Numeric analysis of the biofouling impact on the ship resistance with ceramic coating on the hull

This work aims to study the application of ceramic coatings, an innovative and sustainable solution to reduce biofouling on ship hulls. The coating provides non-stick conditions that hinder biofouling growth extending the lifetime of the smooth hull surface and reducing the number of stops in dry dock. The surface roughness properties of three different ceramic coatings and two conventional coatings are exposed to natural sea water taking measurements once a month for one year. The results of this experiment are applied to a computational fluid dynamics model in which the increase in drag of the ship is calculated for one year. A simulation with a smooth hull is carried out to represent the reference condition. Later, roughness measures taken after one year of the experimental study are used to compare the drag of a vessel with the ceramic coating and the same vessel with a conventional coating.