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Simulation software
from CD adapco to challenge next America’s Cup
Veta has recently sold one of the largest CFD
installations in the southern hemisphere to the BMW ORACLE Racing
team.
Dating from 1851, the America’s Cup is
the oldest and most desired trophy in the world of sailing. In the
32nd edition of the America's Cup, BMW ORACLE Racing team will be
striving to win the America’s Cup from the title holder Team
Alinghi, the defending champions.
BMW ORACLE Racing, is employing the best possible
technology in its racing yacht design development. In order to study
the dynamics of flow, the design team has selected the CD adapco
Group, the leading global provider of computational engineering
solutions, to provide CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) software.
“ For this demanding work we require
precision, production capability and some specific functionality
only found in CD adapco Group’s software. We work the software
hard to achieve an optimal design for our sailors to take into battle
for the America’s Cup,” says Ian Burns, BMW ORACLE
Racing, Design Coordinator. “By working alongside CD adapco
Group we gain a great advantage from having the right tool combined
with a great team. We all share a common goal: success.”
The construction of an America’s Cup yacht
only pursues one aim: to make the boat as fast as possible by any
means. The key will be determining the design with the least drag
within the design constraints of weight, structural strength and
lift. Small design modifications can result in significant competitive
gain. By using CFD the complete RANS (Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes)
equations can be solved, making it possible to build a computational
model of the yacht and gain an accurate picture of flow physics
to evaluate ways of improving its performance.
BMW ORACLE Racing will use the CD adapco Group’s
CFD software solvers, pre- and post-processing software and CAD
packages to analyze hydrodynamic flow around the hull and the interaction
of all yacht components affecting performance, including the rudder,
keel and winglets. Analysis will be carried out to measure forces
for different designs under different sailing conditions and will
include a sinkage and turn prediction as well as a simulation of
the unsteady wave breaking near the hull.
“ The CD adapco Group is very
proud and excited to be an Official Supplier of BMW ORACLE Racing.
It provides us with the opportunity to assist with the development
of a competitive design and contribute to improving the team’s
performance on the race course,” says Didier Halbronn,
Vice President of Sales, CD adapco Group.
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