University of Genoa, Italy

University of Genoa – Department of Electrical, Electronic, Telecommunication Engineering and Naval Architecture (DITEN) – Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering Group

The University of Genoa is among Italy’s leading research universities with an international reputation of world-class research across a wide range of disciplines. The University of Genoa includes the oldest school of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering in Italy, which was born in 1870 as Regia Scuola Navale, which successively become the Engineering Faculty, currently Polytechnic School. From the educational viewpoint, just in the specific field of shipbuilding, University of Genoa features two of the largest undergraduate and graduate degree courses in Europe: the courses of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering (based in Genova) and of Yacht Design (based in La Spezia), with a total amount of about 1000 enrolments in total.

The Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering Group has two main hydrodynamic testing facilities, namely a cavitation tunnel and a towing tank.

Cavitation Tunnel has a long time experience in measurements of the performances of propellers in cavitation conditions, including side effects such as induced pressures and radiated noise. Tests have been carried out on different propeller types during years, including conventional FPP and CPP, contrarotating propellers, CLT propellers, ducted propellers, side thrusters, SPP, cooperating with various industries/partners such as CETENA, Detra, Eliche Radice, Fincantieri, Azimut-Benetti, Lame, Flexitab, Sistemar, ZF Marine, Rodriquez.

The facility is a Kempf & Remmers closed water circuit tunnel with a squared testing section of 0.57 m x 0.57 m, having a total length of 2 m and a maximum flow speed in the testing section of 8.5 m/s. Vertical distance between horizontal ducts is 4.54 m, while horizontal distance between vertical ducts is 8.15 m.

The tunnel is equipped with a Kempf & Remmers H39 dynamometer, which measures propeller thrust, torque and RPM. Maximum measurable values are as following:

Thrust: +/- 981 N

Torque: +/- 49.05 N m

RPM: +/- 3000 RPM

Other instrumentation consists of LDV system, pressure sensors, hydrophones and cameras.

The Towing Tank (dimensions about 60x2.5x3 m) is provided with dynamometric carriage (maximum speed about 3 m/s) with capability of measurement of model trim and resistance.

Details about the hydrodynamics testing facilities in Genoa University can be found at http://www.diten.unige.it/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=653&Itemid=707&lang=en