Research Progress on the Hydrodynamic Performance of Water-Air-bubble Mixed Flows Around a Ship

The interaction between ship and surrounding fluids generates the water-air-bubble mixed flow laden with numerous droplets and bubbles. The water-air-bubble mixed flow is a complex multi-phase flow phenomenon, which involves intense air-water mixture, complex evolution of interface shape, interactions between multi-scale flow structures and strong turbulent fluctuations. Based on the field observations at sea, a large range of white water-air-bubble flow exists widely around a large-scale sailing ship, and directly affects the hydrodynamic performance of ship from various aspects. This paper reviews the research progress of water-air-bubble mixed flow around a ship. Current knowledge about the formation and evolution mechanism are introduced firstly. Then, the effects of the water-air-bubble mixed flow on ship performance are further reviewed, the main concerns are ship resistance, propulsion performance, slamming and maneuverability. Finally, the future research prospects are summarized.