Ship Design - Inland Vessel
Ship Design - Inland Vessel
Ship Design - Inland Vessel
(#)
Department of Information and Systems-University of Pavia
Via Ferrata 1, 27100 Pavia, Italy
( )
Institute of Technical Sciences of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts
Knez Mihailova 35/IV, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia and Montenegro
ABSTRACT
In this paper the two main approaches to river shipbuilding, the American (USA) and the
European one will be presented. The former is mainly based on towboats and barges fleet, while
the latter one self-propelled barges and towboats are present at the same time with a barge train
compositions. Also, some new ship concepts will be presented as possible solutions for increasing
ship efficiency. Accent will be on the use of azimuth thrusters and diesel-electric propulsion.
Increasing efficiency of ship design office can be achieved by using dedicated software for ship
design and technical drawings databases, such as software “Ship Design Support”, the main
features of which will be outlined. Towboat and barge design for Navigation on the PO River will
be presented in this paper. The final part of the paper will be devoted to explain procedure for
designing river vessel.
1. Introduction
Today two different approaches to the river shipbuilding exist. The first approach is
American (USA) and the other one is European. American inland waterway transport is
mainly based on towboats and barges fleet. Each area of the country developed its own
type of towboat to suit its particular inland water environment. Small and extremely
maneouverable vessels predominate on the rivers above Pittsburgh, on the upper
Mississippi River and its tributaries. Ohio River craft are larger and more powerful
because the river and locks can accommodate larger tows (fifteen jumbo barges), while
the largest boats are found on the middle and lower Mississippi River where tows of 40-50
barges can be easily handled by boats of 8,000 to 10,000 HP [1].
In Europe situation is more diversified. In fact we have the same time, the presence of
self-propelled barges (river ships) and towboats with a barge train compositions. On
Rhine river , self-propelled barges are dominant, while on Danube river, towboats are
common practice.
2. Inland Waterway Vessels
If we take a look at the whole population of inland waterway cargo vessels, then it is
evident s that these vessels can be divided into the following groups:
• General cargo
• Bulk cargo
• Liquid cargo
• Ro-Ro cargo
• Containers
2.1 Towboats
Inland river towboats (functionally they are pushboats) have been used since the early
1900s as the propulsive power for fleets of barges moving many types of cargo up and
down the rivers of the United States. The early units were stern paddle wheelers of
which the Sprague was perhaps the most famous. These first towboats were powered by
single cylinder steam engines, which converted their reciprocating action into rotary
motion at the paddlewheel [1].
Preparation for Design– For proper towboat design it is essential to establish all
parameters of its intended use. This action must be done in cooperation with shipowner.
The owner must describe his basic requirements. For this purpose the fallowing
information is extremely important:
1. rivers to be sailed;
2. draft limitations on such rivers;
3. speed anticipated up and down river to make the movement economically
feasible;
4. size and type of tow (size of barges, formation of barge train, draft of barges, etc.);
5. number of crew;
6. engine manufacture preference;
7. possible requirements for special equipment.
Size and Speed - The size and speed of towboats have had variations over the years. The
size of the towboat will be determined by the rivers to be run, the tow size anticipated, and the
locks (if any) to be traversed. In Europe it is usual for towboats with smaller power to have
beam of 11.4 m. The beam of standard Europe II barge dictates this dimension. Towboat
speeds vary from zero, when the boat is pushing a fleet of barges into a lock, up to 19 to 21
km/h when running free. The speed under tow is fairly well related to the river
characteristics, ranging from about 10 km/h for narrow rivers and canals up to 16 km/h
on main European rivers. In USA on lower Mississippi River speed under tow can reache
19 km/h for low resistance, integrated tows. On Danube river vessel speeds are limited up
to 21 km/h, because of shallow water effects. The speed is critical for Froude number
Fnh = V / gh = 1 . However it will be very convenient to keep Froude number for water
depth less than 0.8. Horsepower can be determined from the speed and tow size. On Figure
1 the resistance curve for barge train convoy of 4 barges in formation S 2+2 is presented. This
diagram is developed on the basis of Marchal polynomials [2] and VBD (Versuchsanstalt für
Binnenschiffbau Duisburg e.V.) model tests [3]. The dashed line represents resistance
based on the VBD model tests and the continuous line represents resistance based on the
Marchal polynomials.
S2+2
300
250
200
Rt [kN]
150
100
50
0
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16
V [km/h]
Marchal Duisburg
Barges are standard Europe IIb with draft of 2.5 m and displacement of 1975t. Water
depth is 5m. On Figure 2 a typical S 2+2 barge train configuration is presented. This
configuration is common practice on European rivers.
Configuration - Owing to river depth limitations, the ratio of length over beam is
much smaller for a towboat than for cargo sea going ships. The draft is also very
important because it influences the propeller size, and the efficiency of propulsion is
affected by the amount of water under the hull. Furthermore a sufficient displacement
must be achieved in order to carry the required machinery and consumables . Bow lines
should be determined for the best flow conditions between the stern of the last barge in the
fleet and the bow/midbody area of the boat, while keeping in mind that the towboat will
frequently have to operate by itself. Spoon or modified spoon bows seem to be the best
compromise to date. Midbody shape is generally dictated by the need for engine room
space and tankage requirements along with displacement needs. Square midship
sections with a radius or double chine at the bilge knuckle are quite common [1].
800
700
600
Displacement [t]
500
400
300
200
100
0
0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500 4000 4500
Brake Power Pb [kW]
The stern lines are the most important characteristics and smooth, uninterrupted water
flow to the propellers is essential. However, flanking rudders, stern tube, shafting, and
struts all tend to block or interrupt the flow of water to the propellers. Water to the
propellers and rudders will not flow only from the bottom of the hull but in shallow water
will mostly flow from the sides. Therefore, long flow lines from the midship section are
necessary with easy and rounded shapes in both directions, longitudinally and
transversely. Propeller size and the amount of water through it greatly influence the
length of run from the midship section to the propellers.
On Figure 3 there is shown the dependence between installed power and towboat
displacement. This diagram is developed on the basis of 30 existing European towboats.
Displacement is in strong connection with installed power because towboat hull must be
capable to carry only machinery and consumables. All cargo will be transported in
barges.
Barges are not self-propelled objects, which contain cargo hold. These barges do not
have a permanent crew. Barges have a simplified, almost pontoon hull form and
standard dimensions.
The development of barges on the Danube River moved relatively fast and started with
barges of 500 tons capacity, through barges with 1300 tons capacity to the barges used
today with 1700 tons capacity and draft of 2.5 m. The dimensions, equipment and hull
form have been unified several years ago, and these barges are now known as the
Europe IIb barge. The standard dimensions of this barge are:
LOA = 76.5 m
B = 11.4 m
The values of Europe IIb barge displacement for different drafts are given in fallowing
table.
These barges are built with a double hull and are supplied with light telescopic hatch
covers. The hull construction is executed according to longitudinal, transversal or mixed
system of hull building. General arrangement of this type of barge is presented in Figure
9 and a midship section in Figure 10.
These barges differ from the previous ones, as the longitudinal watertight bulkheads,
and transversal watertight bulkhead are sloped.
RO-RO Barges are vessels where the cargos are trailers that are loaded and unloaded on
their own wheels. General arrangement of this type of barge is presented on Figure 14.
In West Europe, especially on the Rhine River, self-propelled barges are the dominant
group of inland vessels. Also, on Danube we have a significant presence of this type of
vessels. Self-propelled barges can be divided on the basis of the transported cargo:
• General cargo
• Bulk cargo
• Liquid cargo
• Ro-Ro cargo
• Containers
Preparation for Design - Before the design of a self-propelled barge can be initiated, the
parameters of its intended use must be established, and the owner must define his basic
requirements. The following information is essential:
• Rivers to be traveled;
• draft limitations on rivers;
• speed anticipated up and down river to make the movement economically feasible;
• type of cargo to be carried;
• crew number ;
• engine manufacture preference (if any);
• special equipment to be carried.
Size and Speed -Today it is common practice in Europe for self-propelled barges to have
beam of 11.4 m. This beam is equal to beam of standard Europe IIb barge. Drafts vary from
1.5 m for small Danube riverboats, through 2.5 m for common Danube self – propelled
barges, up to 3.6 m for river ships on Rhine. Ship length vary from 80 m up to 135 m.
Service speeds vary from 14 km/h, up to 20 km/h. Since 1998 Dutch container ship
‘Jowi’ with a capacity of 398 TEU in four tiers, length of 135 m and beam of 16.8 m
became the largest continership on European inland waters.
The Po river is the longest river in Italy. It measures 652 km in length, has an average
capacity of 1,500 m3 (as measured at the height of Ferrara), and a drainage basin
measuring approximately 75,000 km2. On the Po river commercial navigation is
possible from city Cremona till Adriatic sea with total length of 292 km. Inland water
way transport is a very low cost mode of transport compared with other transport
modes. From this reason introduction of the intensive and organized inland transport
on the Po river will be solution for crowded roads and will produce decrease of
transport costs.
The Po river towboat and barge designs are under development on Department of
Information and Systems of the University of Pavia. In this project our intention is to
cover several options for towboat and barge designs with different displacements, L, B,
d and in the case of towboat also different installed power and types of the propulsion
systems. We are working in the designs for different types of barges, such as general
cargo, bulk cargo, tank, RO-RO and container barges. Many technical solutions in our
designs has been dictated by the Po river limitation, such as need to go on smaller
vessel drafts (less than 2,0 m). In this paper will be presented one towboat and barge
designs.
This towboat design, named “PO a” (see Fig. 18) is pushboat with diesel- electrical
propulsion. In the hull are suited two diesel engines with generators and on the deck in
stern area are located two electromotors. “PO a” uses as propulsors and steering
devices, two azimuth thrusters.
Main particulars of the “PO a” towbaot:
LOA= 13.70 m
B= 7.60 m
D= 2.40 m
d= 1.60 m
PB= 500 kW
We have proposed two formations for the barge train composition, first is S1 (pushboat
with one barge) and second one is S2 (pushboat with two barges “side by side”).
Towboat “PO a” (see Fig. 18) with barges “PO I” are presented on figure 19 in two
different barge train compositions S1 and S2. Barge “PO I” is the largest type of barges
developed in this project (see Fig. 19). Barge “PO I” is similar like other European
barges with different dimension adapted for the Po river.
Main particulars of the “PO I” barge:
LOA= 51.00 m
B= 7.60 m
dMAXB=1.80 m
ΔMAXB=640 t
Technical drawing database and windows applications “Ship Design Support” have
been developed with the aim of supporting naval architects in ship design process.
Using ”Ship Design Support” will increase efficiency of the ship design process. At
many ship design offices the problem of “loosing” technical documentation is
frequently present. Many working hours are spent in searching for a specific document.
“Ship Design Support” has entirely solved this problem. “Ship Design Support” is a
Windows application, written in Visual C++ and connected through ODBC interface
(ODBC Administrator and a specific database driver) with database. “Ship Design
Support” uses Microsoft Web Browser ActiveX control for open technical documents
(.dwg, .doc, .xls files) reside on the same computer or a remote computer through LAN
or Internet network.
“Ship Design Support” has ability to search database using some of the following
criteria:
• Ship’s name
• Ship’s type
• SFI signature
From application of “Ship Design Support” it is possible to open every document in its
working environment.
Fig. 20 Ship Design Support – main form
For proper towboat design it is essential to establish all parameters of its intended use.
This action must be done in cooperation with shipowner. The owner must describe his
basic requirements. Results of this stage will be to establish:
• nominal service speed
• size and type of tow (size of barges, formation of barge train, draft of barges, etc.),
• number of crew
• desired engine manufacture
Most important elements are nominal service speed and size and type of tow.
PB = PE / η
In this phase on the basis of power PB is possible to make decision about the
number of propellers. When number of propellers and PB are known, it is easy to
choose the appropriate engines.
Fig.3).
5.5 Length (L), draft(d) and beam(B)
The standard beam of Europe IIb barge is B = 11.4 m. If towboat push smaller
barge train formations (S1 or S1+1) then the total barge train beam is 11.4 m.
From the hydrodynamic point of view it is obvious that the towboat beam should
be 11.4 m. Only for extremely powerful towboats it is appropriate to have wider
beams. Towboat drafts are in region from 1.5 m to 2.5 m. Decision about which
value can be adopted for towboat draft depends of river characteristics and draft
of barges. Obviously towboat draft can’t be greater than draft of loaded barges.
Another very important element is the block coefficient CB. On the existing
European towboats block coefficients are in the range from 0.5 to 0.8. On
Danube river average value of block coefficient is 0.69. However in sea ship
design block coefficient CB is in strong connection with Froude number
FnL = V / gL , but in the case of towboats CB is more dependent of intended way
of building than of the Froude number. When beam (recommendation is 11.4 m),
draft and block coefficient are known it is very easy to determine boat length:
Δ
L=
CB ⋅ B ⋅ d
In this phase there is no need to insist on determining all hull form coefficients,
because towboat has almost pontoon hull form except on the stern.
After finishing the first five phases, the process of towboat design becomes
similar to the process of designing other type of vessels and will be not presented
in this paper. This procedure is described in several papers [7], [8].
6. CONCLUDING REMARKS
Today exist two different approaches to the river shipbuilding. The former approach is
American (USA) and the other one is European. One concept is based on the towboats
and barges fleet and other is mainly based on self-propelled barges.
Demand for increasing ship efficiency can be satisfied by using the following technical
solutions:
• Azimuth thrusters
• Diesel-electric propulsion
[1] Taggart R. (ed.): Ship Design and Construction. Society of Naval Arcitects and
Marine Engineers, New Jersey, USA, 1980.
[2] Marchal J., Shen Y., Kicheva D.: An Empirical Formula to Estimate the
Resistance of a Convoy in a Restricted Water, Journal of Ship Research, Society
of Naval Arcitects and Marine Engineers, New Jersey, USA,1996.
[3] A group of Authors: Systematische Widerstands- und Propulsionversuche mit
Keilspant-Leichtverbanden auf begrentzen Wassertiefe, Forschungsvorhaben Nr.
5434/5956, VBD (Versuchsanstalt für Binnenschiffbau Duisburg e.V.), Duisburg,
Germany,1985.
[4] Alden B.: Towboats on the Ohio River at Louisville (Kentucky),
http://home.att.net/~river.photos/
[5] Bilen B., Lajic Z.: Calculation Of Maneuvering Performances For Pushed
Convoys With Different Steering Devices, First European Inland Waterway Navigation
Conference, Balatonfured, Hungary, June 9-11 1999.
[6] Bilen B., Zerjal M., Lajic Z., Bilen-Katic B., Marinkovic M., Jankovic Z.: A
New Approach To Pushboat Design, Sudostroenie N.5 1999., St. Petersburg, Russia.
[7] Tiano A., Nascimbene R., van Uden E., Albera G.M.: Comparison of
optimization methods for ship design, European Inland Waterway Navigation
Conference, Gyor, Hungary, June, 2003.
[8] Cinquini C.,Venini P.,Nascimbene R.,Tiano A.: Design of a river-sea ship by
optimization, Structural Optimization, Vol. 22, 2001. (p.240-247)
[9] Blaauw H., van Wirdum M., de Vries B.: Increasing the competetive edge of
inland waterway transport, European Inland Waterway Navigation Conference,
Gyor, Hungary, June, 2003.