{"id":3297,"date":"2026-04-09T10:26:14","date_gmt":"2026-04-09T08:26:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/silentdynamics.de\/?p=3297"},"modified":"2026-05-13T09:09:36","modified_gmt":"2026-05-13T07:09:36","slug":"virtueller-schleppkanal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/silentdynamics.de\/en\/2026\/04\/09\/virtueller-schleppkanal\/","title":{"rendered":"Virtual Towing Tank - Calculate Ship Resistance Digitally"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Traditional towing tests in physical model basins are costly and time-consuming. Our virtual towing tank based on <strong>InsightCAE<\/strong> and <strong>OpenFOAM<\/strong> enables precise ship resistance simulations \u2013 faster, more cost-effective, and fully reproducible. And the best part: you don't have to deal with the simulation software yourself \u2013 we can perform the simulations entirely on your behalf if desired.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is a virtual wind tunnel?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>A towing tank is traditionally a long water basin where a scaled ship model is physically pulled through the water to measure drag and propulsion forces. The virtual towing tank transfers this principle to computational fluid dynamics (CFD): the ship is calculated in a computer simulation at defined speeds \u2013 without complex model construction and without waiting times due to basin occupancy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The basis of our simulations is OpenFOAM, the leading open-source CFD platform, combined with the InsightCAE framework, which makes the entire simulation workflow \u2013 from mesh generation to the solver to evaluation \u2013 automated and reproducible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">InsightCAE: Efficiency Through Automation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>InsightCAE is an open-source tool for automating and managing OpenFOAM simulations. It standardizes mesh generation, boundary conditions, and evaluation, allowing for parameter studies with minimal manual effort. We pass the benefits of this powerful infrastructure directly to you \u2013 you receive professional CFD results without having to learn the software yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Scope of services<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Resistance Calculation<\/strong> Friction and pressure resistance, wave pattern, and trim based on RANS equations.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Parameter Studies<\/strong> Systematic comparison of hull variants, drafts, and speed ranges.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Resistance curve:<\/strong> Calculation on the relevant Froude number range for design and operational optimization.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Evaluation &amp; Report:<\/strong> Structured result reports with pressure distributions, flow visualizations, and comparative key figures.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Advantages over the physical model experiment<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Virtual towing tests reduce lead times from weeks to days. Geometric variations can be adjusted directly in the simulation without new model construction. At the same time, space costs for model basins as well as travel and logistics expenses are eliminated. The numerical method clearly has the advantage, especially in early design phases where many hull alternatives need to be evaluated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Our simulations are guided by the recommendations of the <strong>ITTC<\/strong> (International Towing Tank Conference) for CFD validation and mesh convergence to provide reliable, engineering-usable results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">This is how an order works<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Pass Geometry<\/strong> \u2013 You provide us with the hull geometry of your ship, ideally as an IGES, STEP, or STL file. If no post-processing is necessary, we can even offer an additional discount.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Define boundary conditions<\/strong> \u2013 We coordinate depth, speed range, and other operating parameters with you.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Perform simulation<\/strong> \u2013 Our automated InsightCAE workflow calculates drag and optional parameter variations.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Get results<\/strong> \u2013 You will receive a structured report with key figures, visualizations, and recommendations \u2013 analyzable without simulation knowledge and digitally integrable into subsequent analysis processes.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Costs and price list<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>We pass on the cost advantage of open-source infrastructure directly to you. All prices can be found in our price list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/silentdynamics.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/202002131529r1_silentdynamics_marinehydro_pricelist.pdf\">To the price list<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Traditionelle Schleppversuche in physischen Modellbecken sind kosten- und zeitintensiv. Unser virtueller Schleppkanal auf Basis von InsightCAE und OpenFOAM erm\u00f6glicht pr\u00e4zise Schiffswiderstandssimulationen \u2013 schneller, kosteng\u00fcnstiger und vollst\u00e4ndig reproduzierbar. Und das Beste: Sie m\u00fcssen sich selbst nicht mit der Simulationssoftware befassen \u2013 wir f\u00fchren die Simulationen auf Wunsch vollst\u00e4ndig in Ihrem Auftrag durch. Was ist ein virtueller [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1085,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[963],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3297","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hydrodynamik"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/silentdynamics.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3297","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/silentdynamics.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/silentdynamics.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/silentdynamics.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/silentdynamics.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3297"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/silentdynamics.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3297\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3394,"href":"https:\/\/silentdynamics.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3297\/revisions\/3394"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/silentdynamics.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1085"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/silentdynamics.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3297"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/silentdynamics.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3297"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/silentdynamics.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3297"}],"curies":[{"name":"WordPress","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}