Safe and Sustainable Sea Transport Through Development of Test Method for Foiling Craft

Research Project, 2024 – 2025

Improved battery technologies and growing environmental concerns have increased interest and investment in electrification, with passenger ferries being a promising candidate for this transition. Foiling technology has offered a solution to radically extend the range of electric vessels by reducing power requirement of the vessel. However, research and testing methods for foiling craft have lagged behind as foils operate in a very dynamic and complex environment. There is an urgent need to develop tailored test techniques for hydrofoil craft, which can result in improved design and contribute to safe and sustainable marine transportation.
In this project, we aim to develop advanced test methods capable of performing foil tests in controlled and dynamic conditions and provide information for foil and propulsor design. Ensuring the similarity of the hydrofoil behavior between model scale and full scale, foil performance in waves and dynamic response of the foil in sudden descents are the main focus of this study.