A novel methodology for robust, holistic, simulation-based ship design optimization

Error on title page – year of award is 2023.The herein presented thesis presents the author’s research work on the field of ship design that fulfils the requirements of the Doctor of Philosophy degree. The original scientific research is focused on the field of ship design optimization with the novelty of lifecycle simulation from the early ship design stage (basic/preliminary ship design) as well as the use of digital twin models generated based on big data acquired from a fleet of actual vessels. Three different of layers for uncertainty have been added (market uncertainty, environmental and vessel operation uncertainty, method and model error modelling), tightly coupled with a comprehensive voyage simulation framework for the vessel’s entire lifecycle (25 years). This robust holistic design approach (RHODA) has been deployed for formal and global ship design optimization studies and compared against deterministic runs showing a great potential for more effective design space exploration resulting into more robust dominant variants over different environments and market conditions. To showcase the applicability and potential of the herein proposed RHODA method and research work, the methodology has been also adapted to be applicable for zero emission vessels (NH3 powered bulk carriers) and a global ship design optimization case study has been performed for such vessels yielding many interesting design points for the future.The herein presented thesis presents the author’s research work on the field of ship design that fulfils the requirements of the Doctor of Philosophy degree. The original scientific research is focused on the field of ship design optimization with the novelty of lifecycle simulation from the early ship design stage (basic/preliminary ship design) as well as the use of digital twin models generated based on big data acquired from a fleet of actual vessels. Three different of layers for uncertainty have been added (market uncertainty, environmental and vessel operation uncertainty, method and model error modelling), tightly coupled with a comprehensive voyage simulation framework for the vessel’s entire lifecycle (25 years). This robust holistic design approach (RHODA) has been deployed for formal and global ship design optimization studies and compared against deterministic runs showing a great potential for more effective design space exploration resulting into more robust dominant variants over different environments and market conditions. To showcase the applicability and potential of the herein proposed RHODA method and research work, the methodology has been also adapted to be applicable for zero emission vessels (NH3 powered bulk carriers) and a global ship design optimization case study has been performed for such vessels yielding many interesting design points for the future