Application of Digital Twins in the Design of New Green Transport Vessels

The growing complexity of green transport vessels results in a gap between current ship design methods and new green transport vessel design. Innovative technologies such as digital twins (DTs) show the potential in supporting future complex designs when combined with suitable current ship design methods. The current state-of-the-art in DT-enabled design processes is still in its early research phases, both in the maritime world, and general engineering community. The most recent literature is presented, as well the role of optimization in the early design phases. Two complimentary design approaches are proposed, aimed at the concept design phases of green ships, where most of the design requirements are set (via design requirements) and locked-in (via initial design decisions). First, a DT-based green transport vessel design method is proposed which is then evaluated through a case study on an LNG-powered handysize bulk carrier. Four design scenarios are presented to show the ability of the design approach to simulate vessel behaviour, providing a feasible design space, and supporting early design decision-making. Second, an optimization-based DT design approach is proposed also covering the early concept design phase. Combined, the two complimentary DT design approaches help address the gap in enabling DTs in the design of green transport vessels.