of a ship. Despite detailed investigations into the impact of the GRS on powering performance and manoeuvring, studies on its effect on cavitation phenomena and underwater radiated noise (URN) are limited. In this study, the effects of the GRS on cavitation and URN were investigated experimentally and compared to a conventional rudder system (CRS). Cavitation observations and URN measurements were conducted on sister ships -one with the CRS, SAKURA, and the other with the GRS, SHIGENOBU- at Istanbul Technical University Cavitation Tunnel (ITUKAT). A wooden ship model was built to be used in resistance and propulsion tests and then truncated due to the cavitation tunnel's test section length limitation of 5.5 m. Numerical studies were performed for both the original and truncated models at model- and full-scale to assess their wake characteristics. The nominal wake distributions along the CRS and GRS propeller planes were measured using a Laser Doppler Velocimetry (LDV) system. The test results supported the findings of the sea trials, showing that the GRS significantly reduces URN levels by up to 10 dB at high-frequencies, compared to the CRS, due to its effect on propeller loading and cavitation phenomenon.